She nodded, surprised he remembered. “I thought of that happening again.”
Garrett sat ramrod straight, his shoulders squaring as if ready to spring into battle.
Oh, no.He was taking this the wrong way.
Taryn took a seat. “Not by you. It has nothing to do with you. It’s me. And my parents. Well, my dad. He makes me feel so inadequate. I hate feeling I’m less.”
“I’m sorry I made you feel that way, too. I won’t repeat my mistake. I’m not like your father. I see how smart you are and how hard you work to make the bakery a success. You are more than enough.”
His words filled her up the way his kisses had. “Thank you.”
“I don’t want to go back, but I would like to move forward. As friends, we can call ourselves that this week, and as two people attracted to each other.” Garrett’s tone was full of compassion. He squeezed her hands. “And are equals.”
She wet her swollen lips. “Logically, I know I’m not less, but a part of me can’t let go of those thoughts. I mean, he’s my dad.”
“You want to make him proud.”
“So much.” Her shoulders sagged. “But I’m afraid I can’t. And if that’s the case, I should let it go and do my own thing, whatever that might be. Ever since I was little, I dreamed about making the bakery my own. Not to erase the past, but to build upon it for the next generation of customers. I have so many ideas. A vision board. Plans.”
“I’d love to see them sometime.”
Heat pooled on her face. The designs were in the office, but no one had ever asked her about them, including her father. “That has nothing to do with kissing you.”
“You wanted to kiss.”
No sense in denying the obvious. She nodded. “But I got scared. You and the bakery have become entwined in my mind. The patio was doing well, and the booth thing happened. Now, we’ve rebuilt a new theme, and we kissed.”
“You’re waiting for the next shoe to drop.”
“And prove my dad has been right all along that I’m not capable.”
Garrett held her hands in his. “Your dad must be a decent guy, or he wouldn’t have such a wonderful daughter like you. But he’s wrong. You won’t prove anything other than you’re capable and exactly what Lawson’s Bakery needs to thrive. If kissing makes you feel—”
She kissed him hard against the lips. “Kissing you makes me feel good. But I freaked out a little. Or a lot.”
“You’ve had a rough week.” Garrett raised her chin with his fingers. “Please know, I’m not here to make you feel bad or hurt you. Our situations haven’t changed since December, and you heard your friend mention trying to date long-distance.”
Taryn nodded. “I don’t want that.”
“Me, either.” His tone was soft and his gaze compassionate. “What I do want is to help you. I also want you to see the beautiful, creative, intelligent woman I see, okay?”
She nodded, wanting that, too.
“It’s my turn.” He lowered his mouth to hers, pressing gently, almost teasing. “Now, let’s finish the booth because we have a long weekend ahead of us.”
Her pulse skittered. “Us.”
He flashed her a lopsided grin. “You don’t think I’m going to let you have all the fun at the fair by yourself, do you?”
Chapter Twelve
“You need tosleep.” Garrett didn’t have to glance at the time to know it was late. Taryn kept yawning. She would fall asleep sitting up if they kept going. He also wanted to kiss her good night. That had been on his mind since they locked lips earlier. He’d glimpsed her dimples, but he wanted more. “We’re pretty much finished.”
“It’s the ‘pretty much’ that worries me.” As she studied each section, she stifled another yawn. “I want to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything.”
“The only missing pieces are the baked goods.”
“Jayden texted me photos. The guys have those under control.”
