Page 91 of Fake it 'Til Christmas
Even more mine.
I look at Soren.
He’s holding my hand.There’s flour on my sleeve and lipstick smudged on his cheek—leftover from the twenty-minute-ago moment when I full-on ugly cried because the first online order came in before we even opened.
He didn’t panic, nor did he try to fix it.
Just kissed me back, handed me tea, and said, “You’ve got this.”
And weirdly?I believed him.
“I’m proud of you,” he says now, voice low and rough like sandpaper dipped in sugar.Just for me.
“You helped,” I whisper, blinking hard.
He shrugs.“I just made sure you had caffeine and didn’t get arrested for excess glitter.”
Which is bullshit.
He did everything—quietly, consistently, and with this ridiculous love that snuck up on me while I was too busy trying to control everything else.
“Ready?”Aiden calls from the front step, half-grinning.“Let’s open the doors, Win.”
The crowd cheers.
My hands shake.
Soren leans in again, voice warm against my cheek.“Hey ...remember when you thought your fake boyfriend was the biggest risk you’d ever take?”
“Yeah.”I smile, kiss him fast.“Turns out you were the safest bet.”
I raise the scissors.
Cut the ribbon.
And just like that, my bakery opens its doors.
And this beautiful, unpredictable, slightly over-frosted life?
It opens with it.
The Wolfcraft Howler Holiday Edition
Compiled and “lightly” edited by Marjorie E.Wolfcraft
Proud matriarch, reluctant group text moderator, certified Notary Public.
THIS YEAR’S FEATURED FAMILY STORY:
Freddy & Soren Are Officially Together.Yes, Really.
Well, dear readers, the rumors are true: our very own Fred—former underachiever, current bakery mogul—has done the impossible.
She’s in love.
With a man.Who exists.
And no, this isn’t one of those “he goes to a different school in Canada” situations.
