Page 150 of Almost Love

“So fucking honored to be yours,” he whispered, standing in front of her.

“None of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for you.”

“We both know that’s not true.”

She hitched up her skirt enough that she could push her legs apart, then tugged him closer. “You kept me sane and steady this whole time. There were days when I almost gave up. But you never let me stop.”

“They weren’t that bad. Were they?

“Oh yeah. Rhiannon got the brunt of my anxiety and meltdowns, because I didn’t want to worry you more than I already did.”

“Clem…come on.”

“You’ve now seen me at my lowest and my most complicated, and you’ve stayed. Hell, you took over and made sure that I was okay.”

“That’s what you do when you love someone.”

She huffed, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Just accept my thanks.”

“I didn’t hear athanks,” he replied, arching an eyebrow.

“Asshole.”

“Love you too, melor.” He kissed her, sighing happily when her hands brushed through his hair.

Pulling back enough to speak, she said, “If you lock that door and help me hike up this skirt, we canfinallychristen this office.”

But before he could do anything, the door swung open and Freya stepped inside. “You two are ridiculous. Keep it in your pants. There’s some people waiting to meet you, chef.”

“You couldn’t have waited a few more minutes?”

He turned to Clementine, affronted. “A few minutes? Babe. Come the fuck on. It’sa lotof minutes.”

Freya laughed and Clementine rolled her eyes, hopping off the table. She adjusted her skirt and grabbed his face with both hands. “You can have all the minutes when this is done.”

He hummed and kissed her, taking the opportunity to grab her ass. “All your minutes forever, baby.”

“Okay,” she whispered against his mouth and after another playful swipe of her tongue, she walked out of the office. Oakley stayed where he was, catching his breath and soaking up the feeling of knowing that he really did have her forever.

It was nearing six in the evening and the bakery was empty. The staff were still hanging around the kitchen, eating and cleaning up. Oakley had insisted on Clementine sitting down to rest twenty minutes ago while he helped the serving staff clear the tables and wipe everything down. When he’d swung by to check on her, he found her feet up on a chair while she nuzzled a very content Gracie. Despite Indigo’s desire to steal his dog, the kid had done a fantastic job of dog-sitting for him all day. Gracie had gotten treats—dog treats were one of the new additions to the menu—lots of snuggles and kisses, and was even taken out for walks and potty breaks.

When he was done, he grabbed the plate of food Roscoe held out and returned to his girls. He grabbed waters for them and set everything on the table in front of Clementine, who had tied her hair up in a loose ponytail and was playing with Gracie’s ears while she slept.

“My two favorite girls,” he said softly and lifted Clementine’s legs so he could sit down, then set her feet in his lap. “How are you doing?”

“Fantastic. I was thinking about what it was like when I first opened Pretty Baked and I don’t think it was this chaotic.”

He looked around the beautiful new space. “Back then, people didn’t know how talented you were. And you didn’t have all your friends either.”

“I also didn’t have you.”

He shook his head, trying his best not to let the smile get away from him. She’d been saying that a lot since they got back together. She kept making it sound like he had saved her, when the truth was that she’d savedhim. Saved him from continuing to travel all the country, and maybe the world, trying to find his purpose, to find where he belonged. She’d saved him from himself, from the thoughts that he was broken and unloveable. Clementine was a special kind of woman and he was fucking thrilled that she had picked him too.

“Since you do have me, I insist you eat,” he said, nudging the plate towards her. Gracie lifted her head and peered at the food, then shot him a glare before returning to her sleeping position.

“Thank you.” She picked up one of the small quiches and bit into it, eyes slipping shut as she chewed. “How are you doing?”

“I’m great. Got to watch the love of my life do something she’s always wanted. And I ate great food at the same time.”

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