“Why are you so content on giving me the best of everything?” she asked between kisses.
I rested my forehead against hers, eyeing her closely. “Because I love you.”
There. My truth was finally out there. I had tested it out on her when she was asleep, but saying it now, there was no way that I could take it back, hide it, or alter it.
I kept my gaze trained on her to see how she might react. It was in the light flicker of her eyes, the subtle widening of her irises, and the hitch in her breath. I had caught her off guard. Although I didn’t tell her that so that she could repeat it, I did want an acknowledgment that she understood what I was saying to her and what that meant for us.
“How do you know that you love me already?”
I grabbed her fist and placed it against my chest. “Because you make me feel whole, . . . here. You strengthen me here.” I opened her hand and tapped a finger against my head. “Because I know that you were meant for me, and no other woman could do for me what you’ve done. And because God affirmed it in my soul.”
“Good, because I thought that I was in this alone. I thought that I was falling too fast and too easily.”
Our kiss grew in passion; subtle moans and light nips found their way into the kiss before I brushed my lips against her nose. “You’ll never be in this alone.”
“How do I know that?”
“Anyone can say they love you. People often sound good, but I’m a firm believer that the heart is shown in your actions. Don’t listen to my words; feel how I love you by the way that I show you I love you, Tegan.”
She nodded, and then she proceeded to wash my body before I washed hers. After our shower, I dried her off, and I carried herto bed. We were still a little damp when we climbed in bed, but it didn’t bother either of us.
We fell asleep in my bed with her firmly encapsulated in my arms, our hearts connected as one, and I knew that all was right in the world.
16
TEGAN AND HARLEM
PROTECTION
TEGAN
“Two blue silk cupcakes, one strawberry mint dee-lite cupcake, a vanilla turtle cheesecake, two cherry whipped brownies, and three vanilla chai teas,” I stated, setting my customer’s order on the counter before her.
“Thank you,” the slightly frazzled looking woman declared, trying to hold onto the hands of her twin toddlers. “I promised them that if they were good at the mall, they could have a treat from here. They were extra good, but boy, once we got out the car, they have gone crazy.”
I laughed with her. “They are so cute.”
“Thank you. They are my little blessings, but they keep my husband and me busy,” she remarked as she slid her card through the card reader.
“Well, as long as you have a support system, that’s always beautiful.”
“I do. My sister and mother-in-law live with us, and they are phenomenal. They’re the reason I ordered so much. My little ones here will have the blue silk cupcakes and nothing more. They’ve already eaten dinner, so they’ll have these, get baths, and go to bed.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Sis, do you think they’re going to settle down after they get all that sugar?”
She sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. “Girl, no, but it’s my mother-in-law and sister’s turn to put them to bed tonight. I get to go up to my attic suite with my husband and hide.”
I laughed. “Well, you all enjoy,” I stated as she grabbed her bags and headed out of the bakery.
The rest of my staff had gone home for the evening. It was a Sunday night, and we closed at six. I was about to head home myself, since the shop was cleaned, the deposit prepared for the morning, and everything else was put away.
Harlem’s shop was closed today, but he had stopped by earlier and checked on me. When he told me that he would be coming by when I closed later, I told him not to worry about it, but he insisted he would be back.
He was so sweet like that, always escorting me home almost every evening. He didn’t stay over every night, but he did some nights. He usually just went inside, checked my house, although I didn’t need him to, and then he went home.
I headed to the kitchen to put away a few items, and I glanced at the clock when I heard the bell tinkle again. I washed my hands and rushed back to the front expecting to see Harlem. Disappointment filled me when I noticed that it wasn’t him but a customer.
“Good evening. Welcome to Baby Got Buns. I don’t have a lot of things left, as I was just getting ready to close, but I’m sure that I can find something for you. How can I help you?”
