Page 110 of Walkoff Wedding

I swallow roughly. “I love her. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”

His eyes shine, and he nods, reaching for my hand on the arm of the couch. “It’s been a privilege to witness the way you love her. Seeing her happy and taken care of is all I have ever wanted for her.”

I’ve never really been the praying type of person, but I’ve prayed more today than I have in my entire life.

For Addie. For the bakery. For the future that I now realize is never promised.

Last night changed everything, and I know with every fiber of my being that Addie is my forever.

“I’ve been thinking… and there’s something I really need to talk to you both about.”

chapter thirty-one

Addie

“Baby… your phone is ringing,” Grant calls from the kitchen. “Want me to answer it?”

“Yes, please. I’m coming,” I call back, closing my sketchbook and rising from the comfy chair that’s tucked into the corner of our living room. It’s become one of my favorite places to sketch, and I’ve found myself in this very spot more often than not since… that night.

It’s been almost a week, and I’m still trying to wrap my mind around what happened.

It still doesn’t even feel real. Even though the flames are burned into my memory and plague all of my nightmares.

Auggie follows me into the kitchen, undoubtedly so that he can beg his dad for a treat, and when I walk through the doorway, I see Grant leaning against the kitchen counter, nodding while he listens to whoever’s on my phone.

His dark blue eyes shift to me when he sees me walk through, and he pulls the phone away from his mouth to whisper, “It’s Investigator Bishop.”

I nearly trip over Auggie as I rush forward to his side. Grant puts the phone on speaker and hands it to me.

“Hi, Investigator Bishop. Hi,” I breathe, my gaze shooting to my husband as I wait anxiously. This is the call we’ve been waiting on since the night of the fire. Some type of update from the investigation.

The past week has been the worst kind of torture, moving so slowly that I wasn’t sure I would make it through.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Bergeron,” he says. “I’m calling to let you know that my team and I have finished our initial investigation and structural assessment of Ever After. While the damage is substantial, the property is not a total loss. Most of the fire was contained to the kitchen and storage areas, so the front part of the building has mostly only sustained smoke damage. I believe it can be restored and renovated to prior standing.”

Oh my god. Oh… my… god.

The bakery is salvageable?

A sob escapes past my lips, and I nearly drop the phone as I reach for Grant when the floor feels like it’s going to fall out from beneath my feet. His strong hands grasp my forearms, and he drags me into his chest, holding me tight against him as the sound of my soft cries fills the room.

I think… I think I’m in shock.

I was truly expecting the worst, the news that there would be no saving the bakery. That the place I loved was never going to return, and just the thought nearly gutted me.

I didn’t want to imagine a world where it doesn’t exist. Where every part of my mother was gone. I couldn’t.

“Your insurance company will work with our agency to conduct a more detailed evaluation to determine the full extent of the damage, but as of now, we do know that restoration is an option,” Investigator Bishop says.

I suck in a shaky breath against Grant’s chest. “Th-thank you so much. For everything you’ve done.”

“It’s my pleasure, Mrs. Bergeron. I’m so glad that this is the news I could be calling with,” he replies. “If you need anything in the meantime, please let me know, but we’ll be in touch with the insurance company to get the ball rolling once we have the adjuster’s information.”

I thank him, and we exchange goodbyes, but as my finger hovers over the button to end the call, I stop.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Bishop, I do have one more question,” I blurt before he can hang up.

“Of course.”

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