would never forget. Seeing him standing in front of me was a shock. The boy I had loved had grown into a man who was a stranger—yet the moment he breathed my name, he became Linc again. He had lost his gangly, awkward gait and the boyish shape to his face. His stride and movements were confident and sure, his face all sharp angles, his jaw covered with scruff, no matter how closely he shaved in the morning. But it was his eyes. His eyes still looked at me the same way, with fierce devotion and fire. As in the past, I could sense when he was close. And when he pulled me into his arms and kissed me, it was as if I had finally come home.
All the years we were apart, a piece of me was missing. I learned to smile and pretend, to hide my pain away so nobody saw it. To act as if what we had shared had been a teenage love, when in fact, it was so much more. I knew I would carry it with me for the rest of my life. Carry him in my heart. I had tried to get over him, date other men—but it never worked. The closer they wanted to get, the more I pulled away. It was as if my heart refused to let him go.
And now he was here.
“Hey.” His voice broke through my musings.
I startled. “Hi?”
He smiled, lifting our entwined fingers to run his knuckles over my cheek. “You okay, Sunny-girl? You’re awfully quiet.”
“Just thinking.”
“Are you worried about the bakery?”
“No, I know Shannon, Mack, and Lori will take good care of it. I’m only a call away, if needed. Now that the rush of the weekend is over, they can handle it.” I smiled as I thought about the busy weekend and how Linc and Abby had pitched in to help. “You were awesome. So was Abby. That girl has some serious baking skills.”
He checked over his shoulder, then changed lanes. “I know. She kept that hidden all these years. I’m not sure why.”
“I told you—it was something personal. She told me she would bake and take whatever she made to a shelter or her neighbors,” I explained. “It was something she did just for herself. She wanted to be a strong woman in your eyes,” I reiterated.
“She is. She always will be—I know what she went through. I think she is incredible.” Linc smirked. “And it seems I am not the only one who does.”
I squeezed his hand. “Michael is a good guy. He’d treat her well. Isn’t that what you want?”
“Of course. It’s just that he lives in Mission Cove, and she lives in Toronto. Long-distance relationships are hard. And her lifestyle is very different.”
“It’s the same for us, Linc,” I reminded him, my heart in my throat.
“No. We’re different.”
I had to say it. “Linc, I have no desire to live in Toronto.” I indicated the huge city we were engulfed in, the traffic flow heavy around us, and the crowds of people. “I don’t like big cities.”
“We’ll work it out, Sunny. All of it. My business is transportable. And despite my wealth, I don’t think we’re that different. I’m still Linc under my fancy suit.”
“A suit you look hot in,” I teased, making him grin. Then I became serious again.
“I love Mission Cove. Despite our past, despite everything, it’s still home to me. I don’t think you feel the same way.”
He glanced my way with a frown. “Where you are is home, Sunny. You always have been, and you are that again. I was lost for years without you.”
“I felt the same way.”
“You’re my compass, Sunny. My true north. I swear, we’ll figure it out.”
His words warmed my heart. He was so serious and confident. Certain we would work things out. I wanted to believe him, to trust that he wanted this as much as I did. I smiled at him, letting the subject drop for now. I covered my mouth as a yawn escaped.
“We’re almost there.” He chuckled. “I’m going to take you to my house. You can have a nap while I’m at my meeting, then we have the rest of the day together. I’ve made dinner reservations for tonight, and I have tickets to a show.”
“That sounds wonderful. I hope the dress I brought is okay.”
“You’ll be beautiful.”
I felt my cheeks warm at his sincerity. “I think you’re biased,” I mumbled as we pulled into a quieter neighborhood. The