His response was almost instant.
Ryder
Damn, Dakota. You really are stabby tonight. Something have you on edge?
Ugh. If he only knew how many times he’d had me exactly that way.
Me
No edge here. Just telling you like it is. You watch out for me, and I watch out for you ;）
Ryder
That’s right. That’s what we do.
Another text popped in behind the last.
Ryder
How’s that little man?
Me
Sleeping like a rock. After he single-handedly destroyed both mine and my mom’s houses, of course.
Ryder
Tiny Tornado.
Affection pulsed. Ryder had always been so sweet to my son. And Kayden adored him, claiming him as Uncle.
Ryder
Listen, I better call it. Just wanted to check in. Sleep well, Cookie.
With the dismissal, I let my phone slump to my lap, almost wanting to say more but knowing I couldn’t.
But one thing was for sure.
I couldn’t keep pining after him my whole life.
It was time to let go.
FIVE
DAKOTA
There was always a certain energy in my café.
The bustle of people coming and going, the bell dinging over the door, the clatter of dishes and the lilt of voices and laughter.
Wound in it were the scents that floated through the air like temptation—the sweet smell of baked goods, the rich aroma of gourmet coffee and cream, and the savory meals served piping hot.
Sometimes I squeezed my eyes closed with the urge to pinch myself, unable to believe that it’d come to fruition.
Twenty-six, and I owned the busiest restaurant in town, not that it was about obliterating the competition. It was just validation that people wanted what I had to offer.
Time River Market & Café was split into two sections. The front boasted a country store and, just beyond that, was the dining room, bakery, and coffee shop.
I was currently in the store, writing the lunch specials on the chalkboard that sat on a white easel. I kept it situated at the side of the big double doors that opened to the dining area so people would see what we had to offer as they were being led to their tables.
I always used a bunch of different colors of chalk, and my hand swirled across the black surface, weaving the words into an elaborate design.
The bell over the door dinged, the same way it’d already done a thousand times today, but with it came the shift in the air that would forever tug at my spirit.
A scant tightening of awareness.
A dense sensation that whooshed and whispered as it brushed across my flesh.
I already had a bright smile pinned on my face when I shifted to look over my shoulder. Caleb and Ezra came in first, Ryder’s cousins who met here for lunch at least once a week.
But it was the man who stepped in behind them that tilted the ground a fraction of an inch.
Setting me off-kilter.
Just barely.
But I always felt the wobble of the earth.
Gunmetal eyes seemed to find me in a flash, like he already knew I was there. The hint of one of those sexy smirks tipped at the edge of his mouth as he lifted his chin at me in a silent hello, then he roughed a tatted hand through his ebony hair as he took in his surroundings.
Midnight in the middle of the day.
Ezra strode my way first, dressed in his sheriff’s uniform. The man was a heaping stack of muscle and brawn. His sandy blond hair was cropped short, and his beard was barely more than a five o’clock shadow.
He looked intimidating, but he was as nice as could be.
I’d known him forever considering he was Ryder’s cousin and he’d hung out with Ryder and my brother, Cody, through the years.
“Hey, there, Dakota. Are you whipping up something special for us today?”
“As if I would be doing anything else,” I told him, giving him a coy curtsy as I waved a hand at the sign like I was offering up a prize.
A low groan emanated from him as his gaze swept over the specials. “A Monte Cristo. How’s it you always know exactly what I’m craving?”
“Food is my love language,” I tossed at him with a grin.
“Which is why we always come running.” He wrapped his muscled arms around me in a warm hug. “Good to see you. How have you been?”
“Great,” I told him, squeezing him back before I turned to hug Caleb.
“Are you taking care of my bestie?” I filled it with as much teasing accusation as I could muster.
Arrogant satisfaction jumped into every line of his face. “You don’t think I wouldn’t be, do you? Taking care of her is what I do best.”
“You better, I wouldn’t want to have to hurt you.”