Drive Me Wild - Melanie Harlow Page 0,100

you belong.”

Twenty-Five

One Year Later

“Blair! You ready?”

“One minute!” I hurried out of the bedroom and saw him standing at the top of the stairs, keys in his hands. “Sorry,” I said breathlessly. “This thing takes a minute to get on. Can you zip me up?”

“I’m better at unzipping this dress, but sure.”

I laughed, turning my back to him. When I was all zipped up in my strapless white gown, I faced him again. “I’m lucky this thing still fits. How do I look?”

“Like a debutante ready for the ball—or at least a photo shoot.”

“Is my tiara on straight?”

He pretended a close assessment. “It’s perfect.”

“Is my lipstick smudged?”

“Nope.”

“Good.” I looked him up and down, and my entire body tingled. “You look cute too.”

He glowered at me. “You know how I feel about cute.”

I laughed. “I can’t help it. The baseball uniform gets me. I know you weren’t actually wearing it the night we met, but I think for the photo shoot, it’s perfect.”

The Bellamy Creek Gazette was running a series on how local couples had met and fallen in love, and Cheyenne had submitted our names and the details. The editor had gone crazy for the story of how I’d gotten myself stranded here after my car broke down and then fallen for the mechanic who fixed it. She especially loved the detail about my wardrobe, and how Griffin had caught me when I fainted. She wanted us to re-enact the scene.

The only difference, besides putting Griffin in his Bulldogs jersey, was that she wanted the photos taken in a different location—rather than in front of the credit union, where it had actually happened, the editor wanted the photographer to snap us in front of the shop I’d just opened up: The Bellamy Creek Boulangerie.

I’d cut the ribbon over the Fourth of July weekend, and business had boomed from the start. Betty’s apple pie was a huge draw, of course, but with Mr. Frankel’s blessing, I’d tweaked things here and there to make it my own. After tasting it, he told me Betty would have been proud. I also served all kinds of cakes and pastries, strata and quiche, rolls and doughnuts, muffins and scones, along with coffee, tea, fresh lemonade, and mimosas on weekends.

Frannie and her family had come down for the ceremony, pushing their new babies in a double stroller—twin girls they’d named Audrey and Emmeline. It meant everything to me to have her there, since she’d been so supportive of me throughout the previous year.

As promised, I’d stayed on at Coffee Darling throughout her entire pregnancy, taking over full-time while she was out on maternity leave. It hadn’t been easy, because at the same time, I’d been in the process of buying the old Main Street Bakery in Bellamy Creek, lining up the financing, designing and overseeing its renovations, and planning for a summer opening.

It was exhausting—but Griffin had been my rock. We dated long-distance all through the fall and winter, trying never to go longer than a week without seeing each other, although it hadn’t been easy. The drives were rough, especially in bad weather, and Griffin always insisted on being the one to trek through the snow. He’d had to hire another mechanic to cover Saturdays so he could spend them with me.

But he never once complained. He knew how important it was to me to establish myself independently, to work for myself, support myself, feel steady on my own two feet. He understood me, and I fell more in love with him for it every day.

By springtime, we knew we couldn’t be apart any longer. After talking it over with him and asking Frannie’s advice, I made the decision to approach the older couple who owned the Main Street Bakery and offer to buy them out. They were thrilled with the idea, since they’d been wanting to retire to Florida for years and just needed the push to do it.

I’d moved in with Griffin in May, and I’d never been happier. Glancing over at him as we drove to the shop, I felt a rush of affection and gratitude. I reached out and took his hand.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing. I’m just in love with you.”

He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it. “I love you too.”

“You must, since you agreed to this photo shoot. I know you hate being the center of attention.”

“Well, you said it would be good for business. After what you did for mine, how could I refuse?”

I smiled. Griffin had invested