ajmurph

[ajmurph]

Time had stopped. Jax swore time had stopped. He had just glanced through the window seconds before. There was nothing. It was clean. It was quiet. No one. It was as he walked in, that time came to halt. There was nothing else to think about. Nothing else to do. Nothing else to look at. Dee. On the floor. Bleeding out from her stomach. Like a nightmare. Like a dream, he had had when he was a child, something he was so terrified of having to face, like seeing his mother all over again. Seeing his mother all over again. “Hey, ba-...” He paused. His heart beat loudly in his ears as he stared for only a brief second before running over to his girlfriend’s side. “Dee?! Dee, oh my god! Dee, baby... Baby, talk to me, baby.” Pleading, an arm had slipped underneath her to add some leverage, the other darting to her stomach to cover the wound. Stop the bleeding. Stop, just stop it. He played the words in the back of his head, radio silence at the forefront of his mind. As she struggled to speak back, he felt as though he was about to be sick. Seeing her struggle this way, tugged at every heartstring that had long since grown cobwebs. Brought back thoughts he hadn’t thought about in so long. A sense of paranoia that had slipped into the shadows months ago. He didn’t know what to do. What to say. How to fix this. He couldn’t fix this. He needed to call someone. He needed to call the paramedics. He had heard on the radio that a lot of them were over at the diner on 53rd. A shooting. A shooting. But here? What? Was that heist the perfect distraction? But why? Who? When? Jax wanted answers, but the answers would be sought later. Now, now he had to get Dee help. She had passed out; from the shock or the blood loss, he wasn’t sure, but as he held his cellphone up to his ear, he pleaded someone would know. He pleaded someone would answer. 

Speaking to the dispatcher, he gave his location and situation. He hoped that they wouldn’t take too long to get here. He hoped they’d be able to take the shell out. He hoped they’d be able to save her. During that time, he had drowned the sound of Ellie’s sobs out, sitting in her stroller and grabbing for the air. For her mommy. Sorry, baby. Mommy can’t come right now. Daddy can’t come right now. I’m sorry, baby. I can’t be here and there. I have to keep mommy safe. He breathed out, a pressured hand still on her stomach. Before he knew it, the medics were rushing in. He didn’t want to let go. He didn’t want to think of a life without Dee. He didn’t want this. Any of this. Soon, they were taking her vitals, checking her wound, and prying him off of her body. “It’s going to be okay.” A musclier man said to Jax. His eyes flickered down. Taylor, the name tag read. “She’s got a good chance.” He reassured him, Jax’s blank stare nodding slowly. “Go take care of your little girl.” Without a second thought, Jax walked over to Ellie’s stroller and picked up their little girl in his bloody hands. He bounced her on his hip, rubbing her small back and thinking that she was, quite possibly, the only surviving bit of Delilah that there was left. He thought about before. About being with Rose. About leaving Dee. About finding Dee again. About falling in love again. About realizing that everything he’d ever done had led him to Delilah Jones and he could not, would not, live without her. He refused. “Take your little girl and we’ll meet you at the hospital.” Mr. Taylor nodded in Jax’s direction as they carried Dee out the front door. “I’ll make she makes it there.” 

All Jax could give was a nod of appreciation and a blank stare. No slight smile, no reassuring breath. Nothing. He stood in the bakery for a while. It wouldn’t take long to get to the hospital and he really shouldn’t have been driving in this state. He stood with Ellie, who had fallen asleep against his shoulder, her light pink dress printed with a slightly darker pink elephant in the center, now littered with blood. He eyed the room, attempting to play out the situation in his head. His eyes moved down to the puddle of blood. His heart was inside of his throat. Blinking a few times, he moved to leave. He had to go home. Get Ellie changed. Wash his hands. Make it to the hospital. No. What if this blood was the last of his Dee? He couldn’t wash up. He couldn’t change Ellie. He just had to go. Go and see if she would make it. If she would wake up. If she would still be there. There were so many things he hadn’t done. Hadn’t said. Hadn’t felt. He needed to be there with him for all of those things. In truth, there was no one else. Delilah Jones was apart of who Jax had become and really, who he’d always been. They had fallen in love in that bakery. They had made a family. They had big fights, awkward silences, shared so many little, intimate moments in that bakery. And then, they had shared this one. And then, it could’ve been the last moment they had ever shared at all.

[ajmurph]

justaspacecadet:

Just like that, Delilah felt like she was losing all control. The closer he got, the more nervous she became. Inhaling deep and studying his features, she brought her bright green depths down to his lips for a moment and bit down on her bottom lip. “J-Just a bit..”she murmured, but of course this was just one of Jax’s little games. She should have seen this coming or at least been used to this little game he played. Rolling her eyes as he apologized, she scoffed and licked her lips. Raising her hand to lick the chocolate off her fingertips, a very timid comeback towards the male. It was obvious there had been attraction there and not only attraction but tension. Inhaling deep, she realized how close they had actually been and their eye contact felt so strong as well. If she could, she would just wrap her arms around his neck and pull him close for a firm kiss. She missed that, she missed being able to kiss him and run her fingertips through his hair. This was her first and only love that she was staring at and as much as it hurt, she knew that he felt the same way about her. Biting her lip briefly, she held back a smile before speaking up “I’ve learned my lesson about wrapping donuts though, lesson learned.”

He couldn’t help himself, really. It was terrible and wrong, but he’d always felt... Electric around Delilah. This interaction reminded him strongly of when they first met. Besides the fact that she hardly denied his coming onto her. Back then, in fact, his moves were less suave and more or less similar to the idea of romantic. They were young, but not stupid. Smart enough to know that what they had was true. Now, here they were. Back at the start, with a few minor differences - including Jax being married. Her eyes were haunting, really. He couldn’t find it in himself to look away. He watched every move, every breath; his own hitched. He stayed in a trance as she licked a bit of chocolate off her finger. She knew. She knew that this would absolutely drive him crazy and it was seriously working. They remained close and although there was plenty of tension, there was something so comforting about having Dee there again. Something that reminded him of all their memories. Hovering with her there, in that pause of time, he almost felt himself lose his breath. “I’m glad... Wrapping donuts is a very important skill-...” And before he could go on, the alarm on his phone dinged, signaling that it was time to open shop. He chuckled, dropping his head against her shoulder in defeat. “Looks like it’s time to open up.” Smirking lightly, Jax’s hand came up to slide under her chin, knocking it in the upwards direct affectionately. “Let’s get to work. No pressure.”

[ajmurph]

justaspacecadet:

Most girls would act pretty bitter about being told to tell others that your exboyfriend’s new wife unfortunately couldn’t be around, but Delilah was never the type to act petty. She cared so much for Jax, and loved him so entirely that his happiness meant something so minuscule compared to her own. “Noted.”she nodded slightly, a small laugh passing her lips as he mocked her technique of wrapping a donut. “Yeah yeah yeah..”She scoffed with a small grin, bashfully dropping her gaze before peering up at the boy and happily taking a bite from his donut. “I knew how, I just….was under pressure.”she bluffed, examining his features and noticing the tiniest smudge of chocolate against the corner of his lips. Hesitantly, but carefully the girl raised a hand to gently wipe away the chocolate with her thumb. “…Such a slob..”she teased softly, smiling softly at the taller male in front of her.

“Oh, is that what you call it? “Under pressure”?” Throwing his head back in laughter this time, Jax immediately shook his head in disbelief. “It’s wrapping up a donut, not disarming a bomb!” He laughed, taking a sip of his coffee then. It was soon that their eyes met and Delilah was reaching to wipe some chocolate from his lips. His mind immediately went south. Thought about taking that finger and licking the chocolate off. Thought about throwing her up on the counter and kissing her as hard as he could. Thought about doing even worse. He felt guilty too. It wasn’t that simple. He felt like he was betraying Rose’s trust for thoughts in his own head. But that was far back in his subconscious. His physical body was hovering forward, closer to Delilah little by little until he was looking down at her from inches away. “... Is this putting you under pressure?” He asked, voice small as his eyes remained tightly locked with her own. “I feel a little pressurized right now...” He huffed a near silent chuckle, his hand gravitating towards her but settling on the counter instead. The other reached over, grabbing a napkin from behind the girl and wiping the corner of his lips. “Sorry about that.” He smiled sweet, remaining firm on where he stood, but acting entirely innocent.

[ajmurph]

justaspacecadet:

Nodding understandingly as Jax instructed her to go along with Martha and not question the wrong amount she had given her, she couldn’t help but smile at how sweet the older woman had been. “You’re doing lovely, sweetie” she heard her say softly, causing Delilah to practically beam. “Thank you so much,”she spoke gently, scrunching up her nose as she continued to ring her out and pass her her bag carefully. Though just as she had been doing this, she heard that question just linger in the air. Her heart fell to her stomach, she didn’t know what Jax was going to reply. Was he going to tell her he was married, tell her she had just been a friend or an ex? Much to her surprise, the man just sighed and said yes. Wide eyes, Delilah flashed a confused smile and waved goodbye to the small woman. After the door locked, Dee raised her brows “Um…” she laughed nervously, swallowing hard before speaking up “…Assuming she has Alzheimer’s and this wasn’t too much of a concern..?”she joked, nervously playing with her fingers as she stood anxiously behind the register and gazed over at Jax with her bright green depths. 

Jax gave a bit of a laugh at Delilah, continuously making his way towards the counter again. “No, I just spontaneously declared you were my girlfriend and she’s going to tell the entire town.” He joked a bit, shooting the girl a smile. “She’s stubborn. Even if I would’ve told her no, she would’ve insisted. She didn’t even notice the ring on my finger. My hand was right in front of her.” He chuckled, rubbing at the back of his neck. “She probably will forget though… Terrible memory. I’m lucky she knows her own name and where she lives.” Shrugging, he made his way behind the counter again, leaning against it as he picked up a donut. “Some regulars might ask where Rose is… She helps out sometimes. Just kinda tell ‘em she won’t be around so much, but you’ll let her know they said hi. The elderly people in this neighborhood insist on it.” He stared at the donut in his hands, picking it apart slowly. “Anyway… Now you know how to wrap a donut.” He smirked, offering her a bit of his own as he watched the details of her face. Licking his lips and using the frosting on the donut as an excuse, he pretended to wipe something off. God, she was gorgeous. Standing there now made Jax wonder why he’d gotten so distracted from them in the first place.

[ajmurph]

justaspacecadet:

Raising her eyebrows playfully as Jax wiped off the whipped cream on the tip of her nose, Delilah couldn’t help but burst out laughing “You little jerk!”she grinned, shaking her head before turning her attention over to the front door to see the older woman he had been talking about. “Oh shoot,”she spoke quickly, reaching for the rag to wipe off her nose. “Gotcha!” she nodded quickly, making her way behind the counter to bag the two donuts and slice of apple pie. Feeling as if this was the only thing she couldn’t get wrong - she still managed to screw it up somehow. Seeing the boy’s reaction, Delilah knitted her brows in confusion before replying “Yes that’s how I wrap a donut….did I do it wrong? is this wrong?”she spoke quietly towards the male, briefly raising her attention to flash the older a reassuring smile. “…..I didn’t know there was a wrong way..”She mumbled, it felt just like old times with Jax in that moment - just back to being their goofy selves.

“Alright, look...” He began, grabbing a new sheet of wax paper and beginning to fold it around the donut. “You have to cover it all up, keep it fresh. Especially for Maria. She forgets she gets these things half the time and they end up sitting in her kitchen for a week. Yet she comes in here nearly every day...” He shook his head with a small laugh. “Thank god I didn’t ask you to take care of the pie.” He teased, grabbing a plastic container for it to go in. “Did you want a cup of coffee too, Maria? I made it just how you like.” He called over to the older woman, who gladly accepted. “Alright, put this stuff in a bag and ring her up. She’ll give you the wrong amount, just adjust accordingly.” He nodded, walking to the back in order to grab her a cup of his very special brew. The coffee up front wasn’t the same; his dad liked to save money by buying the cheap stuff in bulk while he kept the old family secret in the back. Making his way over with the coffee, he stood next to Delilah, resting one hand on the counter and the other on his hip as she began to ring her up. “Teaching your girlfriend the ropes?” Maria asked, causing Jax to flush red. “Oh, she’s- Yeah. Yeah, I am.” He figured he better not fight it; Maria was stubborn and old and thought she knew everything. “Let me walk you out.” He said simply, making his way around the counter in order to do so. He locked the door behind as the old woman left, simply waiting for Delilah’s reaction to what he’d said.

[ajmurph]

justaspacecadet:

Even just the quick feeling of Jax’s hands brushing up against her jeans was enough to give Delilah chills, but of course she snapped out of it immediately when realizing what exactly he had been doing. Gazing down at her now completely white jeans from all the flour, Delilah’s jaw dropped playfully as she glared at the taller male “Hey now! That’s just rude!” she scoffed, failing to hide the large smile that was forming on her lips now. Watching him make his way over to the sink, she crossed her arms across her chest and listened as he listed off all the things she could help with. Playfully glaring as he asked if she knew how to work a register, she shook her head “No, Jax. Care to demonstrate?” she teased, walking over to the boy and standing in front of him before raising a flour covered hand to playfully pat his cheek gently. “Since you seem to know all your stuff, mister professional.” Dee mocked, holding back her laughter at the sight of the boy with a cheek covered in white flour. “Oh…you got a little somethin’ here…little shmutz…”she teased,the corners of her lips fighting back the smile.

Jax let his guard down a bit too easily as Delilah walked over and so very casually covered his cheek in flour. He could feel the offense and looked down the girl with a cocked brow. “Oh, that’s how you wanna play?” He asked rhetorically, shaking his head as a huge grin broke out onto his lips. It was taking everything in him not to kiss her right now. Not to tease her and be playful and rub his flour covered cheek all over her face. “Well, when you make the sale, you press this,” reaching over to a freshly made pie that was supposed to go on display, he swiped up a bit of whipped cream. “And cha-ching.” He spoke before reaching forward to wipe it onto her nose. “Sale made.” Licking the access off his finger, he wiggled his brows jokingly at the girl before his eyes darted to the door. “Shit, I forgot how early Mrs. Jefferson comes in these days...” He sighed, grabbing each of them a rag. “Grab two of those donuts and a piece of apple pie.” He nodded her way before making his own to the door and greeting the familiar face. “Hi Maria,” he nodded, walking the older woman to the counter. “You’re looking younger every day.” He smiled down at her, glancing over to Delilah to see if she was doing well. “I’ll have everything ready in just a minute.” Walking back over towards the girl, he cocked a brow once more. “This is how you wrap a donut?”

[ajmurph]

justaspacecadet:

 Delilah wanted to act surprised when the boy came up from behind her to demonstrate, but she knew him well enough to know exactly what he was doing. Which was why she had reacted so calmly and tilted her head ever so slightly to give him a decent view. The girl nodded slightly as he guided her through, somewhat appreciative of his warmth in that moment as well. She watched intently while his large hands guided her delicate ones through out the process, smiling to herself at the finish product. Lingering with the male, she couldn’t help but smile even wider “…Yup…and all done by myself…”she teased quietly, a breathy laugh passing her lips as she studied the pastry in front of her carefully. For a moment she had even forgotten the position they had both been in, she was just sort of embracing the feeling. It was new, and she liked the idea of finally getting the hang of things - because that also meant making Jax proud, another goal of hers.

Having himself pressed up flush against Delilah - lips near her lips, hands on her hands... It was very reminiscent. He couldn’t help but get caught up in the moment. His heart beat escalated, his brain went numb, and it took him a moment to realize he was still in the same position even though they’d finished. Backing up slowly, the boy took his hands and wiped the flour off onto Delilah’s jeans carefully. “Annnd, that’s what you get when you don’t wear an apron. All by yourself.” He mumbled in her ear before finally pulling back and falling into a fit of laughter at her reaction. As the tension ripped, he felt his heart race faster. It was almost as if the further away he was, the more he wanted. To be close with her, to whisper in her ear, to feel her breathing against his own. God, this was stupid. In what world would this ever have been a good idea? He needed to get out of his own head and focus on the goal here: making her into the perfect worker. “So after that, it goes on a sheet like this and into the oven that is constantly preheated at the correct temperature so you have nothing to worry about.” He winked playfully, making his way over to the sink to wash his hands before grabbing a sip of coffee again. “I think you know how to bus tables already, so no worries there... You know how to work a register, right?” He cocked a brow, only joking. She’d done small things around the shop before. When he’d have his late shifts and his father wasn’t around, he would sometimes ask Dee to clean dishes or count money to get the night over with sooner. This wasn’t anything new, but it felt that way. As if they were different people now, experiencing the attraction all over again.

[ajmurph]

justaspacecadet:

“Yeah really not that difficult..” Delilah replied in a playful sarcastic tone after Jax had demonstrated how to properly prepare the pastry. “Oh boy..”she sighed heavily, shaking her head at the sight of the dough in front of her. “Lord give me the strength..”she mumbled under her breath, taking in a deep breath before placing flower on her hands and reaching down to prepare the dough just has he had demonstrated. Tilting her head and knitting her brows as she usually had done when she was confused, she became lost in her own train of thought. Somehow managing to fold the pastry wrong, Delilah sheepishly pursed her lips before turning to look at the boy with a look of playful guilt “I’m guessing I’m fired…?”she laughed nervously before shaking her head and bringing her attention back down to the creation she had made in front of her. “I mean it’s not that bad…kinda…..looks like a smiley face, look.”she nodded, smiling to herself as she poked the dough to make a nose “Kinda cute!” she nodded, suddenly proud with her little failure.

Jax’s eyes very quickly narrowed as he watched the girl “prepare” the pastry. Not much of a preparation in his eyes, but there was really nothing he could do at this point. When she finished up, he began to shake his head slowly, glaring at her as if he didn’t understand what he was looking at. “You are strange...” He mumbled, shaking his eye still, eyes now squinted. A smile slowly creeped onto his lips, thinking of the reasons why he had been with her that time ago. These little things, the goofy things, that he acted as if he judged her for but had ultimately made him fall in love with her. It was genuinely fascinating to him that she could make light in nearly every single situation. Find the good in any bad and put a smile on his face. That was just Delilah. “Let’s try this again.” Picking up her wonky smiley face of a pastry, he molded it into a ball again before throwing it down on the counter space in front of her. Coming from behind, although he knew he really shouldn’t do this, he placed his arms above hers and grabbed hold of her hands. “Now like this...” He spoke softly into her ear, moving his hands about to show her the more proper way to fold the dough. He wasn’t doing this on purpose - really, he wasn’t. He just knew Delilah. He knew that she had to be shown if he had any hope of successfully getting her to do this. He needed to convince his dad she’d be good for the bakery. That she was far more than just the pretty face he thought she was. “And there,” he said, finishing up as he lingered for a moment. “It’s ready for the oven...”

[ajmurph]

justaspacecadet:

Delilah listened to Jax speak intently, occasionally nodding as he went on and on about how to properly ring out a customer and provide the perfect service. “Yes of course..”she replied in a playful tone as if he had been militant. She then put on a soft smile as she examined the boy’s features carefully, taking the warm cup into her hands whilst shaking her head. “You sound so much like your dad now, you know that..?” Dee smiled softly, taking a sip from the mug before sighing intently and closing her eyes for a moment. It tasted like all the times Jax would bring her to the bakery, and sit her aside with a cup of coffee where she would wait patiently for his shift to be over. “Just as good as I remembered.”she practically hummed, swaying for a moment before clearing her throat and taking her bright depths over to the pastries “..I’m gonna suck so bad at this.. I hope you know that…Cooking I’m alright with.. it’s the baking I can’t seem to wrap my head around..”she muttered, knitting her brows as she nibbled on the corner of her lip in a moment of thought. A part of her really wanted to avoid eye contact with Jax, just because she knew how exactly it made her feel - and she didn’t need that right now. “…Well lets get started huh?”she beamed slightly, taking in a deep breath and regaining her confidence.

He chuckled, really. As she commented about his father. It warmed his heart, it truly did. Made him realize that maybe he could take over this place someday. Give his dad a break. Jax gave somewhat of a smile as she appreciated the coffee. It was one of the very few things he was legitimately good at. Well, for the most part. He probably couldn’t peddle his coffee, but it was a decent cup of joe. An upside to being in a relationship with him. Relationships. Right. Which this was not and Jax was struggling to cope with for some stupid reason. He had Rose. He didn’t need more or less; he just wanted Rose. With the stress that was being put on their marriage lately, he understood that it was questionable, but he wasn’t about to yearn after something he knew wouldn’t work out anyway. Nice while it lasted. “Yeah, c’mon...” He nodded, leading her over to the counter top. “I know, I know. But... I’m going to make you into a baker, just you wait. I have a good sense of patience and strong determination.” He nodded with a furrow of his brows before making his way over to the fridge to grab the risen dough. “I’ll show you a bit now... It’s really not that difficult. All about timing. And you know how bad I am with timing... We’ve got this. So first you take a bit like this, roll like this, swing like this, and bam! Pastry. Well, the base of the pastry.” He smiled softly, gathering more flour on his hands for better grip. “You’ll pick up quick. Especially if you want to keep your job around here.” He chuckled, leaning over to bump his hip with her own teasingly.

[ajmurph]

justaspacecadet:

Looking over her outfit, the girl released a loud sigh as she studied herself from head to toe. “Yeah that looks fine.. that looks presentable…”she whispered to herself, why was she even trying to look nice? It wasn’t like she SHOULD be trying to impress Jax, after all they were split and he was married now, what was the point? Sighing in defeat as she sighed at her reflection. “Alright….I gotta go now, I’ll see you soon Archie… wish me luck,” the girl spoke to her dog who simply gazed up at her and tilted his head in confusion. Now out the door and on her way to the bakery, Delilah began to realize that she probably looked a little too dressed up to be baking but - was this a surprise? Not really. Swallowing hard as she finally approached the bakery, she quietly calmed herself down and entered the bakery. There he was getting everything ready, she couldn’t help but smile. Placing her hands on her hips and shaking her head, Delilah grinned “You know.. It’s gonna be really rough getting up this early all the time..”she smiled, making her way towards the male and taking in a deep breath “….Is your dad here..?”she spoke soft, cautiously looking around for the older male who more than likely hated her existence. 

Jax was almost immediately shaking his head at the girl as she made her way inside, locking the door behind her so the two of them could set up before officially opening the doors. “What’re you doin’ here?” He finally joked with a slight smile, but a clear humor to his voice. Glancing over his shoulder to look towards the back of the building, he shook his head again. “Nope, no… Not today. Just us… Like old times. After closing, around eleven when I knew for certain he fell asleep in front of the TV playing Buffy reruns.” He chuckled lightly, fiddling the keys in his head for a moment before sighing, somewhat resetting. “But, never mind that, we’ve got work to do.” He nodded, prompting her to follow him as he made his way into the back. “You can leave your things here,” he spoke soft gesturing before making his way back out into the back of the counter. “I suppose I’ll grab the first customers; you really only need to see that once - I’m sure you know how to wrap things up, ask if they want any one in specific out of the pastry they choose, you know. The works. Providing the customer anything they ask for. Then I’ll show you how to roll some of these… They usually sell out towards midday so I make two more batches… I just got in myself or else I would’ve already started one. Anyway, coffee?” Jax didn’t realize it, but he probably sounded a lot like his father right now and it almost hit him as he finished that that man had passed down so much knowledge to him. As he looked at Delilah, somewhat surprised with the way he’d said all that, he softly smiled and handed her a small cup of Joe made from his mother’s old coffee maker that dad kept around the “break room”.

[ajmurph]

Jax didn’t know why he’d gone over to Delilah’s that night, but it wasn’t something he was regretting. At least he thought so. It was nice to see her again, really. He hadn’t seen her in... Months. Lord knew how many. He wasn’t counting. He only knew that he’d missed her and a chance to see her again was more than welcome. It was somewhat saddening hearing about all she’d been going through lately. It kind of make it seem like all of Jax’s problems were miniscule. It was one fight with Rose, over a stupid move he made - one he still didn’t regret. The mob wasn’t all he knew, but it was a majority of his life. It was what he was used to. He’d given it up for a while for Rose, but she hardly held up her end of the bargain. Always out on the front lines, doing her duty to society. Jax didn’t like that. That he had to suffer and yet, she could do whatever she wanted. Yes, he loved her, but it made it hard at times to understand where he was coming from at all. Today though, it was no mob day. It was Delilah’s first day at the bakery and Jax was due to join her. Thankfully, his father wouldn’t be around for this. He’d always been kind, but that fake kind of nice where everyone knows the person doesn’t really like whoever they’re speaking to. Perhaps it was a personal vendetta and honestly, one Jax tended to stay away from. It wasn’t about what his father thought right now. He closed the apartment door behind him and began the short walk to the bakery. He was... Nervous. Extremely nervous. He wanted to day to go well for more than himself, but for Delilah as well. She needed some hope. Making his way into the bakery, he shuffled to the front door to unlock it. His body bounced around the room, shifting things here and there as he nervously awaited Delilah’s arrival. Today was going to be one hell of a challenge and for reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with baking.