Sweet as Candy - Karla Doyle Page 0,86

hour’s drive, if you want to finish your degree before starting another job.”

“Wow.” And she’d thought her head was spinning before. She eased free of his embrace and moved to the bay window overlooking the backyard. Not too large, not too small, it had a tidy, family-sized patio, a swing set, and a garden. Picture perfect. So much so, she could perfectly picture the three of them in it. Laughing. Loving.

“Talk to me.” His voice slid into her ear as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“It’s a lot to take in.” She turned away from the idyllic vision of their future. “We just broke up. And…it was horrible.”

“And my fault.”

“Both of our faults,” she said, taking ownership of her part. “My heart was broken, Jake. I honestly didn’t expect to ever see you again. Now, you show up on my doorstep, not only wanting to get back together, you also want me to sort-of live with you in a house you’re planning to buy?”

“I’m only planning to buy it if you say yes to sharing it with me.” So calm. So matter-of-fact. Said like a man who was ready for everything he’d outlined.

“That’s a lot of pressure from a guy who didn’t want to pressure me too much.”

“You don’t have to decide now. It doesn’t have to be this house. It can be anywhere. Whenever you’re ready. I’ll wait for you, sweets. I promise you, I will wait.”

“Even if it means tossing away all your plans?”

“You’re the only part of my plan that matters. You and Macy.” He brought her hands to his mouth and pressed gentle kisses to her fingertips. “Before you, my only plan was to have no plans. You changed everything. I don’t care where we land or how long it takes to get there, I just want to keep moving forward, with you.”

Any excuses she made now would be just that—excuses saving her from possibly losing control. From losing part of herself to another person.

She’d already done that though. Whether she accepted his proposal or turned him away forever, he already had part of her heart. Only she hadn’t lost it to him, she’d given it to him. Freely. Happily. Without regret. She wasn’t weaker because of it, she was more complete than she’d ever been.

She slid her palms up his warm, solid chest, stopping briefly to feel the steady beat of his big heart before moving upward, to cup his handsome jawline. “I love you. Show me the rest of our house.”

“Yeah? We’re doing this?”

“We’re doing this.” She shrieked as he scooped her off the ground. “Oh my God, what are you doing?” she asked as he tore down the stairs with her in his arms.

“Doing this the right way.” He stepped out the front door, only to turn around and step back inside. “Welcome home, sweets.”

She didn’t need to see another inch of the house. She already knew she was going to love it here.

Epilogue

Jake

The preoccupation that’d clouded Candace’s face since yesterday afternoon lightened as they entered the butterfly room. She took a deep breath of the sweet, tropical air, smiling as she exhaled. “This is exactly what I needed today. Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” He dropped a quick, gentle kiss on her lips. Then one on Macy’s nose, currently pointed straight up as she watched. “Think we can get any blue Morphos to land on us today?”

Smiling, Macy bobbed her head. “They’re going to think we’re three big, yellow flowers.”

“I think so too.”

“I think you’ve been secretly planning this trip for a while,” Candace said, smoothing her hands across Macy’s shoulders, then his chest. “Even if the butterflies don’t love our matching t-shirts, I do. It was a very sweet idea.”

“Can I go straight to the waterfall, Mommy?” Macy asked, releasing Candace’s hand. Every day, she gained more independence. Spread her little wings a bit wider.

Under normal circumstances, he’d hang back on parent-related decisions if Candace was around. Not today. “Actually, kiddo, I need you to stay with us. Just for a few minutes. Then, if it’s okay with your mom, you can walk ahead of us on the path.” Just like she’d do in the future, if everything went according to plan.

Candace didn’t question him. She believed in presenting a unified front around Macy, always. Any discussions to the contrary happened in private, though those had been few and far between since they moved in together. Minor stuff, like when to flex on the bedtime schedule, or what was a reasonable