Page 28 of Sweet Bred

Patricia gives me a tentative smile as they approach the counter.

“Juliet won’t stop talking about this bakery of yours,” she says. “Roger and I decided we ought to give it a chance and try it for ourselves.”

I ask what I can get for them and refuse to take their money when they try to pay. As they sit at one of the small café tables eating their pastries, I keep looking over to see how they’re doing. But I can’t tell a thing. And I must be busy helping a customer when they get up to leave, because the next thing I know, they’re gone.

Things don’t magically get better with them after that. But, gradually, they start to come around to me. The four of us have more dinners together. Casual conversation actually begins to happen.

And then, one day, I’m talking to Roger and he genuinely laughs at some dumb throwaway joke I make.

That’s the moment I know there’s hope.

A few weeks later, I ask Juliet’s parents if I can talk to them about something. When I arrive at their home, they look worried as the three of us sit down in their living room.

I don’t know what they think I’m about to talk to them about, but the words roll easily off my tongue.

“I’d like your blessing to ask Juliet to marry me,” I tell them. “I know it might seem fast, but I know without a doubt that she’s the one for me.”

By then, I’ve already bought the ring. I already know when and how I’m going to propose to my girl. Nothing’s going to stop me from making Juliet my wife. Still, it would be nice to go into it having the support of her folks.

They both react better than I hope. Patricia gets teary-eyed; Roger embraces me in a hug, clapping me firmly on the back.

“You have our blessing, son,” Roger tells me. “I know we got off to a rough start, but we want to put all of that behind us. All that matters to us is that you make Juliet happy.”

The sky is clear and the stars are burning extra bright the night I take Juliet stargazing. I drive her just outside of Cedar Springs to a field that stretches far in every direction, making it feel like we have the entire world to ourselves.

“Tell me what you see,” I say as we lay side-by-side among the whispering grass.

“Hmm. There’s Orion’s Belt. And the Big Dipper.” She nuzzles closer, her curves fitting snugly against me. “What do you see?”

“A hell of a lot of stars.”

She laughs. “I thought you were going to be my constellation guide.”

“Did I say that?”

“Well, no. Not explicitly. But I just figured, since you kept talking about taking me stargazing…”

“Right. Shit. Yeah, I see how that could have been misleading.”

“No, it’s okay. This is still really romantic.” She grins at me, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Don’t worry. I still love you, Shaw.”

“And I love you.” I dig my hand into my pocket and pull out the ring I’ve been dying to give her. “I love you so much, Juliet. You’re the one I always wished for, and now you’re the best part of my day. I can’t imagine the rest of my days without you. Will you marry me?”

She’s speechless for a moment, then very much not speechless, her answer and exclamations of love spilling out of her lips all at once. When I slide the ring onto her finger, it fits perfectly, like I knew it would.

10

EPILOGUE – JULIET

TWO MONTHS LATER

We’re supposed to be on the road by now, but I’m still in the bathroom, packing my things.

Or, well, not packing my things.

Because right now all I can do is stare at the positive pregnancy test in my hands.

I wasn’t planning on taking it quite so soon. Definitely not today. But when I was packing my bag, the test kept staring back at me from the drawer it was sitting in, and I kept wondering, What if…?

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