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“Bakery?” she asked, obviously confused.
“Yeah, you know, the one you told me about. The dream.”
“Jax, that’s a long time away. Before a brick and mortar, I’d have to start selling more. Hit the farmers markets and festival circuits, perfect the recipes and?—”
“They’re already perfect,” I cut her off.Like you,I was dying to point out, but it would make the next thing I was going to sound seriously creepy if I did. “Would you marry me?” The organ in my chest, the one I was sure was dead after all the bullshit I had put it through when I was young but had started to beat when I met Dani, was thundering against my rib cage.
“Excuse me?” She blinked, trying to make sense of the crazy shit coming out of my mouth.
“Would you marry me if…” I swallowed hard. “Would you marry me if I could tell you that within a year, maybe before that, you could open your bakery?”
“How would marrying you accomplish that?” Of course, that’s what my smart girl would ask!
“I need a wife. To help keep the press off my back.” Her eyes turned to saucers before she glanced over my shoulder toward the empty bottles. In that moment, I felt like I could read her thoughts.
She thought I was drunk.
But she didn’t say that.
No, my sweet Dani girl would never intentionally hurt my feelings. Instead, I watched her lips twitch. She was fighting theneed to smile or laugh. I didn’t blame her, I sounded crazy.Shethought I was crazy.
But she had no idea who I was.
Who I had once been.
And fuck me, who I was going to need to be again.
“How many of those did you drink?” she asked suspiciously. She stepped toward me. “Did you do something…” She looked over her shoulder like someone might hear us. “Something else? Drugs?” Her green eyes bore into mine as if trying to find a tell-tale sign.
If I weren’t so on edge, dying to claim that pretty little mouth of hers, I would have laughed.
“No, Dani. I feel…. Shit, I feel stone-cold sober right now,” I admitted, and I wasn’t lying. The thought of Dani wearing my ring, standing by my side through all the press and tour shit that was about to happen sounded incredible.
Like a fucking dream I had been too stupid and scared to ever try to make reality.
I only needed her to say yes.
CHAPTER 2
DANIELA “DANI” DELANO
“No,Dani. I feel…. Shit, I feel stone-cold sober right now.” My usually growly and extremely quiet neighbor smiled.
Smiled at me! Just like that, my knees felt weak, almost wobbly. The sight of his full lips quirked upward behind that full beard he wore was that devastatingly handsome.
“I don’t know if you’re stone-cold sober.” I hated saying it, but I couldn’t help but point at the empties that were sitting in front of him. He’d been quiet lately. I’d noticed something was going on, and whatever it was ate him up today.
“How about you come inside, and I make you some coffee? You can sit with me while I get the batter ready,” I offered. I hated being alone when I was going through things, and Jax was not the kind of man to ask for help. Before he could say anything, I walked right toward him. The action seemed to surprise him, and I hooked my arm with his.
“Dani, I’m not drunk.”
“Okay, big guy.” I patted his arm.
I led the way toward my townhouse, and he let me. He even opened the door for me and followed me closely while I walked into the kitchen. I turned to ask how he liked his coffee when I gasped, realizing just how close he was standing next to me.
So close, our thighs brushed. I had to bend my head back to look up at him.
“Jax?” I whispered. How many times had I thought about him in my kitchen, about to kiss me? I had a huge crush on my reclusive grouch of a neighbor. It was embarrassing that he didn’t seem to find me even an inkling interesting.
