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Almost one year after graduation, our closest friends have gathered at Strick U. Preston and Bex drove from Pittsburgh where Preston plays hockey for the Penguins. Trent and Jemma have the twin babies hanging on them like monkeys. Thea is crying for the red velvet cupcake sitting on the counter in front of me, while Teddy’s thrashing in Jemma’s arms reaching for his twin sister.
Tucker drove back from New York with Sam. She was the teaching assistant for our Business Ethics class during our last semester. I never thought I would see Tucker settle down with anything other than a beer, but he’s really changed since he met Sam. He’s been holding onto an engagement ring for her and plans to propose in some over-the-top Tucker fashion. Drake is the only one missing. He was supposed to be here, but an earthquake in Southern California forced him to miss his plane.
“Jamie,” Shannon calls, her back turned to me. “Can you take the muffins out of the oven? They’re gonna burn.” Her eyes are pointed down at the counter on a dozen vanilla cupcakes, frosting bag in hand with her signature pink icing on her fingers.
“You got it, boss,” I joke.
She snickers at my comment.
Watching her work is one of my favorite things to do. Shannon’s never more in her element than when she’s baking. And to think our relationship started with her cooking for my friends and me. Like me, Shannon loves to create. I envision worlds and characters, but she makes something even more powerful.
Her delicious pastries have attracted thousands of people. Every newspaper in the city has featured Shake-and-Cake in their food sections, recommending it to all of their readers. At the rate Shannon’s growing her business, she’ll be moving to a physical store soon enough. Both of our dreams are finally coming to fruition.
I never thought I would be the visionary of a tech company, or that my new video game would be the hottest upcoming release. Shannon had a lot to do with that. If not for her inspiring Quest for Shanaya, I have no idea where I’d be right now.
I set the hot muffin tin on the counter to let them cool, and Shannon glances over at me with a smile on her lips. “Thanks, husband.”
I wink at her. “You’re welcome, wife.”
She blows me a kiss that I pretend to catch in my hand, and she giggles. When I blow one back to her, she does the same, except she holds her closed hand over her heart. I never thought I could love anyone as much as I do Shannon, and to think I almost made a horrible decision by letting her go.
I’m thankful every day for realizing my mistake. I used to think no one understood me the way Cece did. But I was so wrong. Shannon doesn’t understand code or most of the complicated shit I talk about, but she makes an effort and by doing so, she has literally become part of my world.
I married Shannon on a beach in Lake Como, Italy with all of our friends and family in attendance. After I proposed, I didn’t want to waste another second. There’s no reason to wait when you’ve found your soulmate.
“A reporter from the New York Times wants to talk to you,” Tucker says through the window.
I snap my head in his direction and see Sam at his side.
She pushes her long, blonde hair behind her ears and smiles. “Tuck’s joking,” Sam says. “I don’t write about food. I don’t know the first thing about it other than Shannon makes the best cupcakes I’ve ever tasted.” She angles her body toward the tables spread out along the sidewalk staring at the girls serving customers. “I see what makes Shake-and-Cake so popular,” she says, pointing at a crowd of boys drooling over one of the girls. All of them are wearing short black skirts, tight, hot pink tops, and very high heels. “I bet I can get one of the reporters I know to come down here and write about Shake-and-Cake.”
“That would be great,” I say.
“Yes, I would love you forever if you could pull that off,” Shannon says turning to smile at Sam.
She smiles back. “I’ll see what I can do.” Sam bites into the cupcake in her hand and holds it up, speaking between bites. “I’m sure once they try these, they’ll be hooked.”
Abby Gale, the former president of Kappa Delta, came through on her promise to enlist the pledges to help Shannon. They work for free, which is exactly what a startup needs. Abby’s only request was that she’s in charge of their wardrobe. Shannon hates clothes and couldn’t have cared less.
As part of the pledging process, the girls have to work here. According to Shannon, that beats the initiation she had to endure. The girls seem content with their roles, swaying their hips to the beat flowing through the speakers fixed to the top of the truck as they deliver treats to people crowded at tables along the sidewalk.
