Chapter 14 A Dunkin Donuts Themed Wedding
Caspian
We slept tangled together and sank into a dream of pure domestic bliss.
In the glow of an endless sunset, we cuddled on a sofa in a cottage that reminded me of her grandmother’s, but was a bit more modern—her dream home?
She pressed her face into the crook of my neck, and we murmured about what we wanted in our lives and what things could look like together.
When I woke, my heart ached. I wanted all of those promises with her, like slow mornings drinking tea, afternoons exploring, and cozy evenings wrapped up in each other.
Having her in my arms was unbearably wonderful. Her back pressed to my chest, and her soft curves fit against my hard edges. It wasn’t that she was made for me; if anything, I was made for her.
I buried my nose in her hair and inhaled that bergamot and ocean water scent. The salty sea smell was stronger, like being together had altered her on a base level. I’d bet my scent had shifted too. I wanted her to remake me.
Juniper let out a soft wordless noise, shifting in my arms as she woke up.
“Good morning, little witch,” I said, kissing the top of her head.
“Mmm, Caspian,” she said, rolling over to face me.
I rubbed my hand over her back, reassuring myself this was real and we were awake.
“We need to pick up the cake. We gotta get up,” she muttered.
“Fuck the reunion. Let’s stay in bed all day,” I said, pulling her tighter against me and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “There’s so many things I haven’t done with you yet.”
Her expression shuttered, her mouth curving into a frown and her eyes narrowing. “Listen, you know I have feelings for you, obviously, but that doesn’t change our situation. You’re stuck with me, and I have no way of knowing if your emotions are genuine. "
I scowled, opening my mouth to correct her.
“I’m sorry, but we have to resolve the whole coat thing. And then if you still feel the same, then we can be together.”
She’d fallen for me. The pure, unbridled joy in my chest swirled with guilt and fear. I should have told her the truth long before this moment.
“Juniper, can we talk about it? There are some things I want to tell you.”
“Honestly, I can’t deal with this right now.” Her voice was thick, as if she was about to cry. She pressed her palm to my chest. “I’m dreading the reunion today, and that’s already too much to handle, and I just need things to be okay between us.”
I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Okay, sweetheart.”
She leaned back, her eyes searching mine. “You really are remarkable. Whoever you end up with some day will be really lucky.”
It was like she punched me. She really believed what we had wasn’t real, and she was already saying goodbye. The thought made me sick.
Before I could figure out what to say, Juniper rolled out of bed and disappeared into the bathroom. Numbly, I climbed out of the cooling sheets and headed to the hall bathroom.
My chest ached walking away from her. There was no way I’d let her go. Maybe I could let her “lose” my coat successfully and then show her that I still loved her. But more deception wasn’t the answer. I needed to confess everything and beg her forgiveness.
Later.
But until then, she needed my support to face her family.
I shoved down all my fear and hurt and focused on Juniper.
It only took a few minutes to clean myself up and pull on fresh clothes.
I went for a white button-down shirt so I’d make the best possible impression on her family.
Sighing, I rolled up the sleeves and pulled on the expensive watch I usually only wore for business meetings.
Juniper didn’t speak to me as we met in the living room and then headed to the waiting car. It took a couple of trips to load all of the welcome totes into the trunk.
The drive to the bakery was another cold silence.
Fuck, this is going so badly. What can I say?
We left the bakery with two boxes of cupcakes and a three-layer pink-and-orange monstrosity. I stared at it through the clear plastic windows built into the box.
“So who ordered the cake?” I asked.
Juniper wrinkled her nose. “My mom, I think? Honestly, I don’t care. But it is really…”
“Unique?” I suggested. “It looks like it’s for a Dunkin Donuts-themed wedding.”
That earned me a snort of laughter. The tension in Juniper’s shoulders loosened.
“I’m glad I can be there with you,” I said. “I’ll make sure to only introduce myself as your boyfriend.”
Her smile was brittle. “Thanks. ”
“What do you want to do tonight?” I asked, eyeing my coat folded on the seat beside her. She hadn’t tried to abandon it at the bakery, and I wasn’t sure what that meant.
“Tonight?” she asked, staring out the window. My eyes traced her profile, the gentle curve of her nose, her perfect lips, and her soft chin.
“Yeah, after the reunion. We should do something fun as a reward for getting through it.”
“Oh…” She sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, still not looking at me. “Whatever. I’m sure we’ll be tired.”
I didn’t know how the night before could have changed so much between us. She clearly regretted it. I couldn’t wait until later to talk about this.
Just as I was about to bring it up, the car stopped at her grandmother’s home.
Dammit.
Juniper leapt out and rushed the cupcakes inside before she returned to help me with the oversized cake box. Together, we managed to get it onto the kitchen island. Her grandmother bustled around, putting out plastic silverware and paper plates.
“Hi, Gran,” Juniper said, turning to hug her.
“Junie, sweetie, you look so tired. Don’t tell me your new friend has been keeping you up all night.”
“Gran!” Juniper yelped, clapping her hand over her mouth. “Absolutely not.”
“Pity, you could use it,” the older woman grumbled, going back to her task.
“Nice to see you again, Mrs. Beck,” I said, grinning.
“Would you go get the totes instead of flirting with my grandmother?” Juniper huffed. Already, a sweet flush rose up her neck. Her scent grew stronger, and it was almost painful to peel myself away from her and head back to the car.
I stacked the totes by the door so everyone could grab theirs as they arrived. Most people would be hanging out outside, but it didn’t seem wise to leave the totes in the grass or sand.
“Alright, we have to do something about the mud,” Juniper said, a determined set to her jaw as she stared out the front door at the flooded lawn.
“Use me,” I said. Her eyebrows shot up. Smirking, I clarified, “Channel my magic, like you did yesterday.”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
Her eyes moved down my body until she eyed the hand I held out. Slowly, she reached out and took it. Magic spiked between us, and she sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes closing for a moment.
She led us outside, and we surveyed the patches of mud all over the yard. It was better than earlier in the week, but not by much. Her fingers squeezed mine.
“I’m not sure I can do this.”
“You can,” I said automatically. “You’re incredible. Remember last night?”
Juniper’s eyes rolled to meet mine, clearly thinking about other things we’d done last night.
“I meant when we were swimming,” I said. “But if you’d rather discuss things that happened later—”
“Thank you,” she said sharply, cutting me off.
Swallowing, Juniper widened her stance and prepared to work magic. I hated that her family made her feel inferior. She was nothing like the confident woman I’d spent the week with. I wanted to take this vulnerable version of her and hide her away so no one else could hurt her.
Her hold on my hand tightened. The energy flowing between us started to focus in her direction. I let that inner pool of magic rush into her. She reached out her free hand, spreading her fingers out.
The mud seemed to sink and dry on one side, and the other shimmered with veins of water flowing together to form a miniature river.
My mouth fell open. Water collected together until it flowed past us, across the sand, and into the ocean.
It was a huge distance for Juniper to span, and showed such delicate control, I was in awe of her—my gorgeous, talented little witch.
The moment she let go of the magic, she collapsed into my arms, her chest rising and falling in shallow, rapid breaths.
“You did it,” I murmured, scooping her up and cradling her against my chest. “That was incredible.”
“It was nothing,” she argued. “I shouldn’t be so exhausted. It’s pathetic.”
“Juniper,” I growled, trying to rein in my temper. “You haven’t done magic like that in ages, I suspect. It’s going to take time to rebuild that ability. Not to mention, you just channeled enough magic for two people through your body. You were unbelievable.”
She rested her head against me, giving in. I pushed the door open and carried her inside. Her grandmother watched us with hands on her hips and one eyebrow raised.
“The front yard is no longer flooded. Where can I take her to rest?” I asked.
With a wave of her hand, her grandmother led me down the little hallway to a quaint guest room decorated in butter yellow. Gently, I laid Juniper down on the quilt and then settled into the chair in the corner.