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“Sounds perfect. I’ll wait up.” She backed out of the embrace, pointing at the white box on the counter while moving toward the door. “Don’t forget about that.”
A loud rumble from his stomach answered better than anything he could say. About eating, anyway. “I love you,” he called, loud enough for everyone in the club to hear.
Her beautiful lips curved higher. “I love you too.” Once again, she pointed at the bakery box. “Open it before you come home. It’s not just cookies.”
He waited for her to disappear through the doors before turning to address his client. “Sorry to keep you waiting.” He reached over the counter to grab his tablet. “Ready to get started?”
“You’re just going to leave the box there? You aren’t you going to open it?” This from the guy who hadn’t had the patience to wait through a little goodbye kiss two minutes ago.
“I’ll do it after your session,” he said, waving the client toward the equipment.
“I think she wanted you to open it right away. That’s what I’d do, if I were in your shoes.” The guy’s gaze drifted to the door, Leigh’s last location.
Sam couldn’t blame the guy for being smitten. He’d been there. Was still there. Only, now he didn’t have to dream about her, he had her. Every day and night, starting tonight. He was living the dream, literally.
“You’re sure you don’t mind?” he asked, setting the tablet on the counter, beside the box.
The guy shook his head while edging closer.
Hopefully, she hadn’t put anything NSFW in the box. Then again, hopefully she had. Let the nosy guy see exactly how damn lucky he’d gotten.
She’d written his name in cursive across the top, punctuating it with a small heart.
He hadn’t noticed that before. Maybe if he had, he wouldn’t have assumed the worst. Though, if he hadn’t, he would’ve missed out on her rambling confession of love. He wouldn’t trade that moment for all the tiny hand-drawn hearts in the world. Inside the box, a pink Post-It note sat on top of a pile of decorated cookies.
Hey, math genius: How does 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 1? Use the cookies to solve the problem. (Then, hopefully, it won’t be a problem anymore!)
Already knowing the answer to her riddle didn’t make it any less awesome. He set the note aside and picked up the top cookie.
She’d used her skills to paint a cute rendering of Lennox’s face in the icing. Impressive, like all of her creations. He lifted the edible art from the stack, then laughed out loud. The next cookie held a likeness of Leigh, along with #selfie emblazoned diagonally across the bottom. So adorable. His face decorated the third cookie—that’d be the first one to hit his stomach. The next one though—wow.
He picked up the shiny cookie as if it were glass. How she’d used icing to capture the essence of his infant daughter blew him away. A red heart framed Sachi’s perfect little face. Nobody was eating this cookie. Ever.
Setting it aside, he continued to the fifth cookie, decorated with the façade of Leigh’s house. The sixth cookie had a picture of a classic red mailbox, on which she’d painted both their names. Cute. The last cookie in the box was heart shaped, rather than circular. Pink cursiveI Love Youtopped the solid red surface.
A second note lay in the bottom of the box.
I asked the universe to send me some hot lovin’ and it put you squarely in my path. I couldn’t have asked for more. Only, every minute I spend with you makes me want more. More of the hot, hot, HOT sex—yes. But more of everything else with you too. That scares me, because having “more” with you wasn’t in my plan.
The difference in our ages, my obsessive need to organize and control everything vs. your free-spirited approach to life, your completely unexpected role as sole-custodial parent of a newborn. All of it makes us a complicated fit. We can’t change any of those things and I wouldn’t want to, because none of them are wrong. We just need a new plan. ;)
I love you, Sam. You and your sweet little angel. So I’m asking for more. A lot more. Come live with me. Let’s combine all of our individual complications and call it our life, our love, our family.
“What’s the note say?” his client asked as Sam smoothed his thumbs over the small pink paper.
“Everything a man could ever hope to hear.” He pulled out his wallet and tucked the note carefully inside. A keeper, just like its writer.
Epilogue
LEIGH
Hey, Cinderella. It’s past closing time.
Leigh smiledat the text on her screen while pushing the mop bucket to the back of the shop. She’d known Sam was outside before her phone chimed with his incoming message.
She’d seen him walking toward the bakery. Even with her attention on cleaning, and a pane of commercial glass between them, he’d triggered her radar from five meters away. Living together hadn’t decreased her attraction. Nor Sam’s, based on the three orgasms he’d given her before going to sleep last night, and the two he’d delivered before bringing a cup of morning coffee to their bedside table. Their connection got stronger every day. In and out of the bedroom.
“Babe, are you ready?” he called, from the front of the bakery.
