She hung up before I could argue and I stood there in the aisle, my phone clutched in my hand, my chest tight.
She'd RSVP'd for me. And she'd bought me a dress without any input from me.
Why had she made these plans for me without asking.
That was Amelia though. She was a take charge and ask questions later type of woman.
By the time my shift ended, I was wound so tight I thought I might snap.
I needed... something.
Coffee?
No.
Kael.
The thought stopped me in my tracks as I locked up the library. I needed Kael? What in the world was going on, because when had that become a thing?
When had the soft-spoken baker with the warm eyes become the person I turned to when everything felt like too much?
Probably around the same time you started falling in love with him, a voice whispered in my head.
I shoved it down.
It wasn't love, he was just someone who was friendly and warm and a great listener. That was all.
The Ember & Crumb was still open when I got there, the windows glowing softly against the early evening sky. Outside the bakery window, a small cluster of snowdrops had pushed through the frozen ground in the narrow flower bed along the sidewalk. Tiny and white and impossibly brave, blooming in spite of the cold. I could see Kael inside, moving around behind the counter. Even from outside, I could tell how tall he was. The way he had to duck slightly under the hanging light fixture. The way his broad shoulders filled the space behind the counter. Myheart did that stupid flutter again and I took a breath before pushing the door open.
The bell chimed and he looked up immediately, like he'd been waiting for me.
God,the way he smiled.
His whole face transformed. Those hazel-green eyes, the ones I'd caught myself staring at more times than I could count, seemed to lighten. In the warm bakery light, I could see the flecks of gold in them. Like someone had scattered flecks of sunlight through green water.
"Hey," he said, setting down the cloth he'd been using to wipe the counter.
He straightened to his full height and I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. He had to be at least six foot two, maybe taller. But somehow he never made me feel small. He just made me feel safe and comfortable.
His short brown hair was slightly mussed, probably from running his hands through it. There was a smudge of flour on his forearm where he'd rolled up his sleeves.
God, he's finer than frog hair, I chuckled mentally.
He wasn't sharp and hard edged like a lot of Alphas were. No, Kael was gorgeous in the way a perfectly composed photograph was gorgeous. Every detail exactly right. The strong line of his jaw. The gentle curve of his mouth. I loved the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled.
"I was hoping you'd come by," he said.
"You say that like I don't come by every day," I managed, trying to sound normal.
Trying not to sound like my entire world had tilted on its axis this afternoon.
"Because it's true every day," he said, his smile widening just a little.
The gold flecks in his eyes seemed to catch the light and I felt my cheeks heat.
Stop staring at him like a creep, girl, I thought as I set my bag on the counter, my fingers trembling slightly.
He noticed immediately. He had the most observant eyes that never seemed to miss anything.
