His eyes never wavered from mine. “I would love for you to be mine, Ayla. That is, if it’s what you want.”
My heart felt like it was about to explode with happiness. I leaned down and kissed him. “It’s definitely what I want.”
“Good,” he said, kissing me again.
The room erupted with the loud gurgling sound of my starving stomach. Declan laughed and nudged me off the bed. “Okay, okay, I won’t keep you any longer. I’ll be down in a few minutes to help you with breakfast and make some coffee.”
“No rush,” I replied, hurrying to the door with my phone in hand.
When I got into the kitchen, I could feel my pulse racing. I could hear Declan’s footsteps upstairsas he hopped out of bed. There wasn’t much time for me to snoop. I started on one end of his kitchen and opened the drawers. Linda had said the recipe would be in a drawer.
The first one I opened contained silverware, while the second one had knives, spatulas, and big spoons. I moved down the line of drawers to find dishrags, hand towels, and one filled with pens, notepads, and various oddities like nails and bolts.
Declan’s footsteps thumped down the stairs and I had only one drawer left to search through. I opened it quickly and I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest. Papers were scattered all inside of it and they were all recipes. I rummaged through them and held back my squeal when I found the one that saidGrandma’s Coconut Cake.
I quickly took a picture of the recipe and texted it to Linda. The mission had been completed. A few seconds later, Linda replied to my text.
Linda: I knew you could do it. Hope you two had a good night.
My cheeks burned hot and I smiled. It wasn’t going to be long before everyone in the neighborhood knew I spent the night at Declan’s. We were going to be the talk of the town.
Declan strolled into the kitchen, shirtless and wearing jeans that hung low on his waist. While he worked on the coffee, I pulled out the eggs and bacon from the refrigerator. It didn’t take long for the whole kitchen to smell like the brewing coffee. It was heavenly.
“What kind of coffee is that?” I asked, scrambling up the eggs in a pan while I had the bacon in another.
Declan poured me some in a mug and handed it to me. “Hawaiian coconut. You’ll love it.”
I loved flavored coffees, but I’d never tried that one before. It was steaming hot, so I blew it off for a few seconds and then took a sip.
“Oh, my God,” I marveled, trying to savor the first sip. This coffee is amazing.” The coconut flavor practically bursts into my mouth. Declan stared into his cup with a triumphant smile. “Why are you smiling like that?” I questioned. It was as if he was part of a secret I wasn’t privy to.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh, I don’t know. But I’m sure my mother will love you if you tell her that.” Declan grabbed the bag of coffee off his counter and handed it to me. Bean Haven was the brand.
I opened the bag and breathedin the scent. “I could literally smell this all day. Is it your mom’s favorite or something? I’ve never heard of the brand before.”
“Oh, it is her favorite,” he said, grinning mischievously. “She created it.”
My mouth dropped in shock. “Are you seriously saying she made this coffee?”
He nodded and I could see the pride on his face. “After my mom retired from being an accountant, she and a couple of her friends decided to create their own coffee brand. Their coffees are in several shops in New York, but she’s hoping to expand.”
I took another sip and moaned at how good it was. “The people here would love it. I’ll buy a bunch of K-cups for the lounge at the clinic. And I can always talk to Dolly, the owner of the Magnolia Mart, about selling it in her store.”
Declan set his mug down on the counter and walked over to me. “You’d do that?”
I turned the stove burners off since the eggs and bacon were done, and I folded my arms around his neck. “Of course, I would. You know if you brew coffee like this every morning, I’ll have to come over and drink it. You’ll never be able to get rid of me.”
He chuckled. “I’d love that. Although I’m a littleupset the reason you want to be here is because of the coffee and not me.”
I nipped his lip and kissed him. “I’m sure you’ll live.”
His arms tightened around me; his gaze was serious when he looked into my eyes. “Last night was the first time I didn’t have a nightmare. I haven’t felt this amazing in a long time.”
“It’s because you had me beside you all night,” I said with a wink. “I kept the bad dreams away.”
There wasn’t a hint of teasing on his face when he replied. “I honestly think you did.”
We stared at each other for a few seconds, and then a wonderful idea came to mind. There was nothing wrong with spending copious amounts of time in Magnolia Grove, but I figured it’d be good to get away from our small town’s prying eyes for a few days. Plus, Declan and I could use some fun.
