First, there are some things I need to tell her.
59
PIPPA
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.”