Page 164 of Suck My Puck

“I don’t mind at all.”

He drops a kiss to my mouth. “You ready for tomorrow, pretty girl?”

I smile, excitement bubbling up in my chest. “So ready.”

“Holy crap. Did you see the line?” Lauren says as she looks at the entrance of my coffee shop.

I walk over to her, smiling so wide. “I know! I can’t believe it!”

A crowd of people stand outside the coffee shop.The line snakes all the way down the block and around the corner.

“That’s got to be at least a hundred people,” Lauren says.

“Way more than a hundred,” Ingrid says.

I turn around to her standing behind the counter of the shop. She smiles at Maya, who’s standing next to her, putting out coffee mugs.

I look between them. “Wait, how do you know it’s way more than a hundred?”

“I may have shared your grand opening on my social media accounts.” Ingrid flashes a giddy smile.

My mouth falls open. Before Ingrid was in charge of the Bashers’ social media, she was a famous influencer with millions of followers. Even though she’s focused on the Bashers, she still gets tons of engagement on her social media.

“Ingrid, are you serious?”

She nods. I run over and hug her.

Just then, Braden, Theo, Del, and Xander walk out from the back room. They’ve all been busy helping me stock and organize everything for the grand opening.

“I told pretty much everyone I know to come to your coffee shop today,” Xander says, smiling.

Theo grins. “Me too.”

Del nods once. “Same.”

Sophie pops out of the bathroom after stocking it with toilet paper, paper towels, and tampons. “I told everyone I know too,” says with a wide smile.

Lance walks in from the back. He’s cradling baby Alice against his chest. “I don’t know nearly as many people as you all do,” he says before turning to me. “But everyone I know is coming today too.”

Happy tears prick my eyes. “You guys…” I shake my head, overwhelmed with emotion. I can’t believe all my friends showed up for me like this. “So many people are going to come here,” I say to myself.

I gaze around the space and take it all in. This is the cozy coffee shop of my dreams. Everything from the flooring to the dozen small tables and chairs to the bar along the wall is made of warm honey-hued wood. The decor is rustic and minimalist. There are pretty green plants in the corner and along a single floating shelf on the wall. And I hung up a few cool paintings I found in thrift shops.

Emotion bubbles up inside of me.

Braden walks over to me and wraps his arms around me. He presses a kiss to my forehead. “I’m so proud of you.”

His voice is soft and low. I close my eyes, savoring his words, the loving look in his eyes, the pride in his voice.

I lean back and smile up at him, then kiss him.

I turn to everyone. “I can’t thank you all enough. This is…” I shake my head, still overwhelmed. “This is my dream come true, and it wouldn’t have happened without you.”

Everyone smiles at me. Braden shakes his head. “You’re the reason for all of this. We’re just the backup.”

They all say that Braden is right.

“Congrats, Bella.”

---