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“When you told me about your grandmother and how she influenced your love for baking, I asked Mia to get the recipes so I could make this for you. Now they are hardbound and waterproof so you can keep it in the kitchen without worrying about damaging it,” he explains. “I thought about getting it typed up, but I figured her handwriting would mean more to you.”
He’s right. It does. This gift is priceless.
“Caleb,” I whisper, my throat tight with emotion. “This…is the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received.”
Without thinking, I lean forward and wrap my arms around him. Though surprised at first, he wraps his strong arms around me in return. His hand rubs circles on my back while I hide my face in his chest.
I pull away so I can look at him. “Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me.”
He brushes a stray strand of hair from my face and tucks it behind my ear sending shivers down my spine as I get lost in his beautiful, hazel eyes.
11
Caleb
In all my years, I have never encountered a woman as loving and selfless as Piper is. She inspires me to be a better man and to open my heart to the possibility of forever. With her face inches from mine, I lose myself in the depth of her captivating, blue eyes. I want to tell her how I feel. I want to tell her how much I’ve cherished every moment we’ve shared over the last week and a half. I never knew it was possible to connect with someone in such a short amount of time—that has to mean something, right?
But as much as I want to say these words out loud, fear takes over. What if she doesn’t feel the same way? Maybe she only sees me as a friend. What if I ruin that friendship? And eventually, I have to go home and go back to my real life. What would that look like for us? How will things be between us then?
With a sigh, I reluctantly let go of her and am immediately hit by a gust of cool wind, a stark contrast to Piper’s warmth.
“I’m so glad you like your gift, Piper,” I say, squeezing her shoulders before dropping my arms. “We should probably head back before it gets too dark,” I say with a small smile.
She nods her head, though I think she senses something’s off. As we hike back towards her house, we make small talk on the way until we reach the bakery, where we both fall silent. We cross the street and as soon as we step onto her porch, all I want to do is speak my mind. Instead, I pull her into another hug—we’ve already hugged once tonight so it must be okay now, right? Her head fits perfectly underneath my chin, and I breathe in her scent of vanilla and freshly-baked cookies.
Gently, I kiss the top of her head before pulling away to look into her eyes. “Goodnight, Piper.”
“Goodnight, Caleb.”
“Wow, did you rob a library?” I ask Grandad as he totes two large boxes on a dolly into the living area of our suite.
“I was able to get all the information about the properties from Dominic,” he tells me as I eagerly get up from my laptop. “This is everything, including all the property details. I just wanted to go through it with you, since I had the accountant create a master list.”
He hands me the document, and I flip through six pages of single-spaced addresses. “You own all of these properties?”
“Yeah, I may have gotten a little carried away with this hobby,” he says with pride in his eyes. “But according to the accountant, it’s been very profitable.” He points to the number on the last page.
My jaw drops. “Wow. This hobby business has made quite a bit of money. Maybe I should have stuck with this instead of my business—yours doesn’t seem to cause as much stress.”
“Still struggling with the clinical trials?” he asks as he lowers himself into a chair at the table.
I can see he’s a little winded as the man refuses help. But I don’t think I’ve seen him this engaged in years. He’s been galivanting around Rustic Ridge like someone half his age—playing golf, walking with Gizmo, and meetings with Nolan.
“Yeah, we’re finding some small adjustments we could make. You know how science is—trial and error,” I grumble. “Sometimes, I wish it were easier.”
“If it were easy, then anyone could do it.” He smiles at me. “I was wondering if you had a few minutes to chat about these properties.”
“Of course.” I sit in a chair next to him at the table. “What’s up? I thought Nolan had everything under control?”
“Oh, he does,” my grandfather says as his eyes go to the paper. “Do you think you’ll ever have children?”
I’m taken aback by his question and take a moment to swallow before responding. “I would love to have children. Lately, I’ve been reevaluating my priorities and realizing that focusing on relationships instead of just my career has opened my eyes to a life I might be missing,” I tell him as my thoughts immediately turn to Piper.
“Do you think you or your future children will have any interest in this?” he asks, a touch of sadness rolling off of him.
“We have more trusts and things than I know what to do with. But I know these properties hold cherished memories for you, a lifetime of travel and experiences. If you want me to keep the portfolio, I absolutely will,” I commit to him.
“I cannot give this the proper attention it needs, and I don’t want another Dominic situation to arise. I know I could hire someone I trust to oversee it, but now, I’m thinking of leaving a different kind of legacy,” he says, which piques my interest.
