“I’m fine,” I whisper, dipping my head. He doesn’t allow my face to drop though, catching my chin with his finger and lifting it back up to him.
“Talk to me.”
He leads me over to the counter and sets me up on it. There’s a softness to his touch as he cups my face. And maybe if I keep staring into his deep blue eyes, my worries will wash away.
“Poppy?” he prompts again.
“Any news on the papers Tara served me?” I ask instead.
A small smile catches the corner of his lip, it’s tender, and I want to bottle up the feeling it stirs in me. “Everything is handled, a done deal.”
“Just like that?” It seems too simple.
“Her lawyers don’t come close to mine.” The confidence in his tone stirs something in me too. “She’s used to crushing small businesses with no connections, so as soon as Walters showed up on the scene—she folded.”
Despite everything else overwhelming me today, the idea of Tara realizing she’s not the big dog is gratifying. “She assumed I wouldn’t want to pull your company into things, she was banking on my pride being my downfall.”
He drops a light kiss to the tip of my nose. “Good thing she didn’t take the time to get to know you at all. It’s your stubbornness she should have capitalized on.”
A snort escapes me.
“Speaking of that stubbornness… how long are you going to make me wait to find out why you were crying?”
My hands rest on his chest, and I curl one finger to trace the air sea logo over his heart. I can feel him watching me, waiting. With a sigh, I admit, “I talked to the construction company. I was trying to see about extending my payment plan. But I’m already behind, and I’ve gone over all my numbers again and again. There is no way I can make it be enough.”
“Then I have great timing,” he says, reaching for the envelope he tucked under his arm. I had forgotten it was there.
“What is this?”
“Just hear me out, baby,” he murmurs.
I open it and slide a stack of papers out. My eyes scan the first paragraph before snapping back up to Hayden in shock. “Whatisthis?” I repeat.
“Consider it that IOU we discussed at the start of all this. I’d like to cash it in.”
“Hayden, this isn’t an IOU. It’s a contract. And you’d better start explaining,” I demand, jumping down off the counter and pressing the papers against his chest. He smiles calmly back at me and takes the contract from my hand. Setting it aside, he wraps his arms around my waist and leans in to kiss my forehead. His lips linger, as if trying to store the moment away for later.
“Okay.” Hayden nods as he slowly pulls back to look into my eyes. “To summarize, I want to buy half of Seaside Bakehouse from you. Actually, I want to buy forty-nine percent, not half. That still leaves you as the partner in charge. And I think I’m offering a fair number for the shares I want.”
“You want to bebusinesspartners?” My brain is short circuiting in its attempt to make sense of what he’s saying. “You want to what—work together permanently? Be tied to each other through this even though most of the time we don’t get along?”
He stares into my eyes earnestly, his face still dipped low to be nearer to me. “I don’t want to just work together; I want tobetogether. I want all of it. Partners in life, partners in the bakery. And we get along great. We’re passionate together, that just comes out in different ways. Sometimes it might be bickering, sure, but for the right reasons. Baby, please, let me give you what you need.”
“Hayden”—my voice trembles—“I just need you.”
“You’ve got me. You always have. And supporting one another, that’s what you do when you love someone.”
I take a step back, my eyes widening. “Did you just say that you love me?”
He doesn’t hesitate; he doesn’t even seem surprised that the words left his lips. No, he doesn’t try to back pedal at all. Instead, he steps towards me once again with confidence in his declaration, taking my hand in his.
“I’ve loved you through every fight, every moment I thought maybe you hated me. I’ve just been waiting for you to be ready to hear it, my stubborn, brilliant, beautiful woman. I’ll remain a silent partner no matter how you feel towards me, that’s not what this is about. But I hope you stay with me, Poppy. Always.”
Tears spring anew in my eyes as I shake my head in disbelief. “You don’t think that’s clouding your judgment? Shouldn’t business deals have emotion left out of them?”
“That’s one nice thing about being a Thompson. I know a good investment when I see it.”
He scoops me up into his arms again and kisses my temple. For a moment, I allow myself to imagine how it would feel to say yes right now. To let him save me like this. And it feels overwhelmingly good. But this is too big, I need to think without these strong arms and tender lips distracting me.