Chapter 2
JULES
“Oh, Birdie, I don’t know if I can ever truly express how grateful I am for you. Hiring you has been one of my best decisions since opening this business.”
Bernadette, better known as Birdie or Bee, looked over at me with a bright smile. “You’ve told me no less than a thousand times since I started here, Jules. Trust me, you’ve made it clear how much you appreciate me.”
Shaking my head, gratitude seeping in, I sighed, “It doesn’t feel like quite enough just yet.”
And it didn’t.
Though I’d been baking for as long as I could remember, I’d only been doing it professionally for about five years.
It was only in the last year or so that I’d finally hired someone to help full time.
Initially, I’d hired part-time, seasonal help for the busier months in the spring and summer.
It worked for a while at the start, but it eventually became too much to handle on my own, even in the slower season.
Even when the weather turned, and it got cooler in the late fall and throughout winter, which ultimately shut down the amusement park and kept the larger crowds away, I was still busier at The Mixing Bowl than I ever imagined I’d be.
And while I had Serena, who still worked here now on a part-time, year-round basis, Bernadette had alleviated so much of the stress that had come along with needing to find that extra help at the start of every spring.
As she worked on rounding up the empty trays in the display cases, Birdie said, “I promise it is. Besides, even if you didn’t tell me all the time, I always get some love with a sweet treat I can take home every night.”
Laughter spilled out of me. “Fair enough. So, do you have anything special planned for this weekend?”
I stepped out from behind the counter and wiped down the tables immediately in front of my bakery. We weren’t closed yet, but things were beginning to wind down for us.
“Well…” There was a chipper edge in her tone. Enough that I stopped what I was doing and looked over at her. “I’m going out on a second date on Saturday night.”
“Second? With whom? When was the first?” My head was spinning with the news she’d just delivered.
Grinning, Birdie revealed, “The first was last Sunday afternoon with a lovely guy named Fisher. We met at the Farmer’s Market the day before.”
“Are you serious?”
She nodded.
Even though a wave of longing and jealousy washed over me, I was happy for Birdie. She was one of the sweetest women I knew. So, I smiled and said, “That’s wonderful news. Tell me about him.”
For the next little while, as we worked on some of our end-of-day tasks, Birdie told me all about Fisher. From what she’d shared, he sounded wonderful, and I was beyond thrilled for her.
I could only hope that my opportunity to find such happiness was coming soon.
Or, perhaps, considering there had only been one day, it wasn’t true happiness like so many of my siblings had recently found.
But there was excitement for Birdie, and that was more than I could say I had when it came to my love life.
I was about to tell her as much when I heard the familiar squeal of delight, followed by quickened footsteps behind me.
I spun around, saw who had caused the commotion, and felt something swell in my chest.
“Auntie Jules!”
“Rosie!” Crouching, I opened my arms wide. My niece, now just a few months away from her third birthday, came barreling toward me. Her little body collided with mine, and I immediately hugged her as tight as I could. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much. What are you doing here?”
“I want cookies.”
I laughed, giving her a kiss on the cheek and keeping her in my hold as I stood. “Of course, you do.”
“Auntie Jules always has the best treats.” I looked beyond my niece to find that those words had been spoken by my sister-in-law, Skye.
“You know that I try to keep the sweets to a minimum at home, but stepping foot on the Westwood’s campus is synonymous with cookies for Rosie.
And I figure that if I’m going to allow it, I might as well let her have the best there is. ”
“Thanks.” I smiled at Skye, showing my appreciation for the compliment before returning my attention to my niece. “Let’s go pick out the best cookie for you.”
She squirmed in my arms, enough that I set her down on her feet and took her by the hand to lead her behind the counter.
We spent a few moments looking at the variety of flavors left, but I wasn’t the least bit surprised when she made her choice and selected the double chocolate chip. Her father would have chosen the same.
“Should we get one for Mommy, too?” I asked her.
Wanting variety, Rosie said, “That one.”
“Okay.”
I snatched up the cookie, and the two of us rounded the counter again to find Skye had already settled herself in a chair at one of the tables. Holding the cookie out to her, I said, “Rosie deemed traditional chocolate chip best for you.”
Skye laughed. “At least she was willing to say it was for me this time.”
As if on cue, Rosie decided to set the record straight as she climbed into her chair. “That cookie is for baby sister.”
My lips curved into a smile, and I shrugged. “Hey, at least she’s going to be a great big sister.”
“That’s fair.”
“So, how are you feeling? I’m honestly surprised to see you here.”
Holding her cookie in one hand, Skye rested the other lightly on her rounded belly. She was pregnant again, expecting her second baby—another girl—and she was about a week away from her due date.
“I’m a bit torn, if I’m honest.” She took a bite of her treat and set it down on the napkin in front of her.
After swallowing that bite, she sighed deeply.
“There’s the part of me that’s so excited to meet this little girl.
Honestly, I can’t wait. But the other part of me wonders how I’m going to manage to love another baby as much as I love Rosie. It seems impossible.”
Skye was an only child, so I could understand why she felt concerned. “My parents had six of us. And as the last of the bunch, I can promise you that there was no lack of love from them. You and Cooper are going to do just fine with her, with both of them.”
Her eyes softened. “Thanks. I hope you’re right. For now, I’m just doing everything I can to soak up these final few days with Rosie whenever I’m not working. Cooper is, too.”
Before I could respond, Rosie interrupted. “Auntie Jules, I need milk.”
“Please?” Skye corrected her.
My niece tucked her chin down toward her chest and looked at me with those big, beautiful eyes. “Pleeaase.”
“Of course, kiddo. Give me one second.”
Two customers had walked up to the bakery, but I didn’t need to worry about them, because Birdie was handling it. So, I grabbed my niece some milk and returned to the table.
“What do you say?” Skye prompted her.
“Thank you.”
I smiled at her. “You’re welcome. Would you like me to help you with that, or can you do it?”
“I can do it.”
Shifting my attention to Skye, I said, “Such independence.”
“Don’t remind me. I want to cry just thinking about how much she’s grown. How is it that we can want our babies to reach all these milestones but also feel wildly depressed about it at the same time?”
“I’m not a baby!” Rosie declared.
Recognizing the emotions Skye was dealing with, likely magnified by the pregnancy, I said, “That’s right. You’re such a big girl.”
Skye swiped at her eyes and mouthed a thank you.
As Rosie got back to enjoying her cookie, Skye doing the same, I said, “I can’t believe how much this family has grown in such a short time.”
“How about it? And by this time next year, there are going to be several more additions.”
She wasn’t exaggerating.
It wasn’t just the fact that five of my siblings had all met the loves of their lives and got married. And it wasn’t just Rosie and her sister that would soon be here.
It was also Jack, my first nephew. His parents—my oldest brother, Wyatt, and my sister-in-law, Rhea—learned they were expecting about two months before Rosie turned one. And that little boy was just as spoiled as his older cousin.
Just as I suspected Marco and Ivy’s first baby would be. My older sister learned she was pregnant only three months ago; though, she and Marco hadn’t yet learned if they were having a boy or girl. Either way, I knew they didn’t care, as long as their baby arrived, happy and healthy.
It wouldn’t be long before Tate and Ava or Liam and Layla shared such joyous news with us, too.
Since I was genuinely excited about our family growing, I didn’t have to force the smile on my face. But I would’ve been lying if I said I wasn’t feeling that green-eyed monster rearing its ugly head.
I wanted that.
I wanted the happy ending.
I wanted to have a big family of my own.
And I was willing to do just about anything to get it.
If only there was a guy who was willing to give it to me.
Still smiling, despite my frustration, I said, “Before we know it, there’s likely going to be more children than adults running around at all the Westwood family gatherings and celebrations.”
Her eyes rounded. “I think you might be right.”
There was barely a moment of silence when a deep voice bellowed, “I had a feeling this was the place to be.”
Cooper had walked up, his expression at such ease. Ever since Skye had come into his life—and especially after Rosie was born—Cooper had gone from being the grouchiest guy at work to one of the most relaxed. My brother’s life was so different now.
“Daddy!”
Rosie held up her half-eaten cookie in her little hand and waved it around. Cooper walked right up to her, bent over the back of her chair, and kissed her chubby cheek. “Eating cookies with Mommy and Auntie Jules?”
My niece responded by shoving the cookie in her dad’s face. Cooper obliged her and took a bite.
“It’s good?” Rosie asked.
He nodded, placing his hand lightly on the top of her head. “It’s so delicious.” Cooper moved to the side, kissed Skye, and touched her belly. “Feeling okay?”