Page 108 of Whisking It All

He kissed her again, softer this time. “Let me take you home, princess.”

She smiled, the curve of her lips lighting up her entire face. “I already am home.”

Epilogue

One Year Later

“You boys ready to lose?” Helen asked as she sauntered up to Ethan, Baz, Gavin, and Jamie’s usual table.

“I have a good feeling about tonight,” Gavin said.

“You’re down a man,” Helen said. “And she’s your best player.”

“I’m here!” Tessa said, rushing to the table from the front door, the gust of cold wind and snow flurries chasing her inside. She unwound the thick scarf from around her neck, her cheeks bright with cold, and her engagement ring glinting under the lights of The Rookery.

The sight of his ring on her finger still made Jamie wild with need. It had been a year since Tessa had moved into his cottage and made it a home, nearly six months since she’d agreed to become his wife, and he was just as desperate for her as he had been that first night. He shifted in his seat, subtly adjusting himself. Her father was at their table, after all.

“Hi,” she said with a knowing quirk of her eyebrow before she planted a soft kiss on his lips and slipped into the empty seat between Jamie and Ethan. “Hey, dad. Sorry I’m late,” she said to Ethan. “We had a last-minute rush on the drunken pear gingerbreads.”

Helen sucked her teeth. “Fools. That’s why I bought mine yesterday morning. Can’t leave these things to chance.”

“Not when we sell out so often,” Tessa said with a grin. “I’m going to need to hire more help soon to keep up with the holiday rush, especially now that Kyla’s only working part time.”

Jamie wound his fingers through hers, pulling their intertwined hands into his lap. “Enough shop talk. You are officially off duty for the next week.”

“Yes, Chef,” she said, her eyes dancing wickedly.

His cock gave an answering twitch. You’ll pay for that later, princess.

“Where are you two off to this time?” Dot asked as she came up beside Helen at the table’s edge.

“Dublin,” Tessa replied, practically bouncing her seat. She may have settled down in Aster Bay, but her love of travel hadn’t diminished. This would be their third trip that year, and Tessa already had their next two trips planned.

“My brother is producing a new musical there, and my sister-in-law is playing the lead,” Jamie said.

“It’s the perfect excuse to visit Ireland.” Tessa beamed at his side.

“As if you needed an excuse,” Baz grumbled into his beer.

“You’ve earned a break,” Dot said, shooting Baz the kind of warning look that had sent second graders scrambling to clean up their desks. “Who would have thought our little food and wine festival would be named one of the top ten food and wine festivals in the Northeast two years in a row?”

Jamie and Tessa had agreed to co-chair the festival for a second year, building on the success of their first outing. The gingerbread sandcastle and bonfires were big hits and had become an annual part of the festival, as had Jamie’s pasta making demonstrations. This year, they’d even expanded the festival to include tours of Ricky’s greenhouse and goat cheese tastings at Michelle’s goat farm. Each night, sore and tired from the long hours of demonstrations, workshops, and tastings, Jamie and Tessa had stumbled into bed, where they’d lain awake in each other’s arms as Tessa rattled off the hundreds of new ideas she had for next year.

“I never had any doubt,” Jamie said, squeezing Tessa’s hand. Together they were unstoppable, breathing new life into the little town that had loved them both before they knew how to accept it.

The school bell rang at the front of the room as Mike Greenhall took his place at the podium. “That’s our cue,” Helen said with a wink. “Good luck, boys. You’ll need it.”

She and Dot danced away to their table where Ruth and Helen waited with a fresh round of margaritas. Mike began running through the rules of the game, as if they weren’t all regulars who played each week. Tessa slid their interlocked hands higher on his thigh and he did his best not to lean into her touch. They’d made a promise to Ethan—no PDA, at least not when Ethan was around—but damn if Tessa didn’t make that promise nearly impossible to keep sometimes.

“You all packed? Have your passport?” Ethan asked Tessa as he took another sip of his beer.

“Yes, dad,” she said with a roll of her eyes, but her smile gave her away. “And Cheryl’s going to take over your weekly breakfast delivery while Jamie and I are out of town.”

“She doesn’t need to go to any trouble,” Ethan protested, his eyes lighting up in excitement despite his words.

Tessa laughed. “Enjoy it while you can. When I’m back, there’ll be no more chocolate muffins for breakfast.”

When Tessa had taken over Ethan’s weekly delivery, she’d swapped out most of the sweets for quiches, quinoa and egg cups, and banana oat muffins. Ethan grumbled about it whenever Tessa was within ear shot, but they’d all seen the way he scarfed down the food and refused to share. He loved every bite, not just because it was delicious, but because it had been made with love by his daughter.

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