Joey wraps his arm around Brooke’s shoulder. “Who? Us? There’s nothing but love here.”

I stop at the door, eyeing him suspiciously over my shoulder. Brooke is staring up at him with her own, as he wears the biggest teasing grin I’ve ever seen. “Did you get laid last night?” I ask. His playful eyebrow wiggle answers for him. Brooke pushes away from him, scoffing in the process as I roll my eyes. “Later, bitches.”

31

“So, what exactly did you drink last night? Do you remember?” I ask as I weave in and out of traffic.

“I remember everything.”

I glance over at him, seeing his set profile. “You do?”

He runs his hands down his face, dropping them to his lap before responding. “Yeah. I know I drank whiskey. A lot of it.”

“Do you remember getting home?” I steal another glance and see him drop his head against the seat.

“I remember everything, Dylan. The way you looked at me after you stopped the alarm. The conversation on the stairs. Everything. I promise you’ll never see me like that again.”

I pull over in front of The Tavern and put the car in park before I grab his hand. He immediately threads his fingers through mine, keeping his eyes focused on them. “I didn’t mind taking care of you. Not last night and not this morning either. It’s my job.”

His eyes meet mine, flashing with assurance. “It won’t happen again. The only thing that makes me lose control is you. Nothing else. Okay?”

I give his hand a gentle squeeze while his other grabs the door handle. “Okay. I’ll meet you back at the shop?”

He leans over, pressing his lips against mine. What starts off as the lightest touch quickly dissolves into a searing connection. I fist his shirt with both hands, holding him to me as he devours my mouth. His lips tease my jaw, my neck, the delicate skin below my ear. He has me worked into a wild frenzy in a matter of seconds. Breaking away, he pants loudly against my mouth before licking his bottom lip.

“You taste like your coffee.”

“Sorry.”

He smiles. “Don’t be. I love how everything tastes on your tongue.” His lips meet mine once more, briefly, before he opens the car door. “I’ll follow you.”

“Good luck keeping up,” I tease, earning myself a warning look before he steps out. He closes the door, and I watch him walk to the driver’s side of his car through my rear-view mirror. I lick my lips, tasting the combination of sugar and coffee.

Apple turnover, caramel macchiato, and Reese Carroll.

I’m doubting anything has tasted better.

“Why do you use eggs at room temperature? I never got that.”

I register Brooke’s question over the sound of my brand new mixer, which is an absolute dream. Not only does it have all these settings my old mixer failed to come with, but it’s also whipping my ingredients in record timing. After depositing the bags of flour and sugar onto the worktop, I answer. “Because they mix better into the batter. And it makes the finished product fluffier. I can always tell when someone doesn’t use room temperature eggs.”

“It’s a tragedy when cold eggs are used,” Joey adds, sticking his head through the doorway. “Brooke, grab me the container of blueberry muffins. We’re almost out up here.”

I measure out my dry ingredients as Brooke hands off the Tupperware container. She returns to my side, brushing the flour along the wood with her finger. “Do you always make wedding cakes a few days in advance?”

“I like to. Especially if I have more than one to make. We’ll knock out the cake layers today, and I’ll freeze them overnight. That will help lock in the moisture. And tomorrow afternoon, we’ll focus solely on assembling the cakes and all the intricate detail work.” I look over at her with a playful expression. “The fun stuff.”

“This is so cool. I can’t wait to see the finished products.”

I see that familiar excitement beaming off Brooke that I always have when I make wedding cakes. Maybe this will be her niche. Maybe she was always meant to be a baker. I step to the other side of the worktop, motioning toward the measuring cups I’ve readied for her. “Can you add those in after the batter turns a light, golden color? That’s when you know the caramel is fully mixed.”

“You’re not going somewhere, are you?” she asks with wide, startled eyes.

I laugh, grabbing the bowl of bananas in front of Reese. He lifts his eyes off his phone screen to give me a quick wink before returning to his task. Whatever he’s looking at, it’s kept his attention for the past hour.

Looking over at Brooke, I shake my head and begin peeling the twenty-five bananas I made Joey run out and get this morning. “No, I’m not going anywhere. We’re doing this together.”

She opens her mouth to respond when the sound of Reese’s cell phone ringing halts her.

He stands abruptly, nearly knocking his stool over but grabbing it before it crashes to the ground. He frantically brings the phone up to his ear. “Reese Carroll.” His eyes drift from the stool to my face, and I see his chest rise with a deep inhale. He mouths “I’ll be right back” and takes quick strides across the kitchen, taking the stairs at a rapid pace.

“Jeez. Must’ve been important,” Brooke jokes, but at her word usage my mind begins to wonder if this urgent matter has anything to do with Bryce. I feel my pulse quicken at the thought but quickly focus on my task. I have two cakes to make, and one can’t even be started until Reese disappears. He can’t see the ingredients I’m using for our wedding cake. It will definitely give away my surprise to him.

I’m slicing the bananas and depositing them into a big mixing bowl when Reese comes running back down the stairs. His heavy footsteps gain my attention, spinning me around. He’s dressed in his work clothes now, wearing one of my favorite gray-plaid ties of his. Hands grab my face and he plants the sweetest, gentlest Reese kiss to my lips, melting me like the caramel sauce I used in the batter.

He pulls away, and I see the sheer thrill pouring out of him, like he’s just won the damn lottery or something. He smiles and I melt further at the sight of my favorite lines next to his eyes. “I need to run to the office.”

“You seem very happy about that.”

He laughs, kissing the corner of my mouth. “I am,” he whispers against me. “Two days, love. Two days and you are mine.”

His words send a chill through me. I’m his already but God, the way he says mine like I’m not even close to being his yet makes my mouth go dry. I watch him walk away with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on his face.

And I know it has nothing to do with going to the office.

32

Luckily with Reese’s swift departure, Brooke and I were able to throw together not only the cake layers for the other wedding but for mine, as well. I had a great time cooking with Brooke, and she seemed to pick up on things like a natural.

I’ve never seen any bit of my best friend in her sister, and I’ve known them both for over ten years. Brooke always seemed so brash and extroverted. She never let you get a word in usually, especially if it contradicted what she was trying to get across. And even though she seemed popular in school, she never had any friends who stuck around. Joey, Juls, and I have been together for as long as I can remember. Yes, there were others who floated in and out of our lives, but the three of us always stayed true to each other. Brooke didn’t seem to have that, not even now. Her closest friend was Juls from what I observed. She and I were always friendly, but this is the most I’ve ever talked to her. And as we spent the afternoon with just the two of us in the kitchen, laughing and talking like we’ve done it for years, I find myself forgetting who I’m with.