"Does she know?" she asked quietly. "About who you are?"
I shook my head.
Understanding crossed her features. "Oh, Kael."
"I was going to tell her," I said. "But then it just... kept not being the right time."
"And now the Valentine gala is in two weeks," Caspian said in a nonjudgmental way.
"Yeah."
"So tell her before then," Damon said, like it was the simplest thing in the world.
"What if she..." I stopped, swallowing hard. "What if she only wants the prince?"
The room went quiet. Ryker's smirk faded. Damon's expression softened. Even Caspian looked sympathetic.
"Then she's an idiot," Ryker said finally. "But you won't know until you ask."
My mother squeezed my shoulder. "Kael, sweetheart. If she's been coming to your bakery every morning for six months, she's not coming for the prince. She doesn't even know he exists. She's coming for you."
I wanted to believe that.
God, I wanted to believe that so badly.
"What if I tell her and she walks away?" I asked quietly.
"What if you don't tell her and she finds out anyway?" Caspian countered. "At the gala. In front of everyone. How do you think that's going to go?"
Worse.
So much worse.
"You have to tell her," my mother said gently. "Before the gala. Give her time to process. To decide if she wants to be there. With you."
"And if she doesn't?"
"Then at least you'll know," Damon said. "But my money's on her showing up anyway."
Laurent cleared his throat again. "Shall we continue with the fitting?"
"Yes," my mother said, stepping back. "Make him look perfect, Laurent. He needs to look perfect."
For Amara.
For the moment when she walked into that ballroom and saw me for the first time as Kael Solas instead of just Kael the baker.
I just hoped she'd still want me when she realized who I really was.
By the time I got back to the bakery, it was late afternoon.
Marco had already closed up and gone home. The shop was quiet, just the hum of the refrigerators and the settling sounds of the old building.
I stood behind the counter and pulled out my phone.
I had her number. She'd given it to me months ago when I'd offered to sign her up for the Ember Rewards because she came so often. I'd never used it for anything else.
Too afraid of crossing that line.
