Where had my optimistic, sweet Maddox come from? Or was he always there, buried in a darkness I finally shone through? I glanced into the kitchen, biting my lip. My mind busied itself with new plans and opportunities.
“Sweets?” Maddox asked. “What are you…”
“I should get baking.”
“Now?”
I hopped off the couch. “Of course now. You said it. We’re starting this life together. Why wait?”
He checked his watch. “Because it’s nine o’clock at night, and you got that look in your eye like you’re about to harvest cocoa beans.”
“So?”
He surrendered. “Point taken. What can I do to help?”
I pulled him into the kitchen, teasing him with a soft kiss. “You can start by grabbing me the sugar from the top shelf. Then you can tell me what flavor cake it should be.”
“Who’s the cake for?”
I grinned, wondering how my bad boy ever became so naïve.
“It’s ours, Maddox. I’m making a cake for our wedding.”
Epilogue – Josie
The grand re-opening of Sweet Nibbles wasn’t without its initial disasters.
I ran out of chocolate cake within the hour, thanks to Benjamin Ducacas’s sweet tooth.
Three of Mrs. Greentree’s Shih-Poo puppies tumbled around my tables, upsetting two plates of sample cookies and spilling Councilman Grossi’s coffee.
And of course, my baby stole most of the attention away from my prized cupcakes. But that was okay. Little Angel coo’ed in my arms and she helped me serve her namesake—the strawberry angel food cake that I practically subsisted on during my pregnancy cravings.
“Josie, everyone loves the cake pops,” Chelsea said.
“How many have you eaten?”
She blushed. “Only two. Well, three. The baby had a bite.”
Chelsea ran the register with a shrewd eye and common sense, even if she had a hard time greeting the townsfolk who never once had a kind word to say to her. That was before they realized how sweet, trusting, and beautiful she really was. When she was given a chance.
When she was given a real family.
I smirked, bouncing Angel in my arms. She was getting heavy for such a little thing. My baby grew from newborn to six months old in record time. I asked the doctor, but he said it was normal for her to grow up. I couldn’t keep her little forever.
“Josie, we need more meringue cookies!” Chelsea called from the front.
“We’re out of the meringues. Everyone will just have to come back tomorrow.”
A playful groan echoed in my store, echoing off the pristine walls of vibrant red. I stacked the space with gold tables and a spotless, black-and-white checkered floor. Just like the ice cream shop Nana opened fifty years ago.
The town flocked to my opening, bought everything I had to offer, and insisted it was better than ever. Even Granddad agreed, though he said he wouldn’t attend the grand opening because of the trial. Fortunately, it looked like the courts would grant him leniency even without a batch of cookies as a bribe.
The mortgage on the new property was scary, but we’d manage. Maddox never shied away from hard work, especially for me and the baby. He popped in through the back, stealing a cookie and taking Angel from my arms. She squealed for her daddy and tugged at his hair as he kissed me.
“Sorry, I’m late.” He grinned. “Had a big job.”
“And?”
“I got the gig. Wiring the new hospital.” He kissed me again. “And the foreman wants to keep me on. He’s giving me something steady.”
He tickled Angel until she gasped from giggles. I scolded him and took her back. She immediately whined for her daddy, making grabby hands until I relented and shuffled her into his arms again. That only started the tickles once more. They both loved it.
“It’s more money, Sweets. A lot more.” He glanced over the crowded store. “Though I doubt we’ll have problems unless you drop everyone here into a sugar coma.”
Chelsea passed by, pinching her niece’s cheek. “It’s a possibility. Go on. I can take care of everything down here.”
Maddox took my hand, leading me to our little apartment above the shop. Two bedrooms was hardly big enough for the family we envisioned, but it was perfect for now.
“Know what today is?” He set Angel in her bouncer and faced me with a mischievous arch of his eyebrows.
I thought it was pretty obvious. “My…grand opening?”
“Yeah…” He took me in his arms. “Today is an anniversary.”
I grinned. “Our first date.”
“You remember?”
“Of course. It started and ended here…” I giggled. “Well, in the old shop.”
“Best thing that ever happened to me,” he said. “I don’t know where I’d be without you, Sweets.”
I looked away. He brushed my cheek.
“What is it?”
“You were in prison for a year. I lost you for that long.”
“Yeah. I lost one year of my life.” He shared a smile with his beautiful daughter and gazed at me. “Doesn’t matter, because now I get to spend the rest of my years with you.”
The End