Page 61 of Flirting with the Stranger

Her face falls and her eyes widen. She takes a step back, then another, her arms drop to her sides. “Excuse me?”

I’m pulled back to the present. The shock and hurt on her face is evident. “Fuck. No. I didn’t mean that.” I reach for her, but she pushes my hand away.

She furrows her brow. “This was supposed to be an exciting moment for us, and you ask if it’s yours. Who do you think I am?”

“Based on my past, can you blame me for asking?” I shrug.

“I’m not your past. I’m your present. I’m not your ex. In fact, I’m far from it.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right.” My voice is soft, and I reach for her hand. Reluctantly she allows me to take it and tug her to me. “You’re nothing like my ex. And I love you for that.” I rest a finger under her chin and force her to meet my eyes. “I love you. You’ve given me new life, and I never want to let that go. I never want to letyougo.”

For the first time in forever, I say those words. But with her, they were so easy to say. No hesitation. No second guessing. It felt natural, like I’ve said them a million times to her. Never in my wildest dream did I expect to meet an amazing woman, have the best night of my life with her only for her to pop into my life again. Fate does wonderful and mysterious things.

She stares at the center of my chest before her gaze wanders up, meeting my pleading eyes. “I’ll let it slide this time because of your past. But if you value your life, don’t ever say that again.” A ghost of a smile plays on her lips.

“Being with you, I know I’ll never have to.” I press my lips to hers. Soft and full of promise.

She pulls away. “I love you. You’ve helped me experience life again. Experience love again. Even if it’s been one crazy rollercoaster ride.”

It’s been so long since I’ve heard those three words. I never expected eight letters to hold so much weight, but when they come from Hollyn, they mean everything.

“I’ll always be here. So, we have a little cupcake baking in here.” I place a hand on her stomach.

“We do. And it’s yours.” She gives me a wink. “At least, according to the three pregnancy tests I took. I’ll go to the doctor to confirm.”

“I want to go with you. I want to be involved every step of the way.” She nods her head. I rise to my full height and cup her warm cheek. “We’re having a baby.”

Before she can respond, I kiss her again. After everything that’s happened in the past five years, this is a moment I’ll never forget. It gives me everything I need to let go of the past and move forward toward the future.

Over the next few hours, I work side by side with Hollyn as we make cookies, cake pops, and cupcakes for the display case. As we pop the lid on the last container holding the cake pops, she exhales a yawn.

“I’m beat.” She rests her hips against the table.

I glance around the kitchen. We didn’t make too much of a mess. “You go home. I’ll finish up here.”

“Are you sure? I can stay. Give me a second. I’ll get my second wind.”

“You go home. Get comfy. Get some rest because I’ll be over later to start my groveling.” I waggle my eyebrows.

“Don’t take too long. I might actually fall asleep.”

I press a kiss to her forehead and send her out the door. Working quickly, I wash all the dishes and wipe down all the surfaces. For once, I can see what my future holds, and I couldn’t be more excited. But then my excitement bursts as fast as a popped balloon. What’s going to happen when Hollyn needs to take time off from the bakery? With a baby on the way, we’ll need the money and I can't do this without her.

I shut off all the lights and stroll to the front door. I click off the glowing The Sweet Spot neon sign and exit out onto the sidewalk. After I pull the door shut behind me, an unfamiliar voice catches my attention.

“Excuse me? Are you the owner?” I finish twisting the key, securing the lock, and whirl around. An older gentleman in his mid-fifties, wearing a tie and suit jacket, stands in front of me.

“Yes,” I reply.

He holds out his hand. “I’m glad I caught you. I’m Elliot Jasper.”

I grip his hand with mine. “Van Bailey.”

“Yes, I know who you are. Sorry to hear about your mom passing.”

“Thank you.”

“But that’s not why I stopped by. I overheard Keith Goldberg mention that you were looking for a buyer for the bakery and I’m very interested.” His gaze wanders over the building’s façade.

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