What's Life Without the Sprinkles - By Misty Simon Page 0,80

early, Claudia,” May confided. “I was still hoping you would get back together with my brother, but once I heard the sprinkles story and you told me about Nate being your cake, I knew it was going to work out for you. It’s one of the reasons I told Peter to back off before he took himself back to Ohio.”

“But, I…”

Zoe cut in. “That’s why Mom hasn’t been introducing you to any more of those supposedly eligible bachelors. She never meant for you to actually get involved with them, because she kept hoping you would see Nate differently.”

“So, you…”

“Conspiracy!” Zoe yelled. “I love conspiracies that work out right!”

May laughed, but Claudia gave Zoe the evil eye even as she smiled. “Just you wait until it’s your turn.”

“Eh, I’m not worried, and neither is May, since she’s already married.” Zoe shrugged. “I’m not falling, but it’s been such a pleasure watching you realize what was right in front of you from day one.”

“So, do we still have an emergency?’ May asked, rising from her chair. “Because I have a dress order that needs to be done this, and I have an ultrasound scheduled for this afternoon.”

“How exciting!” Zoe said, far overusing her limit of acceptable exclamation points for the day.

Claudia used one of her own. “Yes, we still have an emergency!”

“How do you figure?” Zoe asked, looking honestly perplexed. May joined her in the look, and they resembled a pair of bookends. Did they seriously not see how this would change her whole life and her plan? The potential hazards of not just cake but sprinkles? Of putting faith in the whole sprinkles thing? In her possibly moving toward marriage and a true shared relationship for the very first time in her entire life?

“I am scared shitless.”

That was all it took for both of the other women to crowd around her and say soothing things. But it was Zoe who finally stepped back and took Claudia’s chin in her hand. “You can do this. You have chosen the one man in the world that I trust your happiness to completely. Now don’t screw it up.”

She and May shoved her out of the office before she was ready and then continued on with the shoving, straight out the door. Once on the sidewalk, Claudia looked at Nate, really looked at him in profile as he was checking the measurement of a window.

His hands were solid and big; his heart was the same. He had been with her through everything, every milestone, every setback, every hurdle, every triumph. And she wanted him, heart, mind, and body, more than she had ever wanted anyone.

She strode purposefully over to him and tapped his shoulder. He turned toward her with a smile and a hello on his lips that she promptly took into her mouth.

This was no exploratory kiss, it wasn’t one that was testing or teasing. This was her pouring her soul into him, and him breathing his back into her.

****

Nate broke contact with Claudia, feeling as if his world had just spun off its axis, been jerked back, and now was turning the opposite way.

“I love you,” Claudia said before he could catch his breath. “I love you and I want everything. I want the cake, I want the icing, I want sprinkles and cake toppers, sugar flowers, plastic ribbon, those fake confection sugar things you can buy at the grocery store. I want all of you. And I want you to have all of me.”

“Claudia…”

But he was cut off by a shrill whistle from over his left shoulder. “All right, bro!” Logan called out from the ladder to the second floor. “Finally going to reel in the one you never actually fished for. Long damn time coming, man! But it should be that much better, right?”

Nate very deliberately went to the ladder and shook the bottom just enough to scare his younger brother.

“Okay, okay. Man,” he said, but he was smiling, and so was Claudia.

“I know I should have waited for tonight, or at least somewhere more private, but I wanted you to know as soon as I did. I love you. I’m hoping that was what you were going to say, back before your rude brother interrupted us.” She shook the ladder a little harder, hard enough for Logan to hold onto the window sill of the second floor, just in case.

Taking her hands in his, he looked into the eyes he had seen change time and time again, from flashing with