Not confused.
Not almost.
Love.
And standing in that glowing bakery while snowstorm winds howl outside, I realize leaving her now would feel like ripping out part of myself.
Sadie laughs shakily through tears. “You’re ruining all my emotional self-defense strategies.”
I step closer again. “So, stop defending yourself from me.”
Her eyes lift to mine slowly, and the entire bakery feels suspended around us.
Then she whispers: “Okay.”
That one word undoes me completely, the same word that Jillie had used.
I reach for her carefully, slowly, giving her time to pull away.
She doesn’t.
My hand settles gently against her cheek.
Warm skin.
Soft breath.
Trembling exhale.
Every part of me goes still. “Sadie, I love you.”
She leans into my hand slightly. That tiny movement destroys whatever restraint I had left.
I kiss her.
Slowly. Deliberately. Not rushed. Not reckless. Certain.
Across the street, people inside the diner immediately notice. Mrs. Bellamy is absolutely going to combust with happiness. Someone lifts a phone. A camera flash goes off faintly through the glass.
Neither of us cares.
Because Sadie kisses me back like she’s been trying not to for weeks.
Like relief. Like trust. Like coming home.
When we finally pull apart, both of us are breathing unevenly.
Foreheads touching. A snowstorm raging outside. The bakery warm around us.
And for the first time in years, I know exactly where I belong.
I brush my thumb softly beneath her eye.
Then whisper the truest thing I’ve said in a very long time.
“I think Briar Cove became home the second you opened that bakery door for me.”
Chapter sixteen
