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“Chaotic? A mess?” she says teasing, yet a hint of seriousness.
I grab her hand and lead her off the dance floor. We weave through the crowd and out the barn doors. It’s dark outside now, but there’s a soft glow from the inside lights. I face her, reaching for her other hand, and her blue eyes stare back at me. I have so much to say to her, but the words aren’t coming out. They’re stuck in my throat.
“Caleb?” Her eyes are filled with concern.
Then the words come tumbling out. “You’re Amazing. Kind. Inspiring. Beautiful. Real.”
She smiles softly.
I continue, “Before I came here, I was fully focused on my company. I ate, slept, and breathed my company. Then I came here, I saw you, and I…I fell in love.”
Her eyes are wide and her body stiffens. “You…”
“Piper, I love you. And I know it’s only been a few weeks. And I know we have things to figure out moving forward. And I want to talk about our future. And—”
Her hands embrace my cheeks. She steps on her tippy toes. And she silences me with a kiss. I wrap my arms around her waist, lift her up, and spin slowly. I set her back down and slowly release her lips from mine.
“Thank you, Caleb. For everything. For…seeing me,” she says breathlessly. “I love you too.”
Piper Griffin. The girl who has my heart. The girl who has made me fall hopelessly, madly, deeply in love.
Last night was magical and perfect in every way. Dancing, laughing, teasing, kissing, and I love you’s. I didn’t mean for it to come out yesterday, I was going to wait and plan something nice. Looking back, it was risky saying it at her sister’s wedding of all places. What if she didn’t love me back? Phew. But she does. Piper loves me back. My heart beats faster, my whole body aches to be near her again.
I tap on the back entrance door. I hear shuffling and then Piper opens the door. She looks just as beautiful today as she did yesterday. Her hair is up on the top of her head, her pink apron is dusted with flour, and her radiant smile could put the sun to shame.
“Good morning, beautiful. You have a little—” I reach my hand to dust the flour off of her nose and kiss her cheek.
“Good morning.” Her cheeks turn a rosy hue. “This is even better than a good morning text.”
As we enter the kitchen, I can see that she has been hard at work. Ingredients are scattered across the counter and a dusting of flour covers the island.
“Already working, huh?” I say as I walk up to the island.
“Yes, people never tire of sweets,” she giggles as she grabs two mugs of coffee that she’s already made and pushes a mug across the island in front of me.
“About last night…” she says, nervously.
“It was wonderful,” I say as I reach my hand out to hers.
“Amazing,” she smiles and puts her hands in mine. I see her smile fall, and her eyes fill with worry. “But we need to talk about some practicalities.”
I press my lips to the back of her hand. “Piper, what we have is worth it. And whatever I need to make this work, I’ll do it. I’m all in.”
“I’m all in too.” Her eyes sparkle at me, making my heart flutter. “So you’ve got your company in Chicago and I have my bakery here, in Rustic Ridge.”
“So I’ll travel,” I assure her. “Working remotely is much easier for me than for you. And whenever you can take a break, you can come visit Chicago, and I’ll show you around the city.”
“And technology is our friend—texts, video calls, maybe even virtual baking sessions?”
I chuckle at the thought. “I can picture it now—me trying to replicate one of your recipes and failing miserably.”
“Hey, I have faith in you.” She grins. “But if you do fail, it’s just an excuse for me to come to the rescue.”
“Is that so? Maybe I’ll fail on purpose then,” I tease, but then lean in seriously and squeeze her hand. “Piper, no matter what it takes, I’m committed to this—to us. I’ll commute as often as necessary.”
“Good. Because this,” she gestures between us, “feels like the kind of thing you don’t let go of, no matter the miles.”
“No matter the miles,” I repeat.
