Page 65 of Needing You

As soon as the realtor stepped outside later that same week, I felt Will’s arms close around me from behind, his chin resting on my chest as he held me against him. Chills went up my neck in response to the scratching of his cheek against mine. I never thought I was a fan of men with facial hair, but on Will… when I thought of how it felt against my skin as he grazed kisses along my naked body… well, let’s just say I was ahugefan.

“So, what do you think?” he asked.

Putting away my thoughts that had no place in our current surroundings, I tried to picture the change of paint I envisioned for the walls of the empty space we were considering. I conjured up images of menu items written in chalk on a large blackboard along the far wall. And then I imagined the kind of barstools I’d want at the long counter on my right.

But then the feel of his arms around me began to warm my insides, and the scent of his cologne invaded my senses, threatening to take my mind right back into the gutter. I shivered in his arms. It wasn’tmyfault my imagination brought up thoughts of him having his way with me on that very counter. It washisfault, for smelling so damn good and feeling so damn warm and secure against my back.

“You don’t like it?” he asked, standing straighter so he could look at me.

I put my hands on his forearms to keep them around my waist and craned my neck to look up at him with a laugh. “Sorry, no. I do like it.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

If I told him, it’d only make the problem worse. So I decided to shake my head and turn to face him, placing a palm against his bearded cheek. “I’m happy. And grateful. I think this place is the perfect home for my new bakery, and I couldn’t be more excited to start working on it.”

Will’s posture relaxed, and he dipped to place a light kiss on my lips. “Good. If you’re happy, I’m happy. So, now we’ll sign the papers and move on to phase two.”

Grinning, I followed him out of the empty shop to do just that. But not before looking up at the white hinge above the door and picturing a cute, old-fashioned bell hanging there. I’d always loved the idea of hearing a gentle jingling whenever someone entered or left my shop. It sounded so whimsical in my mind that I could hardly stand waiting until all the work was done so I could hear it in real life.

And work there would be. While Will and I went over the contracts with the realtor—he had expert knowledge of things I was only beginning to learn about—parts of phase two kept creeping into my mind. Remodeling and decorating the place. Hiring people. Ordering machinery and supplies. There were so many things outlined in the notebook we’d started filling with my plans that it felt like it’d be a million years before we reached phasethree: the grand opening.

But, even if it took forever, I knew the work itself would be fun, if not exhausting, challenging, and downright terrifying as well. I was learning hour by hour what it meant to be a business owner by jumping into the deep end, but it’d be fun nonetheless.

And it would be made even more so because of how many people I’d have in my corner. For the first time in my life, it wasn’t just me—or me and Jackson. No, as I entered into this new and thrilling stage of my life, I’d have an army of support.

Firstly, my partner in all things, Will. And Jackson, of course, volunteered to help out as much as he could between football and school. I wanted him to be young and without responsibilities for as long as possible, so I didn’t plan to work him too hard, but he was practically begging to be hired in some capacity. He wanted be my first employee and work as a cashier so he could make some money now that he was close to getting his license and the freedom that came along with it. It wasn’t like I blamed the kid for wanting a part-time job, and I was proud of him for it, but man if the idea of my son being old enough to file a W-2 didn’t freak me right the hell out.

Outside of my immediate family, I also had Will’s siblings ready to help. Their collective knowledge of running their own business—even if Sammy still behaved more like a part-time bartender than part-owner—would be invaluable, to be sure.

And I also had Jenna, who was excited for something to add to her already full schedule of things to keep her busy in retirement, as well as Ellie and April, who offered only moral support but had no idea how much that meant. April also offered help with marketing since that was what she did for her family’s B&B, which was an unexpected bonus.

When the paperwork was signed, the realtor was gone, and Will dropped the keys into my hand, I felt so full I thought I might burst. Together, we stared up at the storefront. It was in a prime location, right on Main Street, and it was sure to get a ton of foot traffic from tourists and locals alike. And best of all, it was all mine.

“Thank you, Will,” I said, grinning up at him with such a wide smile I thought it might split my lips open.

“No, thankyou. I’ve always wanted to invest in a small-town bakery.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “No you haven’t.”

“You’re right,” he said. Then he slung his arm around my shoulders and looked up at the building, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. He didn’t look at me as he went on, almost like he was trying hard to get the words out. “I’ve never thought about investing in a small-town bakery, but I’ve always wanted to make you happy. I’ve always wished I could. Even when I didn’t think there was a chance in hell we’d find our way back to each other.”

I cuddled close to his side. “You make me very happy. And I want to make you happy too.”

His laugh was low and gravelly against my ear. “Trust me, you do. In many ways.” Kissing the top of my head, he took my hand and started to lead me to the car. “Anyway, I’m glad to be able to help you with this. You’re a badass. If anyone could take that empty space and turn it into a damn good investment, it’s you.”

“Well, hopefully that’s what happens. I keep having nightmares that I’ll do something stupid and burn it all to the ground. Either figuratively or literally. Ovens ablaze, and all that.”

He opened the car door for me, but before I could get in, he took my hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “I don’t think you’re gonna burn it down. I think it’s gonna be awesome. But just know that if you do, I’ll be there with a fire extinguisher. Figuratively, of course. I’m not an idiot. I’d be a shitty firefighter.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

He shrugged. “I can think of about a hundred ways I’d rather get all hot and sweaty, and none of them involve wearing so many layers.”

Rolling my eyes, I slid into the passenger seat. When he got in on the other side, I gave him my best exaggerated look of seduction. “Wanna go home and do a little role-playing? You can be the firefighter, and I can be the dumb girl who burned something in the oven.”

“Mm, as tempting as that sounds,” he said with a low laugh before leaning over to kiss me, “we’ve got a game to get to, remember?”

Instantly cooled off, I covered my face with my hands. I’d totally forgotten it was Friday, and even though we’d finished with the realtor earlier than we’d expected to, there wasn’t enough time to go home and have some flirty little role-playing fun before Jackson’s game.

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