AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was always so good with him, and I knew this was only the beginning. We had an amazing future ahead of us, with our businesses, Kendall, and hopefully, more children.
He was my chance at forever, and I was so happy I took it.
Epilogue
SOPHIE
The morning of our first official Happily Ever Afters wedding, I was a nervous wreck. Not only would there be potential clients among the guests, but the other vendors in town would be watching us to see if we could deliver.
Since it was Savannah and Ethan’s wedding, all our friends were invited. Mark and Kendall were my plus ones, but I wouldn’t be spending much time relaxing with them. It was my responsibility to bake and decorate the cake and ensure its safe delivery. I didn’t have a van yet, but Lily let me borrow hers.
In the driver’s seat, Mark ran a hand through his hair. “If this hunk of junk makes it to the reception hall, I’ll be surprised.”
My stomach twisted tighter. “Don’t say that.”
It was a nostalgic blue VW van Lily had inherited from her grandmother. She took care of it, but there was no getting around the fact it needed work. I knew she would never consider trading it in for something more reliable. It was her baby.
Sighing, I said, “I’m going to need to invest in a refrigerated van.”
Mark glanced over at me sympathetically. “You need something reliable.”
I knew my business couldn’t grow without these upgrades. “It was nice of Lily to loan it to me, though.”
Mark grunted a response.
When we finally pulled around the circle to the historic inn in downtown Annapolis, my neck was tight with tension. I wouldn’t relax until the cake was safely resting on its assigned table. Or maybe not until it was cut, and the plates were passed around with nothing but crumbs left, and wedding guests sat back in their chairs with satisfied bellies.
Pulling around to the rear of the venue, Mark parked the van in the unloading zone and reached over to cover my hand with his. “You’ve got this.”
It wasn’t like I hadn’t baked a cake for a wedding before, but this one represented the future of my bakery’s partnership with Gia’s wedding planning service, Happily Ever Afters, Lily’s flower shop, Petals, and Abby’s photography business. Gia recently signed a contract with Harrison, whose business was linens, tables, chairs, and silverware.
Gia truly wanted to be a one-stop shop. The more I observed her, the more I believed in her and her plan. This had the potential to be huge, and I didn’t want to screw anything up.
I flexed my fingers, swallowed, and then nodded to Mark. “I do.”
He smiled and then leaned over to kiss me. “Your cake is perfect.”
It was technically the only thing I had to worry about, but since our success depended on each piece operating smoothly, we were invested in the entire night being a success.
As usual, Mark was able to ground me with a few words and a kiss. “Thanks for helping today.”
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” When we needed to build a gazebo, archway, or backdrop for the vow portion of a ceremony, he’d offered up his crew at Morrison Brothers Construction.
“Happily Ever Afters is going to be the go-to wedding planner in Annapolis.”
I sighed, releasing some of the tension I’d been holding on to. “I hope you’re right.”
Outside the window, Harrison’s employees were unloading tables and chairs from the truck. Throwing a wedding was a big production. Some venues had supplies, but they weren’t usually the ones the bride preferred. Gia prided herself on giving the bride and groom exactly what they wanted.
“Let’s do this,” Mark said with more confidence than I was feeling.
The cake was so important for a wedding. It was the symbol of the reception. The one thing every guest oohed and ahhed over as they waited for the bride and groom to arrive.
“We need to get things settled so we can get to the church and be guests.” Normally, we wouldn’t be both guest and vendor. The added stress and responsibility was getting to me.
We met at the back of the van. I didn’t breathe out a sigh of relief until Mark opened the doors and the cake was in the exact position we’d left it.
“You need help to move it?” Harrison stood behind us.
