Page 95 of Bound in Promise
Not now.
She’s lost in her own world, one filled with endless stress and academic shit.
"Victoria," I chide gently, “be with me tonight. I promise you’ll pass your damn exam.”
She finally nods, moving her hands to gently frame my face. “Fine,” she sighs.
I resist the need to share the latest bakery updates from Ellie. Instead, I offer a different distraction that I know she’ll be unable to ignore.
"I found us a small house just outside the city," I reveal. "It's charming, with a massive kitchen and a beautiful garden. You’ll love it."
She blinks in surprise, a flicker of curiosity sparking in her eyes. "A house?”
“A house.”
She goes from shocked right back to stressed in seconds. “Are you crazy? How in the world are we going to move into an entire house and still have time to open a bakery?”
“Where did you want to live?”
She ponders that for a few seconds before finally relaxing back against the pillows. “Dante, if you don’t stop buying us shit, I think I might go insane.”
“I just want to give you a place to unwind. I need my wife to be able to relax. I promise, it's not too far from the bakery. I’m told it gets plenty of natural light, what with the large windows and all.”
She gives me an exasperated look. “Uh-huh. You really put a lot of thought into this, didn't you?"
I nod. “I want everything to be perfect for us. Now, let's focus on one thing at a time. The bakery is coming together beautifully, and our new home is waiting for us. And once this last exam is over, we'll have all the time in the world to enjoy our life."
“Look at you being all optimistic.”
“I always get what I want, princess. Now, I want you to tell me what you want for dinner before I make the choice for you.”
She huffs, then smirks as she stares me down. “Mozzarella sticks, a cheeseburger, waffle fries, and a chocolate milkshake.” I open my mouth to tell her to consider it done when she continues, “And wings. Oh, and can I get one of those red velvet cheesecakes they have at the supermarket?”
“And how many places am I supposed to go to find all this, sweetheart?”
She bats her long eyelashes at me and sticks out her tongue playfully. “That’s on you to figure out, husband. I’m supposed to be taking a break from thinking.”
Brat.
29
VICTORIA
Graduation passes in a chaotic and happy blur—and I aced Tafton’s nightmarish Profitability in Food Services exam, thank you very much. Dante managed to bite his tongue rather than torment me with I-told-you-sos.
My husband’s support and endless patience during the final months of my pastry arts degree still seems too good to be believed. And he bent over backwards to make our transition to life in France easier than I ever dreamed. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure this is really my life now.
The bakery I’ve been dreaming of for most of my life is now a reality. The renovations he orchestrated are stunning—a sweet and rustic homeyness balanced with the historic elegance of the Parisian storefront. It's absolutely beautiful. I can’t believe Dante and Ellie managed to keep all of this secret from me, especially since Ellie’s been busy working towards her own degree.
She and I have been tirelessly perfecting our French, since I’m determined to become fluent enough that my customers stop defaulting to English. Dante just snorts a laugh whenever he catches me practicing my accent in the mirror before heading to the bakery.
Every morning is a flurry of bustling activity, especially since our grand opening last weekend. My mind is already churning, trying to find ways to capitalize on our success and keep the momentum going. My notebooks are filled with recipes and new concepts in development, and I plan to post my experiments on our social media pages to keep people coming back for more. The raspberry almond bars I’ve perfected are already a standout bestseller—we’ve run out in the first two hours every day this week.
Apparently, my flavor choices and style clearly mark me as an American, but that hasn’t stopped the locals from stopping by each morning.
Still, I can't help but feel guilty for putting Dante on the back burner while I pour everything I have into my studies and the business. My husband’s patience with my obsession has been bottomless. I can’t seem to talk about anything beyond my plans for the bakery and the ideas I can’t wait to test in our home kitchen.
But Dante is everything I've ever asked for and more. I’ll never be able to repay the man for what he has done for me. Seriously, he even made sure I got to have my best friend with me on this journey, just like we’d always fantasized. I can't help but appreciate how attentive he is to the people and things I care about. He's made every one of my goals a reality, and I'm determined to find the right balance between my time at the bakery and our relationship.
