8. Ron
EIGHT
RON
I watched her carefully as we walked through the rubble of her bakery. I braced, fully expecting her to lose her shit.
Instead, her hands settled on her hips, and she smiled. Smiled! Right at me. That was the last reaction I had been prepared for.
“It could have been worse,” she finally said and shrugged.
“Baby—“
“I’m serious.” She smiled, genuinely. “The back room is okay. None of the ovens or equipment was messed up. The fridges are all fine, and the fire department said the electrical is somehow all intact,” she shared.
I’d never been so glad for the friendships I’d made through the years as I had been when Nate called with an update three days after the accident.
The fire department took care of each other, and somehow, luckily, even though we didn’t work together, they considered me one of their own.
They’d been focused on working and making sure they got everything ready at the bakery and all the paperwork needed was filed and in the right hands so the insurance company could take care of Evie.
“Come here,” I ordered, opening my arms.
“Ron, I’m serious. I’m okay?—“
“Great, now come here,” I demanded.
With a playful roll of her eyes, she sauntered closer. The moment she was within my reach, I hugged her.
“Honey,” she whispered into my chest. My heart was beating fast and furious as we stood in the same spot where I’d almost lost her. “I’m okay, Ron,” she said a little louder yet somehow still delicately soft.
“I know,” I mumbled. “I just… maybe I need you to hug me and remind me of just how okay you are?” I rumbled and felt her smile against my chest.
I glanced down at her, and when those beautiful chocolate caramel-swirled eyes connected with mine, I couldn’t help the words that came out next.
“I love you.” My voice sounded hoarse in my ears. I didn’t take the words back, but more surprisingly was the way her eyes softened instead of widening with surprise.
“I love you, too,” she replied confidently. “It’s fast,” she noted, and I pulled back just enough to brush a strand of her hair and tuck it behind her ear.
“Who cares?” I muttered. “Fast or slow, as long as we’re together,” I said and kissed her.
The last three days had been some of the best in my life.
I’d called off the day after the accident, just needing to make sure she was okay.
But then I had to return, and somehow, our schedules seemed to work.
I’d show up at her doorstep the moment my shift was over without us having any real plans but to hang out and get to know one another better.
It was crazy.
She wasn’t wrong.
A lot had happened, and that we’d shared had been fast. As we talked and got to know one another the last couple of days, we hadn’t shied away from the heavy topics.
I’d told her all about Sara, and she had told me about the toxic relationship she’d been in that had made her gun shy about dating.
We’d talked about our families, our likes and dislikes.
Nothing had been off limits. We’d been open books with each other, and I didn’t regret it for a moment.
Fuck, it had somehow made it clearer to me that she was mine.
“Take you back to my place?” I asked, and she smiled.
“I finally get to see where you live?” she teased with that sexy sassy tone of hers.
“Baby, we can add your name to the deed of my place, if you want,” I offered, and even though I was smiling, I was dead serious about it. She laughed. The sound wrapped around my heart.
“No.” She shook her head as her hand slipped into mine. “Not yet at least.” Her pretty stare twinkled at me. “How about we date for at least a month before we start talking about shared bank accounts and combining our assets?” she suggested, and I frowned.
“Why wait?” I muttered, but she thought I was kidding. She laughed louder, and when she looked at me, that pretty smile on her face faltered slightly.
“Ron.”
“I’m serious,” I said, my voice steady.
“You’re crazy, is what you are.”
“Maybe, but just about you.” I winked, leaning in to kiss the top of her head. “Fine,” I groaned. “We’ll wait,” I said begrudgingly. Now that I knew what it felt like to not only kiss and claim her body but start and end every day next to her, I wanted it all. But I’d be good. I wouldn’t rush her.
I glanced around the bakery.
It was her dream.
A dream she’d made come true that had momentarily been put on hold. One I was more than happy to help her rebuild. And it wouldn’t be until then that we’d get back to this conversation.
Because no matter what, she was mine, and I was hers. I wanted nothing more than to take care of her and make sure she knew she was loved without a doubt.
“Come on, let’s go to my place.” I lifted her hand and kissed her palm, my eye on that bare ring finger on her hand. One I wanted to put my ring on, and soon. Shit. She was right. I was crazy. Head over ass insanely in love with the woman who in just a few days had taught me love still existed.
The way she’d listened to me tell her about Sara, with understanding and sadness in her eyes when I’d shared our story, had been disarming.
I’d never told anyone I had hooked up with my story about love and loss at an early age.
I’d never known what to expect other than pity in their eyes. But that wasn’t the case with Evie.
No, Evie had been sweet. Kind. Understanding.
And it only made me want to help her get the bakery open that much quicker, all so I could get down on one knee and ask her to be mine forever.
But I had to be patient.
Thankfully, I was fucking great with a hammer and a paint brush. And hopefully, that would be useful in getting her bakery back and running sooner rather than later.