Page 57 of Suddenly Yours

I snorted. “You could say that.”

I filled her in while we ate about how someone was deliberately targeting my sites and finished the story with how I’d installed cameras. I didn’t say Levi’s name, but I didn’t have to.

She said it for me.

“Do you think it was him?”

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “I do.”

“I don’t get it. For months after we broke up, nothing. Not even a peep from him.” Her mouth tightened as anger flashed across her face before she reined it in. “I hate that he’s doing this. I hate that he won’t just leave us alone.”

“So do I.” I reached for her hand without thinking, our fingers fitting together like they always had. “But I’ll handle it. One way or another.”

“Why? I mean, he seems to think he’ll get something out of it. My dad’s begging me to ask for more money from my mother. Do you think Levi’s parents are hounding him to get back together with me?”

I shrugged, thinking about my conversation with my own father earlier. “Parents with means can be determined.”

She leaned her head against my shoulder. “He’s bound to lose interest, right?”

I nodded, feeling suddenly very tired.

We finished eating and stacked the containers on the coffee table. Missy reached for the remote.

“How about a movie?” she asked.

I didn’t argue. I pulled a blanket over us and stretched out on the couch with her tucked against my side. Five minutes into the movie, rain started tapping softly against the windows. I felt her relax inch by inch, and somewhere in the middle of the movie, my exhaustion finally won.

I rested my cheek against the top of her head, breathing in the faint scent of sugar and vanilla that clung to her clothes. God, I loved that smell.

God, I loved her.

I drifted off into a dream filled with memories and Missy.

Chapter Sixteen

Missy

Spring arrived in Silver Cove like it had been holding its breath the past few months, waiting for permission to finally bloom. Bright, cheerful, colorful flowers were everywhere in town. It was as if everyone was competing for the most colorful display. I was no exception. Cade and I spent an entire Sunday building and filling new flower beds in front of the store and his place.

For the bakery, I kept the colors simple, pastel pinks, greens, and blues. For his house, we picked blues and yellows.

I felt the warmth of spring everywhere—on my skin, in my chest, in the way I woke up smiling for no reason other than the fact that life felt… good. Steady. Full.

How had life ever been fun before this?

My work, my friendships, my personal life, and yes, the sex, had all fallen into an easy rhythm that didn’t feel forced or borrowed from someone else’s expectations. It felt like mine.

I wasn’t officially living with Cade.

Not yet.

But pieces of me had quietly migrated over without either of us making a big deal about it. A toothbrush appeared next to his. Then my face wash. My moisturizer. A razor, because the man apparently believed in a minimalist approach to grooming that stopped at body wash and shampoo. My long, tangly hair had staged a rebellion after one night of that nonsense.

He hadn’t complained. In fact, I thought he liked having my things around.

Most nights, I ended up at his place after closing the bakery. Sometimes we cooked. Sometimes we picked up food and ate on the floor because whatever room he was working on had furniture shoved into the corners. I’d sit on the counter or a stepladder, handing him tools, watching him work.

I loved watching him work.