He nodded, and she left without acknowledging me. “What was that about?” he asked once she was out of sight.
“Nothing important.” I slipped into the coat he held out for me. I didn’t need it, but it provided comfort after the encounter with his mom.
I’d been fooling myself, thinking we could ever work. His family would always be there, putting me down and treating me as if I were dirt on their shoes.
And as much as I loved Grayson, I didn’t think I would survive a lifetime of being treated like that.
* * *
The drive home was silent,his hand on my leg grounding me.
When we got back, he guided me straight into the bedroom and pointed to the bed. “Sit down. I have something for you.”
I raised a brow and looked at his pants. “Can I unwrap it?”
He grinned at me, shaking his head. “Since it’s your present, you can do with it whatever you wish.”
He handed one of the wrapped parcels over, and I curiously turned it every which way. It looked like a picture, but I couldn’t be sure.
What I discovered once I’d torn off the protective wrapping was everything and more. It was a photograph by Paul Nicklen of emperor penguins underwater, their bodies reflected on the surface from underneath.
I carefully put the frame down and turned to Grayson, tears in my eyes.
He shot me a half smile. “I can’t believe I made you cry again.”
He looked upset, making me cry harder. My emotions were bubbling over, not only from my earlier encounter with his mom but also at his thoughtful present.
“Thank you so much.” I threw myself at him, and he held me in a breathtaking embrace.
“So you like it?”
“I love it.”
I spent the rest of the night showing him just how much.
And when it was time to leave the next morning, my heart was breaking in two.
Fourteen
“You’re back.” The shrieked greeting was the only warning I got before a body slammed into me, pushing me back a few steps. Willa wound her arms around me, swaying us back and forth. Since she was hugging me over my arms, I couldn’t even reciprocate the gesture.
I sighed in relief at being home. “I’m back.” I drank in the sight of my bakery, and something inside me settled. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed being here.
The smell wrapped me in a warm, welcoming embrace, and I swept my gaze from the retro chairs to the brightly colored walls to my black-checkered counter.
I’d spent a lot of time getting everything right, and even years later, I was still happy with the result.
My eyes snapped back to my painstakingly restored counter and narrowed. “Where is my cookie jar?”
Willa released me and turned around to follow my gaze. “Oh, I didn’t notice it was gone.”
I raised a brow at my niece. “What happened to it?”
“It wasn’t my fault.” She threw up her hands, folding instantly.Guess I still have my auntie stare down to a T.“I thought there was a cockroach. The jar was the closest thing I had to defend myself.”
“She means to say she threw the jar at a piece of black dirt on the ground and ran away,” Kinsley chimed in, looking much healthier and happier than when I’d last seen her.
I hugged her, marveling at her transformation. “Thanks for keeping my bakery afloat while I was away.”
