Page 79 of Colliding with the Coffee Shop Owner
"Hiding from your own party?" Max's voice startles me as he slips into the storage room, closing the door behind him.
"Just taking it all in." I gesture to the shelves stocked with beans from around the world, each variety carefully labeled with origin information—part of our new bean-to-cup tracking system that lets customers trace their coffee from farm to mug.
"Too much?" He steps closer, concern creasing his brow. "We can ask people to leave if you're overwhelmed."
"No, it's perfect." I reach up to smooth the worry from his forehead. "I'm just... happy. Sometimes it still catches me off guard."
His smile is tender as he pulls me into his arms. "I know the feeling." His lips find mine in a kiss that, even after all this time, still makes my heart race. "Have I mentioned today how much I love you?"
"Only twice. You're slacking."
"I love you, Lily Lawson," he murmurs against my hair. "More than excellent WiFi and perfectly extracted espresso combined."
"High praise indeed from a tech CEO turned mountain man." I laugh, then hesitate, suddenly nervous. "I have something for you. A gift to mark the expansion."
"You already gave me the custom router enclosure." Max raises an eyebrow, curious.
"This is... something else." I reach into my apron pocket, withdrawing a small package wrapped in coffee-bean-patterned paper.
Max unwraps it carefully, revealing a white coffee mug with black lettering. He reads the text aloud: "Developer in Beta: Loading... 30% Complete." Confusion flickers across his facebefore understanding dawns, his eyes widening as they snap to mine.
"Lily," he breathes, "are you...?"
I nod, tears springing to my eyes. "Twelve weeks. Dr. Blake confirmed it yesterday."
The mug trembles in his hand as he sets it carefully on a shelf before gathering me in an embrace so fierce it lifts me off my feet. When he sets me down, his eyes shine with unshed tears.
"A baby," he whispers, one hand moving reverently to rest against my still-flat stomach. "We're having a baby."
"In about six months," I confirm, covering his hand with mine. "Right around Thanksgiving."
Max laughs, the sound thick with emotion. "Best launch day ever." He kisses me again, pouring all his joy and wonder into the connection between us.
A knock at the storage room door breaks the moment. "You two better not be making out in there," Riley calls teasingly. "Dominic's about to do the champagne toast."
"Be right there," Max calls back, never taking his eyes from mine. "Just one minute."
When Riley's footsteps fade, he presses his forehead to mine. "I never thought I'd have this," he confesses softly. "A home. A family. Someone to build a life with. I always thought I'd be married to my work."
"And now?"
"Now I’m living the best dream ever." His smile is brilliant.
We rejoin the party hand in hand, our secret joy a current running between us.
Dominic Mercer raises his glass in a toast.
"To Lily and Max," he begins, the gathered crowd echoing his words. "Who remind us that sometimes the best things in life begin with unexpected collisions."
As the sun sets over Angel's Peak, painting the mountains in shades of amber and gold, Max's arm encircles my waist, his hand resting protectively over our growing secret. The coffee shop and tech lounge—our first shared creation—hums with life behind us, while the future stretches before us, full of possibilities we're only beginning to imagine.
The perfect blend, indeed.
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