“I’ll drink to that!” Josh chimes in as Mom and I hug it out, and I try to stop myself from jumping up and down on the spot even though I’m in shock.
As Noah and Josh lead the charge for Brad and I to sort out the paperwork, I pull Brad back by the sleeve of his dark navy suit. “You went way over,” I whisper, blinking up at him. “I can’t afford that.”
He smiles and takes his glasses off, folding the arms and placing them in his top pocket. Then he reaches down to peck me quickly. “Wecan. I really wanted you to have that building, Chels. And we didn’t overpay, it’s worth it. It’s a bargain if you ask me.”
“A bargain! One point three million!” I almost shout, trying my best to keep things contained. But panic suddenly sets in at the reality of what he just spent, and my cheeks fill with air.
“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it. It’s done. It’s yours now.”
I blink up at him. “Ours. It’s ours.”
He grins, giving me a wink. “Right, long as I stay out of the kitchen, right?”
“This is a lot, Brad. I can’t believe you outbid those people.”
“I will do anything for you and for Deat to ensure your future and make you happy,” he says, taking my hand as he brings it up to his mouth to kiss my knuckles. “Anything at all.”
“You make me happy,” I whisper.
“Let’s pop the bubbly!” Mom squeals next to me, bouncing on her toes with excitement.
The buzz from the bidding still lingers as I hug the man in front of me with all my might. “I think I need a stiff drink,” I concede, fanning myself with my hand. I think it’s going to take a little more than that to let this sink in. “But a celebration sounds good.”
“To Sweet Confetti, or to us?” Brad whispers in my ear.
I look up at him, elated, but still a little shocked.
I smile like a big goofball. “Both.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
BRADLEY
I can’t help but watch my girl with admiration. She has no clue about the conversation I had with my dad a few days ago about breaking into my trust fund early should the building go over the one million mark. I knew I had to act quickly because property in this area, even commercial, is highly sought after. After seeing Chelsea’s face drop at the idea she may have to leave, I knew what I had to do…
“You know I love her, Dad. We might have only just realized what was right in front of our noses, but I know what I want, and it’s her and Deaton. I don’t want to see them out on the street with no home and no business, Chelsea has worked too hard. This bakery is her life, her home.”
“We wouldn’t let that happen anyway,” Dad says. “I know you care about Chelsea, and she’s a great girl. I think she brings out the best in you. I just want you to be sure, this might be the pot calling the kettle black, but jumping in with both feet, especially when she has a child, is a big step, Brad. It’s a commitment. She’s had a lot of turmoil in her life, she doesn’t need any more.” Dad is just as protective as I am because he gets it.
“I know, but I’m done thinking about it,” I say. “Deat is like a son to me, I’ve known him since he was born, and I want to be that presence in his life that he’s never had from his biological father. I know I’m not his dad, so to speak, but he means the world to me.” Chelsea visited often when Deat was a baby, until she finally decided to move back home. I remember holding him for the very first time.
Dad blows out a breath, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair. He and Ali were arch rivals for many years until their high school reunion last year, when Ali’s ex showed up with the woman he cheated on her with. Dad stepped in and they pretended to be a couple for the weekend until one thing led to another. But Dad sure changed things around, from never really wanting to settle down again until Ali came along. “I know it, son. And I’m happy for you. Just make sure you know exactly what you’re doing. I think it’s an excellent investment, regardless. But I’m proud of you for wanting to step up like that and take care of them.”
“I guess you and Mom raised me right.”
He smiles and reaches over to give me a one-armed pound hug. “Can’t argue with that.”
After celebratory drinks at the local wine bar, where Ali and Lexi joined us along with Lexi’s best friend Megan, plus Mason, Bobby, Morgan and Bea, my girl tugs at my hand. She’s been wanting to escape for the past half hour. Sandy just left to head home to Deaton and Terry, and we won’t be too far behind them.
When we’ve said our goodbyes and make our escape, Chelsea bails me up against the car door and reaches up onto her toes to kiss me with a wild abandon I know she’s been saving up.
“Jesus Christ,” I murmur, my dick immediately standing to attention.
“You were so amazing today,” she says, pulling back. “You’re a lot, B, but I can’t thank you enough for what you did. Did Imention you’re super hot when you’re negotiating? Especially in those glasses!”
I laugh and reach back in for another kiss, and it’s just as red hot as the one she just gave me. “That wasn’t a negotiation. Nobody on this planet was gonna get that bakery except you, even if I had to sell my stocks and my Porsche,” I say honestly. “How about we make a quick detour to my place on the way, you can show me just how hot you thought it was?” Her mom was picking up pizzas on the way home, so I figure we have a little time up our sleeves before collecting Deaton.
“Sounds like a plan,” she giggles. And she’s all fingers and thumbs once we’re in the car. I have to battle to keep concentrating on the light traffic en route to my place, because her hands are roaming all over my body and my dick is locked and loaded, ready to go.
