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“Walk with me.” I hold out my hand. She peers down at my open palm before placing her much smaller hand in mine. Walking hand in hand, we move down the sidewalk toward the bakery. I blow out a breath, needing a moment to find the right words. But I realize there will never be the perfect words. All I can do is give her my best and pray it’s enough for her.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?” She glances up at me. The green and gold in her irises swirl in the sunlight.
“Everything. Throwing your life into a tailspin. Derailing all your plans. Selling the bakery and essentially killing your dream.” I peer down at my feet and kick a lone pebble on the sidewalk.
“Van.” Hollyn stops and tugs me into a small, empty patio between buildings. “You’ve done none of that. Yes, things went a little unexpected, but that’s life. You don’t walk away when it gets tough, you work through it. Together. I’ll admit I was upset when you sold the bakery, especially not talking with me beforehand, but I understand why you did it. The thing about dreams is they can come true, they might not, or sometimes those dreams change.” She pauses for a moment to collect her thoughts. “I thought my happily ever after was the bakery, but now, it’s you. You’re my happily ever after.”
I bring her hand up to my chest, holding her close. “I want nothing more than to be that and everything. In my head, it was the right thing to do. After the fact, I realized how big of a mistake it was. I met with Elliot to try and cancel the deal or buy it back…”
She looks up to me, eyes wide as her body goes still in anticipation.
“But he didn’t budge.”
Her face falls.
“That brings me to my next thing. I hope you still have dreams to own a bakery because I did a thing.” I step to the side and wave my hand over the empty patio with freshly laid bricks and a single red door framed by two bay windows.
Hollyn eyes the patio, then cuts back to me. “What is this?”
“This is your new bakery.” I bite back the smile that fights to take over my face. Unease settles in my stomach, and I’m not sure what her reaction will be. Everything was done without her knowing, and this could be something she doesn’t want anymore.
“You bought me a bakery?” Her tone is flat and her face void of any expression.
Maybe after all her talk of dreams and happily ever afters, she’s given up on the idea. The pit in my stomach turns into a black hole. “I did.”
“I don’t know what to say.” She does a three-sixty, taking in everything around her.
“Please say you like it, and I didn’t make a huge mistake. Again.” My heart pounds in my chest, waiting for her to answer.
Hollyn takes a few steps and meets my gaze, her eyes shine bright as she rests a hand on her breastbone. “I love it. You bought me a bakery…” Her voice is so soft I barely hear the words tumble from her mouth.
I close the distance between us and grip her hands in mine. “I know it’s small. It still needs some work and I know it’s not in the best location to run a full-size bakery—”
“Van, it’s perfect.” Moisture wells in her eyes.
With my thumbs, I brush away the wetness. “I take it those are happy tears.”
“The happiest. You bought me a bakery!” Her face lights up.
Her hand trembles as I clasp mine around hers. “Let me show you around.” I take a few steps forward and Hollyn follows. “This is the patio. There isn’t much room for seating inside so I figured during the spring through fall we could set up some tables. There’s enough room for two four person tables and four two person ones.” I point out potential spots. “This is a prime location for tourists during the summer. We could even set up dog stations and cater to those who travel with their pets.”
“We could make dog friendly cupcakes.” She claps her hands. The excitement in her voice prominent. Hollyn glances around, visualizing everything I’m explaining. Her foot smooths over the freshly laid cobblestone. “Is this new? It’s gorgeous. I love the vintage look it creates.”
“It is. One of the many things I was working on all week.”
“You did this yourself? Is that why you’ve either been tired or gone all week?”
I nod. “I was in a rush to finish so I could show you.”
“This is just…wow. I’m speechless.”
“Let’s continue with the tour. I have lots to show you.” A full grin covers her face. “Then I was thinking we could have an awning over the door with the bakery name over the top.” I wave my hand in front of us. “I wanted to wait for you before giving her a name.”
“I don’t know what to say, Van. This is all so unexpected. I love it. All of it.”
“Wait. Now there’s the inside.” When we’re at the front door, I twist the handle and hold it open as she walks through. The lights flicker to life, and everyone jumps up from behind the front counter with a collective “SURPRISE!”
