登入Chapter 31The block party invitation was still on our coffee table the next morning, and Lily was using it as a coaster for her hot chocolate even though I told her that it was important paper. She said that important paper could be a coaster if you were careful, and Rook said that she learned that from him, and I told him that he was a bad influence.Rook laughed and said that he was a good influence now because he was almost a husband, and Lily said that almost husbands still left their socks on the floor. I told her that almost husbands did leave their socks on the floor and that husbands did too, and Rook said that he would work on the socks if I would work on leaving flour on the counter, and I told him that flour on the counter was art.We spent the whole week painting the little shop on Maple Street, and my mom came every day with babka and advice, and Mrs Kowalski came every day with chicken soup and opinions, and Tara came every day with coffee and gossip. Rook painted one w
Chapter 30The shop door bell jingled again, and Lily stood in the doorway wearing her pink backpack and her new white sneakers with hearts, and Mrs Kowalski stood behind her holding her hand. I was still holding Rook's letter, and Rook was still down on one knee with the little box open, and Lily looked at us and said that she knew what Daddy was doing.Rook looked at Lily, and he said that you were supposed to be at school, and Lily said that Mrs Kowalski said that some things were more important than school and that this was one of them. Mrs Kowalski smiled and said that she told the school that Lily had a family emergency, and that this was a family emergency of the best kind.Lily walked into the shop, and she looked at the dusty floors and the big windows, and she said that this shop was pretty and that it would be prettier with cookies. She looked at Rook down on one knee, and she looked at me standing with the letter in my hand, and she said Daddy, are you asking Mara to marry
Chapter 29The text from the real estate agent was still glowing on Rook's phone, and Lily was still asleep in her room with her new sneakers by her bed and our family photo on her desk. I read the name Vanessa Cole twice because I thought I misread it, and then I handed the phone back to Rook and said that we should talk about it in the morning.Rook said that we should talk about it now because Vanessa did not get to ruin another good day, and I told him that she was not ruining anything and that a cash offer was just business. He said that it was not just business and that it was personal because Vanessa knew exactly what that little shop meant to me, and that she made the offer because she heard about it from Tara.I asked how Tara knew about the shop, and he said that Tara told everyone that he bought a bakery for his girlfriend because she was excited, and that Vanessa must have heard it at the arena. He said that he was sorry and that he should have kept it quiet, and I told hi
Chapter 28The email about the dress being ready was still glowing on my phone screen, and Rook was already half asleep with his hand in mine and Lily snoring softly between us. I told him that the boutique said my dress was ready and that there was a surprise from a secret admirer, and he opened one eye and said that he had no idea what I was talking about, but his smile said that he was lying.He said that secret admirers were mysterious and that I should go find out who it was, and I told him that I knew exactly who it was and that he was terrible at keeping secrets. He laughed and said that he was good at keeping secrets when they mattered, and that this secret was worth keeping until morning. I told him to go to sleep because we had to be at the courthouse at eight, and he said that he would sleep if I would sleep, and we both closed our eyes.Lily woke us up at six thirty by sitting up and saying that she was hungry and that she wanted pancakes, and Rook said that we were havi
Chapter 27The knock on my hotel room door was soft and careful, and Lily's small voice on the other side said it is me and that she could not sleep without the bear story. I opened the door fast because I thought she was alone, and she was not alone, and Rook was standing behind her in the hallway holding her pink backpack and looking tired and apologetic and hopeful all at once.Rook said that he was sorry for coming so late and that he tried everything to get her to stay in bed, but she had a bad dream and she asked for me and she cried until Mrs Kowalski told him to bring her over. He said that Mrs Kowalski said that it was better to bend a rule than to let a child cry all night, and I told him that Mrs Kowalski was always right and that he should listen to her. He smiled and said that he was learning to listen to the women in his life.Lily ran to me and hugged my legs, and she was wearing her pajamas with the little bunnies on them and her hair was messy from sleep. I knelt d
Chapter 26The garment bag was hanging in my hotel closet by the time I came downstairs, and the front desk woman smiled at me like she knew a secret. She said that a very nice older woman dropped it off an hour ago and that she paid for it to be steamed, and I knew immediately that it was my mom because only my mom would pay extra to have a dress steamed.I took the bag upstairs and hung it on the bathroom door, and I opened the zipper slowly because I was afraid to look. Inside was a dress, and it was not pink and sparkly like Lily would have picked, and it was deep blue like midnight, and it was soft and simple and it had thin straps. Underneath it was a note from my mom in her handwriting, and it said that she saw this dress in a window and thought of me, and that every girl needed a dress that made her feel beautiful, and that she loved me.I tried the dress on, and it fit perfectly, which meant that my mom must have called Mrs Kowalski to get my size, and I looked in the mirror
JAX POV The Morning Bean Cafe is not my kind of place. I know that before I even push open the door. The windows are large and welcoming, there's a chalkboard sign out front with a cute drawing of a coffee cup wearing a scarf, and everything inside is painted in warm, cheerful colors. There's a sh
MILA'S POV Three days.Three days since the iced coffee incident. Three days since Rick assigned me as Jax Kingston's personal babysitter. Three days since I watched that stupid gorgeous man walk away after calling me "007" like it was some kind of joke.And three days since he started ignoring my
JAX POV I'm more fired than anyone in the history of fired people.That's all I can think as my arm drops back to my side, the empty cup still in my hand, and I watch the iced coffee splatter across the Florida fan's stupid face.My next thought: it's going to be hard to wash coffee out of that ex
MILA'S POV I stick out my hand. "I'm Mila Santiago. I'm a junior agent on Rick Hernandez's team at Prime Sports. Rick had something come up, but I'm here to speak to you on his behalf." His grip is surprisingly firm. My fingers feel small and soft wrapped in his, and I try very hard not to notice







