AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But—”
“Lena.” Jude’s voice dropped into the register that made my hair stand on end and heat sink down into my bones. “Do I need to handcuff you to the worktable in the back and let them in myself?”
I managed to take a breath. “No.”
“Good girl.”
It was good they weren’t in here yet, because the soft sound that came out was definitely not something I needed customers to hear. “You can’t say that to me in public.”
“You realize that only makes me want to do it more, right? I like the idea of you being wet for me under your pretty dress.”
I was wearing a dress he loved—deep green and with a fifties-style skirt and high heels he’d already declared would stay on after we got home tonight.
“You’re evil.”
He squeezed me one more time. “And you like it.”
I groaned. “Fine, let’s get this over with.”
People perked up as I approached the front, and when I opened the door, I was shocked. People poured inside so quickly I had to step back and simply get out of the way. I hadn’t looked, but it seemed like the entire town was here. People were standing on the sidewalk in both directions, around one corner and down the street the other way. “What is going on…?”
“What’s going on,” Jude whispered, “is you underestimated how much the people of Garnet Bend care about you. They’re fickle as hell, but they’re ready to be here and support you.”
I was speechless. Already, the line was out the door, and Evie was in over her head. “Get over there,” Jude said with a wink. “I’ll manage the line.”
“Okay.”
I couldn’t even handle the emotion clogging my throat. Everyone was here, and they were smiling. Every customer who made a purchase said something kind or apologized. They really were happy I was back.
My heart may have jumped in my chest every time someone took a bite of a pastry, but there were only smiles and compliments. Hours felt like minutes, and by the time we closed the doors behind the last customer, I was exhausted, my feet aching.
“Go home,” Evie said. “I will clean up. Enjoy your victorious return as Garnet Bend’s favorite businesswoman.”
“Don’t be silly.” I reached for an apron on the hook. “It’ll go faster with two.”
She caught my hand. “Lena, I’ve got it. Jude is waiting for you on the patio.”
I blinked at her. “Out back?”
“Out back.”
My stomach did a little flip. I hadn’t gone out back much—I was still dealing with the memories of hurling myself at the door and it not opening—but when I opened the back door, my jaw dropped.
The lights that hung over the space were all lit. The tables held glasses of champagne and candles, music was playing from somewhere, and Jude was dressed in a suit he had not been wearing earlier. “What’s going on?”
He held out a hand to me. “Just a little congratulations for you. You did it.”
I took a sip of the champagne he gave me. “Thank you.”
“Okay,” he said. “It’s a little more than congratulations.”
My heart stopped. Literally stopped. And I wasn’t worried—I already knew Jude would start it again for me as many times as he needed to. “Oh my god.”
He pulled me closer, putting down the glass on the table. “We have a lot of things happening soon. You’ll be busy here with the reopening, plus Lucas and Evie’s wedding, finishing the house. But do you remember what I said to you in the hospital?”
My whole body was tingling. I didn’t know if this was all a dream or not, but I wasn’t sure I was comprehending all this. Panic and joy and everything else tumbled around in my chest, and I couldn’t breathe. “You were staying with me forever?”
“I’m staying with you forever.” Taking my face in his hands, he looked at me. In that one look, Jude Williams saw all of me. My flaws and imperfections. My struggles. My joys and my fears. He looked at each piece of me, and he didn’t run away. And in turn, I saw every bit of him. “Three years is more than enough time to know, don’t you think?”
