Page 108 of The Gingerbread Bakery
Mac turned his head to look at her, keeping a hand over the kittens, not wanting to disturb them. ‘That if you’re in my bed, I’ll never want to get out of it again.’
Annie smiled. ‘Good one. We will have to get up eventually but I’m free tomorrow.’
‘You’re free? To stay in bed all day with me tomorrow?’
‘Why is that such a surprise?’
‘You’reneverfree. I don’t believe that you don't have a to-do list a mile long for tomorrow.’
Annie shrugged, looking relaxed and happy. ‘Maybe I got rid of it.’
‘That’s the sexiest thing you’ve ever said.’
She laughed, her nose crinkling, and he thought he was the luckiest person in the world to get to see that every day. He would never take it for granted.
‘So, what do you think of me now?’ he asked.
Annie was looking at him again, her expression tender. ‘I think you’re my person. I think you're someone I can trust and love. And I think you look really freaking cute with kittens piled on top of you.’
Mac grinned and one of the kittens clamped their little claws into his still bare chest.
‘Oh God! I think this one just cut off a nipple.’
Annie cackled so hard tears ran down her cheeks. Mac removed the cats and deposited them back into the box beside the bed, rubbing his chest as he settled next to Annie. She was still laughing at him.
‘That one really got me.’
‘Poor baby,’ she said, between giggles, kissing the tip of his nose.
He wrapped an arm around her and tugged her close, right where he planned to keep her from now on.
‘So,’ she said, snuggling in tight, her hands over his heart. ‘What do you think of me now?’
That was an easy one.
‘I think you’re the love of my life.’
Epilogue
A New Favorite Christmas
Annie had spent the last week in Mac’s bed. Well, they’d gotten out of it to do their jobs and all that. Annie had had plenty of Christmas orders to fill and nieces and nephews to babysit, and Mac was slammed at the pub with everyone wanting to have their end of year office parties there, but every night they’d fallen into bed together and it had been lovely. They were back in their own little bubble. Conveniently, their new relationship simply hadn’t come up in the outside world. But all that ended today. It was Christmas morning, and they were headed to Logan’s farm for Estelle’s annual Christmas open house this afternoon. And then everyone would finally know Annie’s deep dark secret. She was in love with Mac Sullivan. She was only a little nervous.
She reached out an arm to Mac’s side of the bed but found it empty. A kitten was draped across her neck and another over her eyes like a little furry blindfold. She gently lifted him up and moved him to the side, blinking in the early morning light.
Where did Mac go? She was always the first one up, having to get to the bakery early, but of course everything was closed today so she’d taken the opportunity to sleep in. She was sure Mac’s warm body had been beside her not that long ago.
That was when she smelled smoke.
What the hell?
She tossed off the blankets and scooped up the kittens, hurrying down the stairs. She skidded into the kitchen in nothing but her cozy socks and another one of Mac's old T-shirts as plumes of smoke escaped the oven.
‘Mac, what are you doing?!’
He yanked a cookie sheet from the smoking oven and dumped it into the sink, turning on the water. Steam hissed up from the mess. He took a dish towel and was waving the smoke out the window when he finally looked up at her.
‘Uh… Merry Christmas?’
