“How could kissing me be a lifelong dream if we’ve known each other for less than a month?” I tease him.
“I’ve known about you in the abstract for a long, long time… but now you’re really, truly here. And trust me, Sophie Spellman Brownlee in the flesh is better than any dream.”
“I think those meds are affecting you more than you realize,” I say lightly, despite my galloping pulse and hammering heart. I roll over and sit up, swinging my legs out of bed.
“Don’t go, please…” Teddy starts to say and then abruptly catches himself.
“The nightmares?” I ask, still seated on the bed beside him.
He takes a juddering breath and nods.
“If you promise to behave like a gentleman, I’ll stay—just for tonight.”
“Of course I’ll behave like a gentleman.” Teddy’s face breaks into a smile, but I quickly press my finger over the split in his lip.
“Shh… don’t smile or your lip will start bleeding again.”
He kisses my finger, which I pull away as I stand. Raising his head, he asks, “Hey, where are you going?”
I scoot around to the other side of the bed and climb in, snuggling up against his back. “Where you can’t kiss me.”
“Hmm…” his voice hitches. “This’ll work.”
I drape an arm over Teddy’s side, which he tucks against his stomach. We lie there for a few minutes, the silence lengthening, until I ask, “If you didn’t own part of the bakery, what would you be doing instead?”
Teddy wraps one of his bandaged hands around mine and toys with my fingers. “I no longer own part of the bakery, so the question is moot.”
“Oh, but you do.”
“I do what?” he says.
“You still own part of the bakery.”
Teddy’s hand stills. “Sophie, what did you do with that document I signed, giving you my shares of the Rhyme ’N Riddle Bakeshop?”
“I ripped it up.”
“What?” He starts to push himself up, but then flops back down on the mattress with a grunt. “Why would you do that?”
“Because it’s what Auntie Dragonfly wanted… and it’s the least you deserve after all your hard work.”
Teddy raises his shoulders and shifts around, jostling the mattress. “But you’re the baker, not me—the shop should have been yours from the start!”
I place my palm flat against his chest, and he immediately stills; it’s almost like I have a magic touch when it comes to calming Teddy. “You never answered my question. If you didn’t work at the bakery, what would you really want to be doing?”
“I’ve always wanted to be a firefighter.”
“You sound exactly like Jake.” Chuckling, I ask, “So that’s why you’re taking those training classes? It’s about more than being a volunteer at the department, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. I want to prove myself as a volunteer firefighter so Jake will hire me on full time when there’s an opening.”
I’m quiet for a moment, and then I whisper, “If Jake doesn’t hire you I’ll tickle him into submission.”
We both chuckle and then say goodnight; I lie there a long while, listening to Teddy’s steady breathing. When I’m positive he’s asleep, I gingerly push aside his blond hair and place a tender kiss on his neck.
He doesn’t even stir.
Chapter 31
