Page 140 of Wicked & Wildflower

I nod, and the board rocks, water rippling as he presses up onto it and throws one of his legs over the side. With the land atmy back, Everett and I face each other, the sun shining across his beautiful face and setting his eyes on fire.

“So, this is surfing?” I ask.

“No, this is floating.” He smirks as he shrugs. “But it’s a good enough start.”

I kick my feet back and forth beneath the water, the chill of it biting against my legs but not completely unbearable.

“This is everything I could’ve asked for, anyway.” I smile, feeling nothing but peace and contentment in this moment.

We sit in comfortable silence for some time, listening to the sound of the waves around us, feeling the warmth of the rising sun and the whistling of the wind, when Everett asks, “Have you given any thought to a name for the coffee shop? We want to get started before summer.”

“Yeah.” I feel my lips quirk up at the corners. “I’ve thought of a name.”

He raises his brows. “Well?”

“I was thinking of Wildflower,” I say. Everett smiles, opening his mouth to respond, but I cut him off before he can. “But I decided it needed something more, something representative of the person who inspired me to take the leap.”

He cocks his head.

I dip my head, feeling suddenly bashful. “The Wicked Wildflower… I thought that could be a good name.”

That smile becomes a wide grin as he reaches around to grasp my neck and pull me into him. “I’m Wicked?”

I nod, feeling his lips against my nose.

“You’re Wildflower?”

“So you say.” I lift my chin so my mouth brushes against his.

His grin spreads against my lips. “The Wicked Wildflower. That’s fucking perfect.”

As he kisses me against the backdrop of the Pacific and beneath the early morning sunshine, I finally find a way todescribe the feeling of being with him, in his arms, the sensation I’ve never been able to put a name to because I’ve never experienced it before.

Something inside my soul begins to bloom, like it finally found its destination, the spot to plant its roots.Home.

Wicked

One Year Later

“Wildflower!” I call out,stepping into the kitchen.

“Back here,” she chimes. I move through the double doors to the back of the café, where I find her rolling dough. Hands are covered in flour, orange apron wrapped around her frame, hair pulled back into a bun. She lifts her head, smiling at me as she continues to work.

“Hi, babe.” I kiss her quickly before stepping away, not wanting to compromise the food she’s making.

I move to the corner of the room, pulling out a barstool. “Luz isn’t here yet?”

Dahlia shakes her head. “No. Bus should be dropping her any minute, though.”

When Lou started her last year of elementary school, we decided to allow her to take the bus home, since there is a stop just across the street from the Boardwalk. I spend my mornings at the garage managing Ramos Automotive and moved back into my old office above Heathen’s, where I work in the afternoons.That way, I can end my day with Dahlia at the bakery, and the three of us can go home together.

“You’ve got everything ready to go for next week?” I ask as we wait for our daughter.

“Yeah.” She nods. “Elena’s going to run the coffee shop while we’re gone, and Peggy will be here for the bakery.”

Elena, by all appearances, is doing better since I made her get a job at the café and she moved out of my house. I know she’s not writing still, though. I think her inability to create stories continues to eat her alive, and I can only hope that, one day, she’ll find it again.

Peggy is a pastry chef Dahlia hired to assist with bakery operations, and together, the two of them have masterminded several unique recipes that have people traveling from all around the region to get their hands on.

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