“Books, I’m not stuck with you. I’m meant to be with you. Always.”
“Good, so what if we owned the bakery together?”
The few seconds while he thinks over his answer make me nervous.
“It’s perfect.”
He swings me into his arms and carries me to the truck.
I laugh the entire way.
“Now, where were we?” he says, setting me to my feet and opening my door.
“We were going home,” I tell him.
“Home,” he repeats. “Yes, we were.”
We get in the truck and head to his place, because, come on, it’s not like I’ll ever be going back to my house.
The only place I belong now is with Dutton.
Epilogue
DUTTON
“I can’t believewe are doing this,” Books says next to me. The look on her face is filled with giddiness.
“I can.”
She swats at my shoulder and rolls her eyes quickly before looking back at the phone in her hand. The new website for the bakery has officially launched, and as of two weeks ago, Books and I own the space and bakery outright. No more renting or just working there. We own it. She owns it.
I’m just the man behind the scenes making all of her ideas come to life. I’ve already got construction workers lined up to remodel the storefront, too. I’m about to make all of Brooke’s dreams come to life.
And let me tell you, when this woman gets going, there is no stopping her. With more time to focus on new recipes and ideas for the bakery, I’ve never seen her shine so bright.
There was a time in her life when she wanted to do this onher own because she thought asking for help meant she failed somehow, but thank fuck she changed her mind and picked me.
And thank God even more that this woman, someone with a heart of gold, took pity on me and agreed to help a guy out.
“Yeah, you’re sure now, but you weren't that sure the day you asked me to fake be your friend,” she reminds me, and I can’t help it. I laugh.
It’s crazy to think that was only five months ago. A lot can change in a short amount of time. We are the perfect example of that.
“You’re right. I was more scared back then. It was hard to be on all the time when I was talking to you. Your comebacks were always so fast and impressive, I never knew what was going to come out of your mouth.”
“Wait, you asked her to fake being your friend?” Preston asks as he ties his bowling shoes.
Books nods.
Preston starts to laugh.
“Why is that funny?” Grace asks, crossing her arms and glaring at him.
“How is it not funny?”
Grace’s face is like stone. “Remind me why you’re here again?”
“Because it’s bowling night and I want redemption,” Gavin chimes in. After the first nine weeks of bowling, he had the lowest score between him, Linc, and Luca. Since Halloween passed before the first nine weeks were up, it’s up in the air as to what they’ll have Gavin do as the clear loser. I’m sure the boys will collect at the most inconvenient time of my brother's life.
