"Staying, staying," Dylan confirms.
"Hell yes," Jace says. "I told you to be brave, and you actually listened to me for once. I'm so proud."
Dylan shakes his head, but he is smiling. "I've to go, Jace. The festival is tomorrow, and I still have work to do."
"Go. Be brilliant. Love your girl. I'll call you after the festival to hear all about it."
After they hang up, Dylan sets his phone down and looks at me. "My family is going to love you. Fair warning."
"I already love them," I say.
"Even Jace?"
"Especially Jace."
He laughs and pulls me close, and I wrap my arms around his waist.
"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" I ask.
"A little," he admits. "This cake means a lot to people. I don't want to let them down."
"You will not," I say firmly. "You created something beautiful. Something that honors what they have been through. They are going to love it."
He presses a kiss to the top of my head. "You always know exactly what to say."
"That is because I believe in you."
We stand there for a while, just holding each other, and I feel the weight of tomorrow settling between us: the festival, the cake reveal, and the moment when Dylan's work becomes public, and the entire town sees what he has created.
But beneath the nerves, there is also excitement. Because tomorrow is not just about the cake.
It's about new beginnings.
And I can't wait to see what happens next.
After we putMaddie to bed and the house is quiet, Dylan and I sit on the couch with a bottle of wine and a playlist of soft music in the background.
"Can I ask you something?" he says after a while.
"Always."
"What changed your mind? About staying."
I consider the question. There are a dozen answers I could give. The town. The bakery. The way Maddie looks at me like I'm someone important. The way this place feels like home.
But the truth is simpler than that.
"You," I say. "You changed my mind. You and the way you love your daughter. The way you care about this town. The way you make me feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."
His eyes search mine. "I don't want you to stay just for me."
"I'm not," I say. "I'm staying for me. Because for the first time in my life, I want to put down roots. I want to build something that lasts. I want to stop running."
He reaches up and cups my face, his thumb brushing across my cheek. "I'm so glad you found us."
"I'm so glad you let me in."
He leans down and kisses me, and the kiss is different this time. Slower. Deeper. Full of promises, we are both ready to make.
