I’ve missed his touch. I’d forgotten how perfectly my hand fit in his. How much I love the confident way he moves and the way his thumb traces over the top of my hand, even when I don’t think he realizes he’s doing it.
He leads me through the building with self-assured ease, even though I’m fairly positive this is the first time he’s ever been here. Instead of taking us out the main front doors, he leads us in the opposite direction, out the back doors.
At the back, there’s a slab of concrete with trees planted along the perimeter. The leaves have turned into vibrant hues of gold and red, painting a stunning picture as we step into the cold air.
The chill to the air brushes along my skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps. I shudder, cold for only a few seconds before Camden is placing his jacket over my shoulders.
“Thank you,” I mumble, suddenly nervous to be standing in front of him. Memories of the last time we spoke run through my mind. I remember the sight of him lying in bed, sleeping peacefully as I cried next to him, writing a note that shattered my heart into pieces.
“I didn’t want you to be cold,” he answers, his eyes roaming my face. It’s only been a few days since I’ve seen him, and I’ve missed his icy gaze. The way his long, dark eyelashes flutter against his strong cheekbones every time he blinks.
I’ve really just missed him, and I realized when I saw him at the auction, I didn’t think about all the ways we were different or all the things we still have to figure out. All I thought about was how much I loved him and how much I missed him and how I really wanted to fling myself across the room and into his arms.
“I wasn’t talking about the jacket.” I tug at the sides, pulling the fabric closer to me. I don’t hide the way I take a deep breath in, inhaling the warm, comforting smell of him. “Thank you for standing up to Jason. For getting our properties back. For saving the day.”
He clears his throat, reaching out to run his knuckle along my cheek. I lean into his touch, welcoming the feeling of his skin against mine.
God, I’ve missed this man. Now that the stress of having to fight Jason to keep Wake and Bake has passed, I’m hit with the realization that I’m willing to try anything to make this work between us. He’s become too important for me to let go.
“I told you I’d fix it.” His voice is deep and raspy, sending tingles down my spine.
“You did,” I answer. “I should’ve believed you. I was just so worried about losing everything, about losing the only piece I still had of my mom, I took it out on you. I’m so sorry for leaving. I wasn’t thinking straight. I wasn’t thinking of anything but finding a way to save Wake and Bake.”
He nods. “I’m sorry for everything I’ve ever done to make you think I wouldn’t put you above anything or anyone else. I know there are scars from our past and that I haven’t always been a man deserving of your love. But you make me better, Pippa. I know little to nothing about love. Everything I know about it, you’ve taught me. But I’m an excellent student, and I want to spend the rest of my life learning new ways to love you the way you deserve.”
I told myself I wouldn’t cry. That I’ve cried enough in the last few days than I have in a lifetime, but a tear falls down my cheek of its own accord. I can’t control it, and I don’t even try to stop it. I allow it to fall, my heart swelling with the intense love I feel for the man standing in front of me.
“I love you,” I get out, my voice trembling with emotion. “I love you, and I’m sorry for ever believing for a second this love wasn’t enough to overcome any differences or distance between us.”
His silence unnerves me. It seems like forever that he doesn’t say a single thing. It’s long enough that my pulse spikes with nerves. Eventually, he takes a step forward, pressing our bodies together. His large hands rise to gently cup my face.
“Do you remember when you forced me to spend the day with you in Sutten?”
I smile. There’s no way I could ever forget the day that shifted the balance between us. It was easy to slip from hating him to feeling for him. “How could I forget?”
“There was something you asked me that day that’s really stuck with me.”
“What was that?”
“You asked me what group of people I’d want to be in. It was something I couldn’t stop thinking about. I’d find myself lying in bed in the middle of the night with answers to the question plaguing me by keeping me up all night. You see, until you asked me that, I thought I’d always want to be in the only crowd I’ve ever known. Never did I imagine myself in a place like Sutten. Until you. And the more I thought about it—the more I still think about it—I’ve realized I don’t care what crowd I’m in. As long as it’s the same crowd as you.”
“Camden,” I breathe, no other words coming to mind. He’s taken me by complete surprise.
“I love you, shortcake,” he continues, seemingly unaware of what his words have done to me. “I was so busy falling in love with you I didn’t even realize I’d fallen in love with this town, too. I’d never ask for you to give up your life in Sutten. All I’m asking is for you to welcome me into your life so we can create a life here together.”
A loud sob comes from my throat. My hand comes to my mouth as I look at him in disbelief. “You mean it? You’d be here with me?”
He leans in, his lips moving against mine. “I’d be anywhere with you. What else do I have to do to prove to you that I’m nothing without you?”
“Nothing,” I whisper, needing to kiss him for a moment before continuing. “I love you, Camden Hunter.”
“Not as much as I love you.”
“Are we going to argue about this, too?”
“Probably.” His lips tug up in a cocky smile. “But I’ve always loved fighting with you.”
“I know something else we’re going to fight about,” I offer, wrapping my hands around his middle.
“And what is that?”
“I have to pay you back for what you did today. I don’t have that much money, but we did raise some, and I want to give it to you.”
His lips press into a hard line, the muscle in his jaw angrily ticking away. He doesn’t have to say a word for me to know he’s upset.
“We won’t fight about this.”
My head cocks to the side. “You’ll let me?”
He laughs. “Absolutely not. The first moment I can, the ownership will be transferred to you the way it was always supposed to be. I’m going to transfer the gallery to you, too, so you can expand like you’d always imagined.”
My jaw hangs open. “We can’t. What about the gallery?”
He nips at my nose playfully. “I’d much prefer Wake and Bake to have more space. I only want to showcase local talent. I think it’d be really special to create something together where people can celebrate art and drink coffee.”
It takes a moment for me to form words. My throat feels clogged, completely overwhelming me. How is he so perfect? How do I make sure I keep him forever?
“It’s too much,” I finally get out.
“Too much would never be enough for you, shortcake.”
And then he kisses me. It’s long and sweet, as if he knows he has the rest of our lives to kiss me exactly like this. I kiss him back the same way. Months ago, I thought this man would be the bane of my existence. I wanted him out of Sutten as quickly as possible.
Now, my mind is filled with all of the possibilities of having him here with me.
I thought I’d always hate Camden Hunter, and I definitely never imagined myself falling for him. But I’ve always been a bit of a rebel, and as his hands drift up my leg, his fingers drifting underneath the hem of my dress, I’m looking forward to showing him more of Sutten.
I want to take him to the top of Peak Four during ski season and point to where you can see the ranch from the top. I want to take him to the Christmas Light Show that takes place in the Town Square. I want to test out my new recipes on him and make him enter the Annual Sutten Chili Cook-Off with me.
“I love you,” I tell him, pulling away because I need him to know. I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of saying those three words to him. “And I’ll spend every day making sure you know how easy it is to love you. And how cherished I feel to have your love.”
His body shudders, making me want to wrap my body around his. I do just that, holding the beautiful, broken man who owns my heart. I’ll never understand why he was never shown the love he deserves, but from now until forever, I’ll make sure he knows how effortless it is to love him.
