Walker brushes a hand against my cheek, reminding me that I’m not alone.
“But what if you don’t? What if you take this risk and save the event? What if you stop worrying about whether you’re good enough and just try? Remember, it was your cupcakes that started this whole thing. You had a line of people raving about them—including the Liberty Ladies, and you know they complain about everything. You have family who moan in delight every time they eat your food.”
I try to hide my smile. “I think you’re hearing your own reaction.”
Walker wraps an arm around me and pulls me against his chest. “Damn right I am. Every meal you make is incredible, just like you.”
Resting my head against his chest, I glance up at him. “You really think I can do it?”
“Tally, you can do whatever you set your mind to.”
I will myself to believe him. Part of me feels like I’m notready for any of this, that I need to go to Nantucket and then to school. I need to become this whole person before I’m ready for him and this life he’s laying out in front of me. But another part of me is tired of waiting to start living.
Determination wins out, and I nod. “Okay, let’s make some cupcakes.”
“That’s my girl.” Walkers drops a kiss to my lips and then empties both grocery bags.
I locate some bowls and an old mixer, relieved that everything is clean and will do the job.
Walker settles next to me, and I can feel his eyes watching me as I set up. “You’re making me nervous. Don’t just stand there, say something.”
Walker folds his arms across his chest and leans against the counter. “Okay, do you like weddings?”
I snort as I crack one egg after the next.
He shrugs. “What? Don’t all girls love weddings?”
I shake my head. “I wasn’t one of those girls who pictured every minute of my wedding. That would be Penny.She’sthe romantic.” She may say she’s done dating, done withmen. But she’s full of it. I know this weekend Penny will be staring wistfully at the way the groom watches his bride like he’s in a damn fairy tale. I smile. “She used to come down to the kitchen at the house, wearing one of her dresses and pretending she was a bride. My father would put on music and spin her around.” My voice catches as I realize how he probably thought that one day he’d do that with both of us for real. Maybe even on our farm. A vision flashes in my mind of my daddy walking a bride down the aisle. The sun is setting in a brilliant burst of magenta behind the dance floor, and he’sspinning her around to “What a Wonderful World.” I drop the eggshell on the counter and bring my fist to my mouth to choke back a sob.
Walker grabs my shoulders and pulls me flush against him, pressing kiss after kiss against my head. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“I didn’t realize I even cared about some imaginary wedding that now I’ll never have.”
Walker squeezes me tighter. “You will. It might look different than what you imagined, but you’ll get every everything, Wildflower. I’m sure of it.”
I let out a loud breath to get my emotions under control. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
I glance at him. “Did you ever picture your wedding?”
Walker is silent for a second too long, and my stomach swoops in realization. “Wow, you did, huh?”
Walker groans.
“Oh, there’s a story there.”
His jaw hardens. “No.”
“No, you never pictured your wedding, or no, you don’t want to tell me about your dream event?” I bite my lip and settle back against the counter. “Let me guess, you planned on wearing a cowboy hat and some spurs?”
He snorts and shakes his head. “Sounds like a better wedding than what I’d have planned.”
I raise my brows in question as jealousy singes my stomach. It’s such a surprising feeling that I find myself cracking the next egg I pick up in the palm of my hand. I stare down at it in shock before going to the sink to clean it off.
“What happened?” I ask over my shoulder as I dry myhands. I grab another egg from the carton and attempt to focus on the job at hand.
“Not much to tell. Gina and I were together through high school, then college and quite a while after that. I asked her to marry me, and she told me she was seeing someone else. I haven’t talked to her since.”
