Page 328 of The Maxwell Brothers
“I’m a mess,” I said, looking in the mirror.
“Liz, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m just super, super nervous. Look, I have flour in my hair.”
Putting his hands on my shoulders, he turned me so I was facing him.
“Babe, I can make everyone go away if you want. Trust me, I know they can be a bit much.”
“No, this is honestly great. I mean, I wasn’t expecting everyone, of course.”
“Neither was I,” he murmured.
“Are you talking about the surprise Gran spoiled?”
“Yeah.” He touched my lips with his thumb. I shuddered, my skin instantly breaking out in goose bumps. “It involved just the two of us. Me taking care of you, showing you how much I love you.”
I gasped. “You love me?” I murmured.
“Oh, fucking hell. I’d planned to do this differently—not in the bathroom while my entire family is lined up in the front.”
“I love you too. So much. Oh my God. This day is even better than I thought,” I said.
Rising on my tiptoes, I gave him a quick kiss. He immediately put a hand on my back, pressing me against him, and deepened the kiss.
Heat coursed through my body, but before things got too crazy, I pulled back, clearing my throat. “No, no. I need to compose myself.” I was so giddy. I couldn’t believe it. Happiness radiated through my pores, and my heart felt as big as my whole body.
Declanlovedme.
I turned around, staring in the mirror.
“There’s no way I can make myself look better.” I tried to get the flour out of my hair by wetting my hand and dragging it along the strands of hair that had white streaks. It was pointless and actually made it worse.
Declan laughed, kissing the right side of my neck.
“You’re a baker, Liz. Own it. A little flour in your hair makes it more authentic.”
I laughed, putting my right hand on the arm he had around my waist and leaning back against him. “Let’s stay like this for a whole minute.”
“Okay,” he said, kissing the top of my hair. “You smell like sugar.”
I closed my eyes, loving the way he felt around me.
“One minute down. Let’s go,” I said, blinking my eyes open.
He was looking at me intently in the mirror.
Oh, no, no. I know that look.It meant he had sexy thoughts, and I absolutely had no time for that.
“Come on. Out,” I said, opening the door to the bathroom.
When we returned to the front of the bakery, Travis was tapping his foot, looking at the group. The bossy streak was clearly a thing that permeated through the whole family. Declan went over to where Tate and Lexi stood.
“I’m wondering who’s going to give in,” Gran whispered to me. “It’s always fascinating to watch.”
“They’re all bossy, right?” I whispered back.
“To the moon and back.”
