Page 5 of Because You Loved Me

He had a feeling he was lifting the lid on a whole host of other objections, but despite himself, he was enjoying this unexpected interaction and her sassy opinions.

“Don’t get me started on how much weddings cost.”

Asher knew all about the costs, and as the owner of the hottest wedding venue in town, he was perfectly fine with it. Not that he was about to mention that particular detail to her.

He leaned back against a prep counter and crossed his arms. “I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you’re here for the big wedding this week.” She shot him a look, and he chuckled. “But you’d rather not be?”

“No. Well…it’s complicated.”

“Family always is.” He groaned as he let his thoughts flash forward to the family dinner and subsequent meeting that awaited him later that night.

But the last thing he wanted to do was taint what was turning out to be a very fun and unexpected meeting with a very beautiful woman, crazy outfit aside. So, he pushed the thought of what was to come out of his mind. “I’m Asher, by the way.”

A slow smile moved across her lips. “Nice to meet you, Asher.” She held out her hand. “I’m Noa.”

He wrapped his much larger fingers around her small hand and shook, but instead of releasing her, he turned it over and covered it with his other hand. “It’s been my absolute pleasure to meet you, Noa. And since you’re obviously not in a hurry to get back to the bridal shower, can I show you something that might change your mind about the wedding?”

She bit her bottom lip and sucked it between her teeth.

Asher swallowed hard and exhaled a low groan. “Well?”

“I have to be honest, Asher.” She inhaled and once more worried her lip between her teeth. For a moment, he was afraid she was going to confess some deep, dark secret, but then she laughed and shook her head. “I doubt you’ll be able to change my mind.”

“Challenge accepted.”

With her hand still in his, Asher turned and led her away from the quiet corner of the busy kitchen and into the heart of the bustle.

All around them, preparations were underway for the wedding celebration that would take place the next day. The lodge was fully staffed, and as always, the kitchen was in complete chaos. Albeit very organized chaos. Unlike the lobby.

“Asher.” Gwen, the pastry chef, greeted him by waving a piping bag in the air. “Please don’t tell me there have been any more changes. I can’t handle it, Asher. I won’t do it. I don’t care if they want roses instead of?—”

“No more changes.” He put a hand on the icing bag and lowered it slowly to the stainless-steel counter. Gwen was a fabulous pastry chef. The best, really. But like a lot of very creative people, she could be highly emotional and somewhat volatile when it came to last-minute changes, and the last thing he needed the night before the wedding, and only days from Christmas, was his pastry chef to get upset. “They’re going to love what you’ve created, Gwen. I promise you.”

She didn’t look convinced, but instead turned to the woman standing next to him. “What do you think?”

“About?”

“The cake.” Gwen waved the icing bag again. “The wedding cake.”

“The wedding cake?”

Noa looked to Asher for help.

“Here.” He released her hand long enough to reach across the large worktable and slide over a white two-layer cake decorated in clusters of red poinsettias that Gwen told him were fully edible. Each petal had been dusted with gold powder to match the wedding colors the mother of the bride had insisted on.

“It’s gorgeous,” she said without hesitation. “Wow. You made this?”

It was the right thing to say. Gwen nodded smugly, pride radiating from her.

“It’s amazing,” Noa continued. “The mother of the bride is going to go ape shit for this.”

“The mother of the bride?” Asher gave her a sideways glance, but she only shrugged.

“Like I said, weddings are all for the families, right?”

It wasn’t an argument he wanted to get involved in. He reached past Gwen for a large knife. “You haven’t even seen the best part yet.”

Without waiting, he slid the knife through the top layer of the cake, all the way down into the bigger bottom layer, slicing through an edible poinsettia as he did so.

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