Page 52 of Suddenly Yours

“You’re using me,” I said quietly.

His brows drew together. “Don’t be dramatic.”

“You want me to fix your divorce,” I continued, my voice steady now, “secure your money, and date a man who tried to control my life and cheated on me, all because it will benefit you.”

Silence stretched between us, heavy and brittle.

“You’re making a mistake,” he said finally with one last glance around what I had built. “Choosing this mundane life is the biggest mistake.”

My life was anything but mundane.

I thought of Cade’s laugh over dinner the night before. Of how wonderful his hands felt on me in bed. How he made me laugh when I was exhausted. Of the way he kissed me like I was the only thing that mattered.

It had been several days since Cade and I had slept together. Several long, busy days filled with early mornings, late evenings filling special orders, and exhaustion that sank all the way to my bones. He’d come by last night after closing, like he always did lately, and we’d walked to the diner a couple doors down to have dinner. It wasn’t anything fancy. Just burgers and fries and milkshakes and the best conversation I’d ever had, with a side of flirting and sexual tension that kept me awake most of the night. Then he’d walked me home and kissed me on my porch until my knees had actually gone weak.

It was anything but mundane.

“No,” I said. “I’m choosing my life here, and I love every minute of it and everyone in it.”

He stood abruptly, straightening his coat. “Think about what I said.”

“I already have,” I replied.

His eyes narrowed. “The least you can do is talk to your mother. This divorce has dragged on long enough. Tell her to settle with my last offer.”

I wanted to add that it was years overdue, but I kept my mouth shut. He didn’t say goodbye. He never did when he didn’t get his way.

As he walked out the front door of my bakery and headed down the street, I exhaled slowly. My hands trembled just a little. I hated that. So I squared my shoulders, stood up, and took a couple deep breaths to steady myself before going back to work.

Back to the life that I’d chosen against all odds.

I worked until my feet ached and my shoulders burned, the familiar rhythm of baking and decorating carrying me through the rest of the day like muscle memory. Customers came and went. Locals lingered. Tourists snapped pictures of their sweets on the decorative tables with the bright spring flowers as backdrop out front. I smiled when I needed to, laughed when it was expected, and tucked my father’s words into a locked drawer in the back of my mind where they couldn’t touch anything important to me.

By the time I flipped the sign to CLOSED, the sky outside had darkened into that soft blue-gray that always made Silver Cove feel quieter than it really was. I tied my apron tighter around my waist and turned back to the kitchen to start work on a few special orders that had come in that day. There were two birthday cakes and a dozen gluten-free cupcakes that had to be boxed and labeled before morning.

I was smoothing the last swirl of frosting when my phone buzzed on the counter.

Cade: You still at the bakery?

I smiled despite myself.

Me: Yep. Wrapping up now.

Three dots appeared, then disappeared. Then-

Cade: Hungry?

Me: Starved for anything without frosting.

Cade: Five minutes.

Almost exactly five minutes later, there was a knock at the back door. When I opened it, Cade walked in holding a paper bag. The smell hit me instantly—grilled bread, melted cheese, something spicy, savory, and perfect.

“Hey.” He smiled at me and I felt my heart skip.

“Hey.” I dusted my hands and removed my apron. I wasn’t technically done for the day, but whatever was left to do I figured that I could finish in the morning.

He set the bag down on the prep table and leaned in to kiss me, quick but warm, like his lips belonged against mine. My stomach did that annoying flip that it had been doing a lot of lately.