"Of course. Melvin's quite the gentleman. He even wears a little bowtie for special occasions." She pretends to adjust an invisible tie at her throat, making me laugh harder.
"I'm sure he's a wonderful date," I say, wiping away tears of laughter. "Very attentive."
“Of course,” Charlie says. "Actually, I do have a date next week that I'm kind of excited about." There's a hint of shyness in her voice.
I straighten up immediately, my fatigue forgotten. "Wait, what? With who? Tell me everything right now."
"His name is Daniel," she says, a blush creeping up her neck. "We met at that sandwich shop on Damen last week when I was picking up our lunch. He was in line in front of me and we just got to talking." She tucks her recently dyed bright pink hair behind her ear, looking pleased. "He’s a musician and he’s got that hot musician-y vibe I love.”
"Charlie! That's amazing! Why haven't you told me about him?"
She shrugs. "I didn't want to jinx it. Plus, you've been in this love bubble with Denton. I didn't want to interrupt with my dating drama."
"Hey," I reach across the table and squeeze her hand. "You know I always have time for your dating drama and I’m always here to listen.”
Charlie's eyes soften as she squeezes my hand back. "I'm always here for you too." Her smile turns wry. "Even if you're disgustingly happy right now."
I laugh, feeling a rush of gratitude for this woman who's been my rock through everything. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
We both stand up, bodies aching from the long day. I pull her into a tight hug, breathing in the familiar scent of sugar and Charlie's citrus shampoo.
"Thanks for everything," I murmur into her shoulder.
"Always," she says simply, giving me one final squeeze before stepping back. "Now go home and get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be even crazier than today."
I show up at Sugar Rush the next morning even earlier than usual. I’ve got to make sure we have plenty of stock today and theonly way that’s going to happen is if I start right now. I intended on staying later yesterday to get a jump start on the baking for today but I was just too tired.
I've barely walked through the door when something on the counter immediately catches my eye. There are cupcakes in the display case that definitely weren't there when I locked up last night. My heart rate quickens as I approach cautiously. How did that happen?
As I get closer, I notice each cupcake has a single letter carefully piped on top in icing. What the heck?
I lean closer, scanning from left to right. M-A-R-R-Y...
My breath catches. This can't be what I think it is.
M-A-R-R-Y M-E H-O-L-L-Y.
The realization hits me like a tidal wave. My hand flies to my mouth as tears instantly spring to my eyes. The letters are perfectly formed, the cupcakes immaculately decorated. Each one has tiny edible pearls that are arranged in delicate patterns around the letters.
The bell above the door chimes, and I spin around.
Denton stands in the doorway, dwarfing it like he always does. He's wearing a crisp blue button-down that makes his eyes look like storm clouds, and he's holding a massive bouquet of red roses. His smile is nervous but radiant, lighting up his entire face in a way I've rarely seen.
"Denton..." I whisper, my voice failing me.
He walks to me quickly, his eyes never leaving me. He sets the flowers down on the counter before wrapping me in his strong arms. I melt against his chest, breathing in his familiar scent. My heart is racing so fast I'm sure he can feel it through our clothes.
"When did you do this?" I whisper against his shirt, pulling back slightly to look up at him.
His eyes are soft, almost vulnerable. "Charlie helped. We did it last night when I ran out to get coffee for the morning. We didn’t really need coffee – I always have at least two extra bags in the pantry."
I laugh. “You little sneak… oh my gosh! I can’t believe you did this.”
He takes a deep breath, then steps back. In one fluid motion, he lowers himself to one knee, right there on the floor of Sugar Rush. My hands fly to my mouth again as tears spill freely down my cheeks.
"Holly Louise James," he says, his voice steady despite the emotion swimming in his eyes. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small velvet box. When he opens it, a beautiful emerald-cut diamond ring takes my breath away. "You brought warmth back into my life when I didn't even realize how cold I was. You've made me and Tabby happier than I ever thought possible."
His voice catches slightly. "I love you. I want to wake up beside you every morning. I want to make chocolate chip pancakes with you and Tabby every weekend. I want to build a life with you." He takes another deep breath. "Will you marry me?"
