Page 78 of Bittersweet

Harper wanted to say something to Ginny about her crush on Marco, but she knew how Ginny hated it when she teased. “I trust you.”

The door opened then, and a little squeal signaled Kayla’s arrival. “Daddy!” She ran toward Logan at full speed.

Logan set the boxes down just in time as Kayla jumped up into his arms.

“Hey, baby girl.” He kissed her on the cheek and squeezed her tight. “Did you have fun with Grandma and Grandpa?”

Kayla nodded enthusiastically. “We went to the zoo and the lake, and I got ice cream with toppers.”

Logan tapped her nose. “You mean toppings.”

“Top’ns.”

Logan chuckled.

Harper set her boxes down as well and came up behind them, tickling Kayla’s squishy tummy.

She giggled and turned out of Logan’s arms, reaching for Harper, who scooped her up and hugged her.

“We missed you, Kay,” Harper told her.

Kayla lay her head on Harper’s shoulder. “I love you.”

Harper’s heart always melted when Kayla told her that. She glanced over and caught Logan’s contented look. He often talked about how much he loved their little family. Though it saddened him that Naya hadn’t made much of an effort to spend time with her daughter before she found herself in more trouble with the law. Another drug trafficking conviction had landed her back in prison—this time for twenty years. Kayla would probably never know her mother. She would be an adult by the time Naya got out of prison. That would always weigh heavily on Logan’s heart and mind, but it made him more determined to give Kayla the best life possible. They would give her that. Together.

“Thanks for keeping her this week,” Logan told Gary and Marsha, who were standing just inside the door.

Marsha hugged Logan. “Anytime, dear boy. We love having her.”

“The truck looks awesome.” Gary gave a nod toward the door. “I’m proud of you two for working hard to make this happen. It’s easy to give up when faced with adversity, and I think most people would do just that. But you knew what you wanted, and you went for it. You saw it through. You two are a great testament to what hard work can do and the perfect example of dreams coming true.”

Logan and Harper exchanged loving glances. It was the nicest compliment they could’ve ever been given.

“Are you sure you want to take her with you this weekend?” Marsha asked. “We could take her home with us again. We wouldn’t mind.”

“I know you wouldn’t.” Logan gave her a giant bear hug. “But we wanted the first festival with the new truck to be a family adventure.”

“That’s a nice idea,” Marsha said.

They all exchanged hugs, and Logan and Kayla walked them out.

Harper quickly scrambled to put some goodies in a box, and darted out the door behind them. “Here. For your journey home.”

Marsha took the box. “All zero calories, right?”

“Of course,” Harper replied with a wink.

When Gary and Marsha had gone and it was just the three of them on the sidewalk, Logan smiled over at Harper, then took her and Kayla’s hands and led them back inside the shop.

As Harper walked behind him with their fingers linked, she was hit with a sudden moment of self-awareness. She was holding Logan’s hand. In her very own bake shop. With his food truck parked out front. And they would soon be getting married. Every one of their dreams had come true.

She glanced down at Kayla. Stepmom was not a title she ever thought she’d hold, but she was up for it. She was up for anything her future with Logan held. She loved Kayla as if she was theirs, and one day, they would give her a baby brother or sister.

The idea of having a baby with Logan filled her with nervous excitement and made her stomach flip. Not only because making the baby would be so much fun, but knowing they would have a child that was a part of both of them—the ultimate evidence of their love for each other. She couldn’t wait for that day.

As Logan and Harper went back to gathering up the boxes for the truck, Kayla wandered over to the book club’s table.

“Hiya, sweetie.” Nancy greeted her and patted her knee.

---