Page 78 of Off-Limits Love
Mak parked outside the venue space and took a deep breath. She’d called London’s Lattes and talked to London, informing the woman that she’d gotten her license approved.
London had immediately congratulated her and placed an order, stating that she’d taken the samples to share with her family and they’d loved everything.
Then after about ten minutes or so, London had called back and ordered more for the pier house on behalf of her parents.
So while Emi played in the kid’s area, Mak planned to bake the day away.
She got out and opened Emi’s door, helping her daughter out before grabbing the first of her supplies. The one bad thing about using Finn’s beautiful kitchen was having to transport all the ingredients and pans and things back and forth.
More reason to succeed and have your own storefront.
She and Emi walked inside, and Emi immediately ran toward the horses on springs and climbed aboard with ayeehaw,a word Sam had said cowgirls used when riding.
Mak chuckled at Emi’s antics and turned to head into the kitchen when her steps faltered. A giant, beautiful flower arrangement sat atop the massive island where it couldn’t be missed.
She moved closer, oohing over the delicate petals of the red-rose bouquet.
But the card sticking out at the top? It had her name on it and that fact left her speechless.
Mak quickly set the bags down and plucked the card from the plastic holder. She opened the envelope and bit her lip when it simply saidFinn.
“I couldn’t fit what I wanted to say on that card.”
She whirled at the sound of his voice. At the fact every word had been said without the stutter.
Eyes wide, she found herself speechless for the second time in such a short period. Finn looked nervous and unsure of himself and yet— He wasn’t stuttering. “Finn.”
“I wrote the letter. The one to my parents.”
The air left her lungs, and she could’ve sworn she felt her heart breaking over the huskiness in his voice. Not from the lack of stutter but from emotion that squeezed like a fist.
“I wanted to say thank you and ask— If you’d go with me. To the cemetery.” He tucked his thumbs into his jeans pockets and shrugged one shoulder. “It would mean a lot to me. I haven’t gone since— I haven’t gone. I couldn’t.”
Shattered. Her heart shattered with his words, and she nodded without hesitation. “I would be honored,” she said, the words thick with the emotion she struggled to keep in check.
The visible relief on his face softened her even more and she found herself smiling and battling the sting of tears. Hopefully Finn would one day be able to truly put the accident and guilt behind him, knowing there was nothing he could’ve done. But this? This was a marvelous first step. “Thank you for the flowers. They’re absolutely beautiful.”
“I wanted to congratulate you on your first official day of the Itty-Bitty Bakery. Do you…need help carrying stuff in?”
She nodded, faltering only because she struggled to believe something she’d said had made such a huge change in him. During one of her sleepless nights, she’d read up on the parasympathetic nervous system and how it impacted people in different ways. To hear Finn now? She wanted to jump up and down and cheer, but she didn’t want to embarrass him. “Uh, yeah, sure. I mean, if you wouldn’t mind, that’d be great, thank you.”
She watched as he turned to go but couldn’t stand it a moment longer. She dropped the card on the countertop. “Finn, wait.”
She jogged over and wrapped her arms around him, unable to help herself. “I’m so glad you wrote the letter. And I’m so glad it helped.”
He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her against him, and she reveled in the hug she hadn’t known she needed so desperately.
“Me, too.”
Mak spent the day baking. By late afternoon, she had covered nearly ever counter with a cooling rack and treats.
Emi was an angel, even though she had to play by herself. She kept up a steady stream of chatter with her dolls, watched videos, and after a picnic lunch, they took a walk outside to see the animals before Emi settled on the lounge cushion Mak had tossed into the car at the last second and fell asleep with a book.
“You’ve been busy.”
She startled and laughed softly at her response. “You really need to make some noise when you walk,” she said as she faced Finn.
“You didn’t see or hear the door open?”
