Thirty-Three
Six Weeks Later
Isla
“ Y ou’re not eating cupcakes, Teddy Bear?” Jovie asks. The corners of her mouth are smeared with sparkly pink frosting as she studies Theo with genuine concern. “They’re love flavored!”
Sugarpine Sweets is brimming with all things love today.
The storefront windows are decked out in custom heart decals I designed for the occasion.
A large banner announcing Love Bakes the World Go Round stretches across the glass, featuring a flirty assortment of pastries styled as iconic romance trope heroines.
Each file—from the croissant with her Glaze me like one of your French pastries tagline to the strawberry tart in full film noir femme fatale flair—has a detailed backstory.
The palette pulls from the retro charm of Hazel’s vintage tablecloths, but the layout and font choices keep things crisp and current.
Dozens of candygram-style notes, featuring anonymous declarations from townspeople to their crushes, are the focus of the display.
Creating those custom cards was the highlight of the project.
There is something special about using art to help people express what they’re too afraid to speak out loud.
Inside, Holly’s signature display case is overflowing with limited-edition cupcakes and glitter-dusted cookies. From the decor to the delectable bite-sized samples, the place is buzzing this Valentine’s afternoon.
I can’t help the wave of pride rolling through me. Part for the new businesswoman’s success, part for the traces of my own handiwork sprinkled throughout the space.
“I’m saving mine for you.” Theo’s lips curve into a warm smile as he gestures to Jovie’s plate. She’s inhaled her share— and Willow’s —of mini-cupcakes, and now all that’s left on the flower-painted porcelain are a few sugar-speckled crumbs.
“It’s okay. I can share!” Her birthday last month has brought on a shift in Jovie. The newly turned five-year-old is suddenly all about generosity. “I’ll take all of your cupcakes and let you have a bite from each, okay?”
“Theo doesn’t like sugar,” Asher interjects. “Though, I’d love to hear his stance on love.”
Theo chokes on his coffee. Almost as if his throat doesn’t know what to do with the word.
I kick Asher’s shin under the table. At least, I hope it’s his shin. With too many legs crammed into one tiny space, it’s limb roulette at this point. We’re packed into a booth with every Thorne in town .
There is a kind of magical chaos to moments like this. Loud, wild, but… mine . And it really is mine .
I’ve officially been a Sugarpine Springs resident— is re-resident a thing? —for a month and a half now, and I’m starting to feel at home.
No need to jinx a good thing by bringing up love, Ash.
Willow whistles under her breath. “Well, at least we know Isla is an expert. Only someone who feels love in every inch of her being could create something this thoughtful.” She fans through the stack of custom cards I made for each family member.
Hers features a stethoscope, her favorite heart-patterned scrubs, and thirty-seven tiny handprints to commemorate all the babies she’s assisted in delivering so far.
I busy myself with straightening Jovie’s unicorn-covered card. “It’s just watercolors and parchment paper,” I mutter. “You’re being dramatic.”
“If you didn’t want drama, you should’ve held off on gifting us literal hand-painted emotional memoirs,” Asher quips. “Speaking of love”—he sighs theatrically—“I might be in love with Sienna.”
“Is this supposed to be new information?” Willow snorts. “What went down in Maui, anyway?”
“What happened in Maui will forever stay in Maui,” he shoots back.
“Will you at least tell us about Kauai?” Rowan teases.
Asher rolls his eyes. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve decided to take the Continental Chronicles job offer I got last week. I’m back to traveling for the foreseeable future. It’s for the best.”
“Are you sure running is the answer?” Theo levels him with a look. “Avoiding your feelings won’t make things easier. It’ll just prolong the pain. You either face what scares the hell out of you, or you keep circling the same mistake until it ruins you. ”
“Wow,” Rowan mutters. “You guys are exhausting. Way too much love for my liking.”
Jovie pats his hand solemnly. “You can have one of Teddy’s cupcakes.”
“You already ate them all,” he points out.
“Yeah,” she mumbles, mouth full. “But I would share if I had more.”
Asher crosses his arms and leans back with a smirk. “Never thought I’d see the day Theo doled out sage relationship advice.”
“I’ve evolved,” Theo says, tone as dry as the espresso he’s sipping.
“Beyond the whole straitlaced-stick-up-your-ass thing? Really?” Asher raises a brow, then turns to me with mock concern. “Blink twice if he makes you schedule sex via a spreadsheet.” At least he has the decency to cover Jovie’s ears before devolving into a buffoon.
“Oh, he totally makes poor Isla file paperwork before foreplay,” Felix adds.
“ During , actually,” I say. “He’s all about efficiency and multitasking.”
It slips out so easily, I don’t realize what I’ve done until laughter erupts around us. Willow wheezes. Rowan sprays water across the table and toward Felix’s unhinged jaw.
Fire licks along my skin, but my blush isn’t one of embarrassment. A few months ago, I never would’ve dropped a cringy sex joke so casually in front of Theo or his family. But sitting here, with people who love him—who love me —I feel steady. Like I belong and can do no wrong.
I now understand why he started our Valentine’s date surrounded by every Thorne under the sun.
Not because he doesn’t want to be alone with me. He wants to show me I’ll never be alone again. With or without him by my side, I’m still a part of their family.
Felix leans forward, grinning mischievously. “Everyone teases Theo about having a stick up his ass, but we all know it’s the stern, serious ones who usually enjoy stick —”
“Yes!” Willow throws herself across the table to earmuff Jovie. “Kinky King! That’s what I—”
“Unbelievable.” Theo groans. “Our parents are right here!” He gestures to Evangeline and Graham in horror.
Evangeline just waves a hand, utterly unfazed. “Oh, pish posh . Your father and I have a whole drawer dedicated to—”
“Nope!” Rowan yelps. “Don’t traumatize your children by finishing that sentence!”
The entire table evacuates at once. Chairs screech. Cupcakes are abandoned. A confused Jovie is stuffed under Asher’s arm and carried off.
As I’m tugged away, my gaze snags on Graham’s grin. It’s stretched so wide he looks like he just won the lottery. One that has nothing to do with the older couple’s evidently thriving sex life.
Our parents.
Two simple words that mean the world.
Theo appears at my side, fingers brushing mine before he laces them together. “I think that’s enough family time for one day,” he says, steering me toward the door. “The rest of this date is all ours.”
“As you wish, Kinky King.” I lift our joined hands to my mouth, making a show of kissing his knuckles. “Wherever Your Royal Horniness commands.”