The Gingerbread Bakery (Dream Harbor, #5)(70)

She opened her mouth to argue but opted to pause instead. Is that what she’d been doing? Silencing him, shutting him down at every turn? Of course it was, but she'd only been trying to protect herself. Ever since Mac came back to town, she’d either avoided him or picked fights with him. Even before he moved back, she’d refused to see him any time he’d been back home to visit his family. She kept busy. She told herself she didn’t need to see him, didn’t want to talk to him. It was all ancient history. Anything to keep her actual feelings at bay. And now here he was, forcing her to face them.

Except now, for the first time, she saw that maybe she hadn't been fair to Mac. Maybe, by trying to protect herself, she’d been hurting him. And while that may have been the goal originally, she suddenly didn’t want it to be.

She didn’t want to hurt Mac anymore.

‘One more day,’ she said.

‘One more day?’ He sounded ready to shut that idea down. She had never seen Mac at the end of his rope before, but, apparently, they’d finally gotten there.

‘Yeah, one more day. Just today. The wedding day. Let’s get through today and then I promise we’ll talk about everything.’

She waited, holding her breath. She still didn’t even know what she would say when they did talk but she knew she owed it to him. She owed him at least the courtesy of telling him nothing was going to happen between them—if that was the case—instead of ambushing him with surprise blowjobs and telling him to shut up about it. It was possible that she’d been sending some mixed signals.

‘Okay, I’ll give you one more day. And then you’re going to tell me where I stand with you, because I can’t play games anymore.’

‘Too old?’ she teased, desperately trying to get back on some familiar ground.

Mac huffed a laugh. ‘Too old to be chasing after a memory of you. I need the real thing. I need to know if we have any chance of working or if it’s finally time for me to let you go.’

Annie’s breath caught.

‘But I’ll give you till tomorrow,’ he added, saving her from having to speak.

She still didn’t know what she would say, but she knew she didn’t want Mac to let her go.

And she knew it was about time she let him say his piece.











Chapter Thirty-Three





Three years ago


Mac stood outside of the brand-new bakery on Main Street. It was only his second day back in Dream Harbor, but this was his most important stop. The shop looked good. Its big front window was filled with delicious-looking treats and the bench out front made him want to sit and eat a cookie in the December sunshine. But he knew it was more than simply an inviting store. It was the culmination of years of work. This bakery was the end product of Annie’s determination, and he was so fucking proud of her. So happy that she’d achieved what she wanted to all those years ago. He remembered it like it was yesterday, lying in his bed next to her talking about what they wanted from life. Annie had gone out and got it, worked for it, earned it. And it was incredible.

And it smelled delicious.

He’d been standing outside for far too long now, indecision and nerves keeping him frozen to the spot.

He caught a glimpse of Annie moving around inside and his breath caught in his throat. She was the same but different; older but still gorgeous; moving around with the same purpose she always did. He didn't know how she would react to him being back but, if they were going to live in the same town again, he had to face her. Might as well do it now.

He pushed open the door to the shop and a little bell tinkled overhead.

‘I’ll be right with you,’ Annie said, not looking up from the tray she was sliding into the display case.

Her voice was enough to send his heart racing. He’d waited so long to hear it again. Too long. He'd been a damn coward for too long. As much as he’d loved his years on the road, he never should have waited this long to talk to her, to apologize. At first, he thought it was best to try and forget her, to put distance between them so they could both move on. And then years had gone by, and he hadn’t known what to say or how to say it. He got the feeling she avoided him whenever he was back in town, and he convinced himself it was better that way.

But he knew this: no matter where he had gone or who he’d been with, he’d never been able to shake his feelings for Annie.

He was done running from them.

‘Hey, Annabelle,’ he said, and Annie picked her head up so fast she hit it on the counter.

‘Ow,’ she hissed, rubbing her head and standing up.

‘Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.’

She stared at him in disbelief. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’

Mac’s heart sank. He should have known this wouldn’t be easy.

‘I'm moving back to town.’

‘No, you’re not,’ she said, so firmly that Mac nearly laughed.

‘I am, actually.’

‘You can’t.’

‘Annie, I’m pretty sure you don’t have a say in that.’

She crossed her arms over her chest. ‘Well, I do have a say in who comes into my bakery so you can get the fuck out.’

‘Can I at least explain? I wanted to say I’m sorry for what happened.’