Kiss My Cupcake - Helena Hunting Page 0,109

just say?”

She gives me a serene smile. “Hmm?”

I poke her in the shoulder. “Since when do you and Lars gossip about what Ronan and I do behind closed doors?”

Her smile turns into a smirk. “You mean closed office doors, which happen to be right across the hall from the stockroom.”

I don’t get to grill her about it because there’s a knock on the door, but I make a mental note to give Lars hell for telling Daphne about the office incident. He was supposed to take that to the grave.

Daphne opens the door for my dad. “Care Blaire, you look gorgeous.” He pulls me in for a huge hug and for once I don’t hate that nickname. He holds me at arm’s length, eyes watery, a sad smile on his face. “You ready for this?”

“I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.” And it’s true. I can’t wait to marry Ronan, because then we can officially start our forever. I slip my arm through his. “You ready to walk me down the aisle and give me away?”

“Never, but I can see how much you two love each other, so I’m willing to put my own feelings aside on this one.” He winks and gives my arm a squeeze. “I don’t really feel like I have any words of wisdom to impart to you where marriage is concerned, all considering.”

I lean my head on his shoulder. “You taught me that love doesn’t always fit into a neat little box, and I’m a better person for it. Plus, normal families are boring.”

He chuckles and bends to kiss me on the cheek. “I’m glad he loves you enough to deal with the rest of us.”

“We’re kind of a package deal, aren’t we? Now let’s get out there so I can marry the one that I want.”

The wedding march starts—bagpipes, of course—and we walk down the short hall, turn left at the end of the bar and there’s Ronan.

His hand goes to his chest and he tips his chin up to the ceiling; his eyes fall closed for the briefest moment and he murmurs something that makes Gramps squeeze his arm. Of course he’s Ronan’s best man.

As I make my way down the aisle, past our family and friends and Tori and the camera crew, I feel like I’m falling backward through time, Alice traveling to Wonderland, to the moment when Henry and Dottie found their forever in exactly the same place, on exactly the same day, sixty-three years ago. History sometimes repeats itself in the most magical ways.

When I finally reach Ronan, my dad kisses me on the cheek and I take Ronan’s hand. He looks magnificent and happy and a tad nervous, and like he’s on the verge of tears. So am I.

“God, you’re beautiful.” He squeezes both of my hands. “You look like you were made for me.”

I squeeze back. “That’s because I am.”

And I know without a doubt that Ronan is mine. That we’ll stand beside each other through all the good times and the bad, that we’ll argue and cry and laugh and love.

He’s the icing to my cupcake. My happily forever after.

Acknowledgments

Hubs and kidlet; you are my rocks and I’m incredibly lucky to have your love and your support. Mom, Dad, and Mel, you’re amazing cheerleaders and I adore you.

Deb, you are always there to lift me up when I need it, to make fun of me when I’m being dramatic and ridiculous, and you never fail to celebrate my victories, no matter how small they are. You’re a once in a lifetime friend and I’m so lucky to have you.

Kimberly, I’m so grateful for your friendship and your incredible business brain. Thank you for being such a force to reckon with.

Sarah, I am beyond blessed to have you in my corner; you are the keeper of my sanity, and I adore you. Hustlers, thank you for being such an endless source of support and friendship.

Tijan, you’re such a warm hug and a gentle soul, thank you for being you.

Leigh, thank you for always being a voice of reason when the doubt kicks in.

Huge gratitude to Leah, Estelle, and my team at Forever for all the amazing ideas, support, and enthusiasm for each new project. I’m lucky to have such wonderful, innovative women to work with.

Sarah, Jenn, Hilary, Shan, and my team at Social Butterfly, you’re an amazing group of women and I adore you. Thank you for everything you do.

Sarah Musings, you create such gorgeous graphics, thank you for sharing your talent with me.

Gel, you are a graphic wizard, and I adore your creative mind and your out of the box thinking. Thank you for bringing my words to life.

Beavers, I’m so grateful for all of you. You are my safe space and the place I go to when I want to laugh and share my excitement.

I have so much love for the incredible women in this community who are my friends, colleagues, teachers, and cheerleaders: Deb and Katherine, Tijan, Marty, Karen, Teeny, Erika, Shalu, Kellie, Ruth, Kelly, Melanie, Leigh, Marnie, Julie, Lou, Laurie, Kathrine, Angela, Holiday’s. Thank you for being such influential people in my life. I’m so fortunate to have all of you.

To my readers, bloggers, and bookstagrammers: Thank you for loving books and believing in happily ever afters.

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About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting lives outside of Toronto with her amazing family and her two awesome cats, who think the best place to sleep is her keyboard. She writes all things romance—contemporary, romantic comedy, sports and angsty new adult. Helena loves to bake cupcakes, has been known to listen to a song on repeat 1,512 times while writing a book, and if she has to be away from her family, prefers to be in warm weather with her friends.

ALSO BY HELENA HUNTING

The Good Luck Charm

Meet Cute

PRAISE FOR MEET CUTE

“Perfect for fans of Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient. A fun and steamy love story with high stakes and plenty of emotion.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“[A] smartly plotted and perfectly executed rom-com with a spot-on sense of snarky wit and a generous helping of smoldering sexual chemistry.”

—Booklist

“If a ‘rom-com in book form’ is what you’re after this spring, you can’t go wrong with Meet Cute.”

—Bustle

“Meet Cute is entertaining, funny, and emotional.”

—Harlequin Junkie

“As charming as its title, but it’s also so much more…Fans of Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date and Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient will love Meet Cute.”

—The Washington Independent Review of Books

“Meet Cute is a novel where you will laugh and cry—sometimes, on the same page. It is a story of kindness and affection, sassiness and tenderness, where joy and sorrow are intermingled. You don’t want to miss this book.”

—Frolic

PRAISE FOR THE GOOD LUCK CHARM

“Fabulously fun! Lilah and Ethan’s second-chance romance charmed me from the first page to the swoon-worthy end.”

—Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling author

“The Good Luck Charm is an absolute delight.…Ms. Hunting crafted an entertaining and sexy story with a relatable cast of characters. Fans of Emma Chase, Christina Lauren, and Jaci Burton will love The Good Luck Charm.”

—Harlequin Junkie

“Hockey talk, more than one steamy scene, and a hero and heroine who have a genuine respect as well as a fiery passion for each other make this romance an all-around winner.”

—BookPage

“Writing with a deliciously sharp humor, Hunting shoots and scores in this exceptionally entertaining contemporary romance.”

—Booklist

“Hunting sparkles in this well-plotted contemporary.”

—Publishers Weekly