Page 90 of Only Ever You

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Faye sighed his name with a smile that was as soft as her cream jumper and began to pull apart the bow of gold ribbon, then ripped away at the wrapping paper.

“Oh! It’s that plushie doughnut!” The way her whole face lit up brighter than all of the lights on the Christmas tree combined told Bash he’d done right with the gift. She picked apart more pieces of tissue paper. “And the coffee cup and the croissant and the … thepain au chocolat!”

“You did say that you wanted them for display in the bakery,” he explained, nudging her legging-covered thigh.

“I did. And you remembered.” Faye looked at him with the goofiest grin that softened every edge of Bash’s heart as she hugged the plushies against her chest. “Thank you.”

His lips curved and he winked. It might’ve been a childish present, but these were the kinds of things that made Faye happy.Soothing your inner child,his therapist called it.

“Can I open one now?” Maya asked to anyone who would listen.

“Hang on, honey,” Saira tamed her, “let Faye open her other present.”

Bash got up and retrieved the second box from where he’d stashed it safely behind a mountain of other presents, then sat back down next to Faye, wishing he could stretch his legs out, tuck her between them, and let her lean back against his chest. But that was just a fantasy.

If things hadn't gone the way they did last night – first with Faye’s secret unfolding, and then his own – then maybe such casual affection could have been today’s reality.

Last night wasn’t how he’d wanted her to find out about the whole American ordeal that he was turning down, and he was going to send a very firm text to Bennet emphasising how Fayehadn’tknown aboutWoodrow and Sturridge. He still hadn’t opened the email they’d sent which likely came with a hitch up in their commission percentage and salary.

He’d never planned to tell Faye at all until the offhand joke he’d made about Santa’s grotto in Lapland, when mistrust had flickered on her face as if he’d actually withheld that make-believe secret from her. Maybe in a few years, this offer could’ve been some inconsequential anecdote they looked back on.

But no. He knew now that he was wrong. And as far as he could tell it was all behind them now.

No more secrets.

There was just one more rather big one left for him to admit.

Leaning his elbow on his knee, Bash gnawed on his thumbnail while Faye unwrapped more golden ribbon and Christmas paper. He didn’t breathe at all as she unveiled the handmade model of her bakery. It looked like a corner cut out of a dollhouse; two walls, display cabinets filled with tiny trays of clay doughnuts that Maisie helped him make, the coffee machine, the tables and chairs.

“Oh wow … ” Faye breathed out and the other women in the room echoed her.

Nervous, Bash babbled, “I’m not the fastest craftsman, so it’s taken about three months to do, and I had to remake a couple of things and repaint when the colours weren’t quite right?—”

“Bash?” Faye was looking at him.

“Hm?”

“It’s brilliant. I love it. Thank you.” Her arms wrapped around his neck and Bash almost toppled over. If he’d have gone down, he’d have done so smiling with his heart feeling like it was ready to explode. He didn’t expect to see such gentle pride on his parents’ faces when he glanced their way.

“What is it?” Imara asked, leaning over carefully.

Pulling back with her hand resting on his thigh, Faye turned the model so Imara could see. “It’s my bakery.” Twisting back to him with eyes that glittered, she gaped. “I can’t believe you made this.”

Bash needed something to do with his hands to not focus on her fingers pressing into his thigh, but all he had were the cords of his jogging bottoms.

“It was only half the reason why I’ve come intoBakedso much lately,” he said.

“What was the other half?”

Go for it,his mind said, and his pulse soared.

“To see you.”

The smile on Faye’s lips slowly slipped. He’d said it so casually without hesitation, but Bash was deadly serious. He could see it written in her eyes that she knew that.

Dampness built up around his own which threatened to well up at her reaction. Maybe now she would figure out all of the little things he said like that weren’t so little at all.

Maybe she could spare the fluttering in his heart making him nervous to confess how he felt about her if she realised it for herself. Her lips parted like she had done and the line of her throat moved up and down.

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