Page 21 of Harmonizing with Little Heaven Leigh

“I only did a little,” Heaven protested.

Angel snorted. “No fibbing,chiquita. You did the whole market and the buffet too.”

Before she could say anything, Sadie noticed the fruit and vegetable platters and gasped. “They look just like television characters! That’s so amazing, Heaven!”

“Well, Heaven Leigh, sounds like you helped save the day then. I appreciate that,” Derek said, tipping an imaginary hat in her direction.

Heaven flushed and buried her face against Angel’s side, embarrassed. She struggled with accepting praise sometimes. Probably because she’d gotten so little of it as a child. He gave her a reassuring squeeze.

He kept her close to continue to offer reassurance throughout the night, because there was a steady stream of compliments. And they weren’t just for the chocolate castle and the market, but on the fun buffet she’d put together. Every time she tried to shift the praise to him, he’d nudge her until she learned to just say thank you.

There were three Little girls who were especially grateful that things had turned out so well. A spanking was one thing but having to stand there in a room full of people, knowing they’d ruined the centerpiece, would have been awful. They were all relieved to see that it had all turned out alright, though Angel couldn’t help but notice how careful Pippi was when she approached the buffet.

He caught her eye, as she was loading up her plate. “So, what do you think? Can you tell it was broken?”

She rolled her bottom lip under, chewing it as she carefully inspected the castle and the courtyard with its colorful market stalls and people. Finally she shook her head. “It looks even better now,” she admitted.

A lot of the complicated, detailed pieces were gone, true, but the market had filled up the space so that no one would know anything was missing. “I think so too. Luckily, I had Heaven to help.” He looked past Pippi, to where Heaven was smiling and chatting with Sadie, and happiness flooded his chest with warmth.

It was moments like this that he realized just how amazing it was to have a partner he could count on to help when things got rough. He enjoyed being a Daddy, being in charge, and he was fine with shouldering a lot of the responsibilities that came with being a Dominant, but Heaven was a perfect mix of Little, sub, and partner.

He still couldn’t believe he’d managed to find someone who checked every box for him. He might have used up all his luck for the rest of his life, but it was worth it.

CHAPTER7

Heaven had to admit that she was proud of herself. Working with the kind of chocolate Angel used was still new to her. Some of her decorating skills transferred over to working with candy, but there were still differences even then. She’d used modeling chocolate when she needed to, but fondant had always been easier to work with.

And all of that aside, what Angel did with chocolate was very different from how she’d used it for finishing touches on her cakes. But she’d learned a lot from him. It was one of the things that made her so anxious to start baking again. She knew the things he’d taught her would bring her cakes to a new level.

The little market might not have been perfect, but given the amount of time she’d had, it was pretty darn good, if she did say so herself. The number of compliments about it was embarrassing. She started to feel guilty for stealing her Angel’s moment, but he didn’t seem to mind at all.

“We’re partners now, Heaven Leigh. Why would I mind?” He gave her a surprised look.

“I don’t know. I mean, you’re the chocolatier, not me,” she mumbled.

He rolled his eyes. “And you’re the nationally known baker who used to have a television show. I think there’s plenty of glory to go around. Besides,” he pulled her up close against his side. “I like having a partner and your idea really made everything pop. I think it looks better than it would have before the accident.”

She frowned, looking up at him to see if he was serious. “But… it’s not nearly as detailed.”

“No, it’s not, and yet no one cares.” Angel drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“That’s not?—”

“Look,chiquita, the truth is… you have a more practical mindset about these things. I’m an artist. The creation aspect is what I love, so all the tiny perfect details are important to me. Tome, but not necessarily to the audience. Do you think tiny perfect hand-carved chickens taste better than ones right out of a mold?”

“I… no, I guess not.”

He pulled her over to stand right in front of the buffet and pointed at the castle. “You’re standing where the audience stands right now. From here, how many of those tiny little details can you even see?”

She leaned in, squinting. “Well, I can make out the… okay, not many I guess.”

“Exactly.”

“But, Daddy, sometimes peoplecanget closer. Sometimes they do get to see all of that work you put in, especially on the big pieces. Plus when we took the pictures, I got close-ups on all of it.”

“Yes, and that’s why there’s a place for chocolatiers like me who treat it as an art and go the extra mile. My work pushes the boundaries of what is possible with a temporary medium. And I make a lot of effort to ensure it tastes just as good as it looks, because flavor is also an expression of creativity. I want people to enjoy what they see, and then enjoy eating it too.”

He hugged her from behind and she leaned back against him with a contented sigh. “That just proves my rushed little market isn’t better,” she pointed out.

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