Page 107 of This Moment

“Well,” I said as I drew her to me. “Who am I to stand in the way of your happiness.”

She smiled up at me. “I guess this means we need to go house hunting?”

I laughed. “I guess so. Talk about a major milestone in our relationship!”

Her nose wrinkled in the most adorable way. “Are we up for it?”

Cupping her face in my hands, I smiled. “I know I’m up for it.”

“Me too! But first, I need to call my parents and brother. Then, I’ve got some baking I need to do!”

Cadie

June in Moose Village was beautiful. The weather was perfect; the bakery was always busy. Of course, Nick was always close by. He was assigned to watch over me while we waited for Michael’s father to go to trial. He was in jail for now, with all of the charges and evidence, but he still had people working for him. Michael and Melanie had been put in protective custody, and although I was still looking over my shoulder, life seemed to be getting back to normal. No one had asked about Nick, but rumors were rampant in Moose Village. The latest was I was a princess from some European country simply trying to live a normal life in a small town. That one was fun, not going to lie.

The bell above the door rang, and I looked up to see Kian walking in.

“Hey, I thought you were getting all the words today.”

A smile spread over his face, and I felt my heart trip. Would I ever get used to the way his smiles affected me? I hoped not.

“I’m telling you, being in our own house has sparked something in me, and I can’t stop the words from flowing.”

Once things settled down after the kidnapping, Kian and I started our search for a house. I insisted on paying half since I had money left from the sale of my bakery. It only took us a couple of weeks, and we found an adorable four-bedroom, three-bath house with a view of Moose Lake. It was a bit more than I wanted to pay, but the kitchen was a baker’s dream, and of course, the view made it worth the price. We had moved in a few weeks ago and were slowly getting more furniture, which Kian had insisted he buy since I had bought the furniture we took from the cabin. One of the bedrooms was Kian’s office; he had installed bookshelves on three of the four walls. One was a guest room, and the other was a room all to myself. I wasn’t sure what I would do in there yet, since Kian had the most comfortable oversized chair in his office to read in. Macy promised to help me figure it out.

“That’s a good thing, right?”

“A great thing. I think I’m almost done.”

“How exciting!” I said as I made my way around the counter and hugged him. “What is after that?”

He laughed. “I have no idea! I’ll figure it out, though.”

“Is Opal here?”

“She had to run an errand but said she would return before closing.”

The bell rang again, and Macy walked in. She was holding a briefcase and wearing a smile.

“Don’t you look like Mom,” Kian teased.

Macy shot him a dirty look. “I’m wearing my old lawyer’s hat this morning, but don’t ever compare me to our mother again.”

Kian and I both laughed.

“Why are you wearing a lawyer hat today?” I asked.

“I’ve got some business with Opal.”

Kian tilted his head. “What kind of business?”

She winked. “You’ll find out soon enough. I’ll be back in Opal’s office.”

Walking past us, I gave Kian a questioning look. He shrugged.

“Want something to eat or drink?” I called out to Macy.

“A piece of your banana nut bread, and don’t say you’re sold out. I know you keep some extra!”

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