Chapter Twenty
The evening had been unforgettable.
Abby felt as though she were walking on cloud nine. She was so touched that her friends had planned a wonderful party for her.
She knew she was fortunate to have Sadie, Carrie, and Kate in her life. Not everyone had such good friends. She just hoped they knew how much she loved them.
And then there was Brad. She thought of asking him if he’d flown in just for her birthday, but she decided it didn’t matter. He was there for her party, and that was all that mattered.
Her heart fluttered when the last of her friends had departed, and he’d lingered. He wanted to spend some alone time with her. And she wanted to spend some alone time with him too.
And now he was trying to lead her back to the kitchen, but why? He was up to something, but what?
He reached out for her hand. “Come on.”
She placed her hand in his and walked with him into the kitchen area, where Carrie normally created her delicious chocolate creations. The overhead lights were out, but there was a soft glow illuminating the room. She walked toward the light and came to a stop.
There were at least a dozen little candles around the room.
And off to the side of the kitchen was a little table set up with a red and white gingham tablecloth, a vase with a red rose, two tapered candles sending a warm glow over the table, and two place settings.
She blinked to make sure she hadn’t dreamed it.
But when she opened her eyes, this romantic setting was still there.
She turned to him. “You did all of this?”
“I’d love to take credit for it, but your friends helped me out.”
She couldn’t say she was surprised. Now that her friends had found the loves of their lives, they wanted the same for her. She wasn’t sure Brad was that for her, but she wouldn’t mind finding out.
The next thing she knew there was a country ballad playing in the background. If he meant to sweep her off her feet, he was doing a good job.
She turned to him. “No one ever did something like this for me.”
“So, you approve?”
She smiled and nodded. “Definitely.”
A timer went off. She watched as he wordlessly moved to one of the ovens. He turned off the timer and opened the oven.
It took a moment for the aroma to reach her nose. She inhaled the scent of tomatoes and oregano. Mm...
She stepped closer. “You made us dinner?”
He placed the hot pizza on the counter. “No. I brought you a deep-dish pizza.”
Her mouth gaped. It took her a moment to gather herself. “You mean this pizza came all the way from Chicago?” When he nodded, she asked, “But how?”
“Lots of dry ice.”
She was deeply touched by his very sweet gesture. She supposed for someone to go so far out of their way for her meant he must have feelings for her too. The thought sent her heart beating faster.
And so, with the music playing in the background, they ate pizza together. They talked about his journey with the pizza and how he’d worried it wouldn’t reach her in one piece. Thankfully, it had, and it was beyond delicious.
And when she thought the evening couldn’t get any better, Brad got to his feet. He held his hand out to her. “May I have this dance?”
She placed her hand in his, and he helped her to her feet.
The next thing she knew, she was in his very capable arms. With him holding her close, she inhaled the spicy scent of his cologne.
She breathed in deeper, trying to remember it.
She wanted to remember every moment of this evening because it felt like a dream.
And in her experience, dreams were never repeated.
He was light on his feet as he moved around the small amount of open floor space. She only stepped on his toes a couple of times. She apologized, but he never made a big deal of it.
When the love song came to an end, they stopped dancing, but he didn’t let her go. He stared deep into her eyes. She felt as though she were drowning in his blue eyes. She should say something, but the words wouldn’t come to her.
She should turn away and head back to the table, but her feet refused to cooperate. Apparently, Brad was having the same problem, because he didn’t move either.
His gaze dipped to her lips. Was he going to kiss her? The breath hitched in her lungs as she mentally willed him to do it.
And then he lowered his head. She lifted up on her tiptoes. As his head neared hers, her eyes fluttered shut. And then his lips were pressed to hers.
The rest of the world fell away. Time no longer mattered. It was just the two of them in this blissful moment.
His touch was gentle, and it made her heart feel as though it were going to beat its way out of her chest. She knew in that moment that his kiss was different from anyone else’s.
It made her feel things that no one else had ever made her feel.
And she doubted anyone would ever make her feel this way again.
When he pulled back, his questioning gaze searched hers. He was looking to see if he’d overstepped. He hadn’t. Not at all.
She leaned forward and hugged him. “Thank you for a perfect evening.”
She wanted to stay right there in his arms, but she didn’t want to make the moment awkward. She reluctantly pulled back and made her way back to the table. The whole time she was aware of how her lips still tingled. He was quite the kisser. She hoped that she’d experience it again.
When she was once more seated at the table, he moved to the other side of the kitchen. He got lost in the shadows.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Just give me a moment.” A minute later, he walked toward her with a cupcake with a candle in it.
He moved slowly with his hand cupped around the candle to keep the flame from going out. He placed it in front of her. “Make a wish.”
“Aren’t you supposed to sing to me?” She watched as his eyes widened with worry.
“Trust me. You don’t want that. It would ruin the whole evening.”
“You can’t sing that bad.” She had a feeling he was exaggerating, but she was having fun with him.
He nodded. “Trust me. I can.” And then he said, “Happy birthday to you.”
Her smile broadened. “I suppose that will do.”
She closed her eyes and wished they didn’t have to live so far apart. She knew it was an impossible wish, but it was her birthday wish to do with as she wanted. And then she opened her eyes and blew out the candle.
At her insistence, they split the cupcake. It was a rich, moist chocolate cake with a whipped cream frosting and chocolate sprinkles. It was delicious.
“Don’t tell me you brought the cupcake with you too.” Abby wiped off her mouth and set aside the napkin.
He shook his head. “I picked it up near the airport.”
“Between you and my friends, you planned a perfect evening. Thank you. This was the best birthday.”
“But it’s not over yet.”
She glanced at the clock. It was going on eleven, which was late for her considering she had to get up early to open the coffeeshop. Then it dawned on her that she didn’t have to work the next day. A big smile pulled at her lips.
He got up and moved to the other side of the kitchen again. Surely he didn’t have another cupcake, did he? She decided she wouldn’t even complain. They were that good. Besides, calories didn’t count on your birthday, right?
But this time he returned with a white envelope. He placed it on the table in front of her.
Her gaze moved from his to the envelope and then back again. A birthday card. Did this mean he’d put his feelings into words?
The thought had her heart beating faster. What were his feelings? What would the card say?
“Well, don’t just sit there. Open it.” There was an eagerness to his voice.
She picked up the card and opened the envelope. The front of the card had a picture of colorful balloons and said: Wishing you...
When she opened the card, a gift card slid out. She set it aside to continue reading the message.
...a birthday full of happiness.
Happy Birthday, B
P.S. I hope you’ll visit the Windy City soon.
She glanced up at him. “Thank you for the card.” The smile fell from her lips. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to make it to Chicago.”
“You didn’t even look at your gift card yet.”
Her gaze lowered, and she found that it was an airline gift card.
Her mouth opened, but no words came out.
Part of her said to be gracious and accept the gift with a thank you and a promise to visit him.
The other part of her said that the gift was too generous.
She wordlessly closed her mouth, not sure how to proceed.
His gaze searched hers. “I see my gift has caught you off-guard. I hope I didn’t overstep. I just wanted a chance to show you some of Chicago. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She sent him a tentative smile. “You didn’t. I... I was just surprised is all.”
His gaze searched hers. “Are you sure that’s all? I hope I didn’t ruin things after such a nice evening.”
She shook her head. How could she be upset with him after all of the trouble he’d gone to for her?
She could see now that he’d only meant to be kind. And she felt bad for not reacting with more enthusiasm. Just because men had let her down in the past didn’t mean Brad would be the same way. She wanted to let her guard down with him.
Putting a genuine smile on her face, she said, “I’m sorry. Your gift was very thoughtful and very generous. Thank you very much.”
The light came back to his eyes. “Does this mean you’ll come visit me?”
She nodded before she had a chance to overthink the invitation. “I just don’t know when.” To make up for her less-than-enthusiastic response to the gift card, she said, “Well, since I have tomorrow off, what should we do with the rest of the evening?”
That made him smile. “I don’t know. This was the extent of my plans.”
Disappointed that the evening was ending so soon, she said, “We hardly get to see each other. I don’t want to say goodnight just yet.”
He reached out and placed his hand over hers. “I was hoping you’d say that, because I don’t want to say goodnight either.”
Then she had an idea. “Let’s clean up, and then we can go to my place to watch a movie.”
“Okay.”
She noticed his answer was quick, with zero hesitation. Then she had a thought. “What about the B&B? Will you be able to get in so late?”
He shook his head. “I’m not staying there this trip. They were booked. So, I’m bunking with Reed. He’s got the bed, and I’ve got the couch.”
She nodded. She stifled a yawn, because she was usually in bed by this time. But she wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip through her fingers.
With the kitchen put to rights and the leftover pizza wrapped up, they headed to her place. She had an apartment not far from the coffeeshop. It was a small one-bedroom place. But it was cozy and perfect for just her.
Luckily, she had streaming television, so there was a large selection of movies to choose from. In the end, they chose a rom-com. They were her favorite. The fact that he was willing to watch it with her meant a lot.
She settled on the couch next to him. She thought of throwing a bag of popcorn into the microwave, but she was still full from that delicious dinner.
Eventually, Brad’s arm wrapped over her shoulders, and the next thing she knew, her head was on his shoulder.
He was so comfy to snuggle to. A yawn came over her.
Exhaustion was quickly catching up with her.
She blinked and tried to focus on the screen.
Another yawn plagued her. And her eyes were so heavy. Maybe if she sat up straight, it would help, but she was reluctant to move. She loved cuddling with him.
Maybe if she rested her eyes for just a moment, she’d be okay. Her eyes closed, and the land of dreams claimed her...