The celebration dinner at Giuseppe's was exactly what Lucy needed.
Giuseppe had outdone himself—the entire back room was decorated with lights and flowers, and he'd prepared a seven-course meal that he kept describing as "a feast for love and bravery!"
Uncle Walter gave a toast. "To Lucy, who finally learned that honoring the past doesn't mean living in it. To new adventures, new dreams, and the courage to choose yourself."
Rei added, "And to Jake, who turned down the NHL twice to stay in Timber Falls and coach hockey to seven-year-olds. That's true love if I ever saw it."
Jake turned red, but he was smiling.
Marcus and several other Wolves players showed up around 8 PM, apparently having heard about the celebration. Even Tommy came, pulling Lucy aside at one point.
"Your grandmother would be proud," Tommy said. "Not because you're selling the bakery—because you're choosing to grow. That takes guts."
"You didn't even know my grandmother."
"Didn't have to. Anyone who raised someone like you knew what they were doing."
Mae arrived late with a group of college friends, and soon the whole back room was packed with people eating Giuseppe's food and celebrating Lucy's decision.
It felt like a wedding. Or a going-away party. Or both.
Around 10 PM, Lucy found herself outside, needing air and quiet. Jake followed her.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Just overwhelmed. Happy overwhelmed, but still."
They stood in the cold November air, watching their breath fog.
"Can I tell you something?" Lucy asked.
"Always."
"I'm terrified of Paris. Not just the leaving part—the being there part. I've never lived anywhere but Timber Falls. I've barely traveled. What if I get there and I'm terrible at it? What if I can't hack culinary school? What if—"
"Lucy." Jake turned her to face him. "You're going to be amazing. You're one of the most talented bakers I've ever met. You work harder than anyone I know. And yeah, it'll be scary. But you're brave enough to handle it."
"How do you know?"
"Because you just sold your grandmother's bakery despite the whole town initially being against it. Because you chose yourself even when it was hard. That's brave."
Lucy leaned into him, letting his warmth and certainty steady her.
"I love you," she said. "I know I've said it before, but I need you to really hear it. I love you. Not because you're convenient or because you're here. But because you see me—really see me—and you make me want to be brave."
"I love you too. And I'm going to keep loving you from here while you're being brave in Paris."
They stood there for a long time, holding each other, letting the reality of what came next sink in.
Two and a half months. That's all they had before everything changed again.
Lucy was going to make every moment count.
The next two weeks passed in a blur of routine and change.
Lucy worked at the bakery, training the new staff that Barrett Development was bringing in. Jake continued coaching while finishing out the season as a player. They fell into a pattern—Wednesday morning pork buns, Friday morning coffee-making, evenings spent at one apartment or the other, just being together.
Marcus started calling them "disgustingly domestic."
