The Gingerbread Bakery (Dream Harbor, #5)

by Laurie Gilmore

Her voice was enough to send his heart racing. He’d waited so long to hear it again. Too long. He'd been a damn coward for too long. As much as he’d loved his years on the road, he never should have waited this long to talk to her, to apologize. At first, he thought it was best to try and forget her, to put distance between them so they could both move on. And then years had gone by, and he hadn’t known what to say or how to say it. He got the feeling she avoided him whenever he was back in town, and he convinced himself it was better that way. But he knew this: no matter where he had gone or who he’d been with, he’d never been able to shake his feelings for Annie.

‘I guess it meant more to you than it did to me,’ she said, her words cutting him to the bone. A small part of him was glad. If she had welcomed him with open arms, he wouldn’t have trusted it. ‘You don’t mean that, Annabelle.’ ‘Don’t fucking call me that.’ ‘Sorry.’ She stared at him from across the counter. Those same blue eyes that had once looked at him so lovingly were staring daggers. ‘Look,’ she said, ‘I’ve already forgotten about what happened between us and I don't need you coming here to my town and dredging it all back up again. So, as far as anyone’s concerned, I don’t like you, Macaulay Sullivan. I never have and I never will.’

The Annie he’d known all those years ago was gone. This Annie wasn’t his anymore. This was the Annie he’d hurt. Now he had to figure out how to live in the same town as her and not lose his mind pining after her. Because while Annie wasn’t his anymore, he would always be hers.

‘Love is a funny thing,’ the mayor went on. ‘It's not always big or loud or over the top. Most of the time, it’s quiet and unassuming. It’s a shared cup of coffee on a rainy day or reading side by side together every night. It’s finding the person who gets you. The person who will have your back through it all.

‘Jeanie,’ he started again. ‘I tried not to like you.’ Mac shook his head. Dear God, that's a rough start. But Jeanie was smiling. So maybe not too rough. ‘I tried not to like you, but it was impossible because I actually like everything about you. I like how kind you are and how brave. I like how you move through the world looking for what brings you joy. ‘I never lived my life like that. But you bring me joy every day and I promise to try to do the same for you. I promise to love you with my whole heart. Forever.’

And maybe for the first time since he’d been back, since the first time Annie told him how much she loved this town, he finally got it. He finally understood how special this place was and how lucky he was to be here.

Mac was here in Dream Harbor again. He had set up his life here and he wanted her. All she had to do was say yes.

‘Thanks for letting me have a clean slate with you, and for being one of the first people to welcome me back to town. It’s funny how when we’re young we feel like we need to get far away from where we grew up, or at least some of us do, in order to find ourselves. And I did learn a lot about myself while I was gone. I lived in a lot of amazing places, and I met a lot of interesting people but, in the end, I missed home. I missed the people here. I missed this.’ His gaze landed back on Annie. She felt her skin flush. Had he really missed her the whole time he was gone?

‘I think your sister might be the death of me,’ he told her. ‘She is the most stubborn person I know, so good luck with that.’ ‘Yeah, I know that. I’ve been trying to get her to forgive me for years now.’ ‘And how's that going?’ ‘She’s dancing with another man, so not great.’

‘I know Annie thinks it’s some big secret that you two were together for a while there, but I knew, little sisters always know, and I know how upset she was when you left.’

Mac sighed. ‘I’m trying.’ ‘Good. Keep trying. And when it works it will be so worth it. You know her, Mac. She might be stubborn, but that stubbornness translates to loyalty when she loves you. That girl will go to hell and back for the people she loves.’

‘But I’m not a teenager anymore, Annie. I know what I want now.’ ‘And what’s that?’ Her voice was low and breathy and right beside his ear. She was close to him now, so close he could feel the rapid beat of her heart against his chest. ‘You.’ It was as simple as that. He'd been too scared to take what he wanted before. Too young, too unprepared. But not anymore. ‘I want you, Annie, and I don't care if you need to fuck me like you hate me but you're leaving here with me tonight.’

‘I can’t just leave,’ she said. ‘For once, put yourself first, Annabelle. What do you want to do.’ She pulled back a little, finding his gaze. Her eyes were a bright, beautiful blue as she studied him. She wanted to say yes. He could tell. But she was holding back again, not wanting to make another mistake with him. But this time wouldn’t be a mistake. He was sure of that, too. ‘What do you want?’ he asked again, holding his breath. Praying for the answer that got them the hell out of here. ‘You,’

‘I thought we’d start with a kiss,’ he said, and Annie realized that even with all their fooling around the past two days they hadn’t kissed. It had been over a decade since they had, and suddenly, she wanted that more than anything. She stared at Mac in the moonlight, caught in his gaze, waiting. But he didn’t make her wait long. His mouth was on hers before she could second-guess it. And once it was there it was like it had never left. Kissing Mac was the most natural thing she'd ever done.

He strode across the kitchen and took her face in his hands, dropping his mouth to hers before she could say another word, diving between her lips with his tongue, devouring her. Every little moan and whimper was his. Finally.

‘You're absolutely fucking gorgeous. You know that, right?’ he whispered against her ear. ‘Thanks for noticing.’ ‘I've always noticed.’

‘Go ahead, darling,’ he said. ‘Fuck me like you hate me.’ Annie shook her head and whispered, ‘But I don't hate you.’ She leaned down and kissed him slow and deep, her hips mimicking the motion and Mac was lost. Lost to the world. Lost to everything except this. Annie had found him again.

‘You weren’t wrong about me, Annie. I was in love with you. I wanted to come home to you, but I felt like too big of a loser to do it.’

‘No, I convinced my parents to retire once I did move home, but I came back for you. I saw you through that window and I knew I would never find everything I was looking for out there. Annie, I came back on the off chance that I could convince you to give us another try. I never stopped loving you. I still haven’t.’ He came back for her. He loved her. He still did. Hearing those words did exactly what she was afraid they would. They cracked Annie wide open. She took his face in her hands and kissed him with everything she had

‘I love you, Mac Sullivan,’ she said and when he looked at her his smile lit up the room.

‘Annabelle Andrews, will you be my girlfriend?’ She tipped her head like she was thinking about it. Mac growled her name again and she threw her head back and laughed. ‘Okay, yes, I will be your girlfriend.’

‘I think maybe it’s better it worked out this way,’ Mac said, stealing a piece of chicken for himself. Annie raised an eyebrow. ‘Really? You think it’s better that we wasted all this time hating each other?’ ‘I never hated you, Annie.’

‘The way I remember it, I did apologize, and you told me to get the fuck out of your store.’ ‘Oh, right. That’s what happened. Sorry about that.’ Mac crawled across the bed toward her. And kissed her lips. Because he could. ‘You're forgiven.’ She smiled. ‘So are you.’

‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Current biggest fear?’ Annie rolled to face him. ‘Probably the way the town is going to react to this little development.’

‘You’re free? To stay in bed all day with me tomorrow?’ ‘Why is that such a surprise?’ ‘You’re never free. I don’t believe that you don't have a to-do list a mile long for tomorrow.’ Annie shrugged, looking relaxed and happy. ‘Maybe I got rid of it.’ ‘That’s the sexiest thing you’ve ever said.’

‘So, what do you think of me now?’ he asked. Annie was looking at him again, her expression tender. ‘I think you’re my person. I think you're someone I can trust and love. And I think you look really freaking cute with kittens piled on top of you.’

He wrapped an arm around her and tugged her close, right where he planned to keep her from now on. ‘So,’ she said, snuggling in tight, her hands over his heart. ‘What do you think of me now?’ That was an easy one. ‘I think you’re the love of my life.’

Conveniently, their new relationship simply hadn’t come up in the outside world. But all that ended today. It was Christmas morning, and they were headed to Logan’s farm for Estelle’s annual Christmas open house this afternoon. And then everyone would finally know Annie’s deep dark secret. She was in love with Mac Sullivan. She was only a little nervous.

‘It seemed like a good idea at the time,’ he said. ‘I thought about how you’re always making cookies for everyone else, so maybe I should make some for you. But it turns out cooking and baking are two very different skills. One I can do, and one I definitely can’t.’

Annie quickly handed him the gift before she chickened out. ‘A postcard?’ ‘I said it wasn’t much. I always felt bad that I didn't write back to you that time. You reached out and I ignored it. I regret it.’ Mac’s expression was tender as he turned over the postcard and read, ‘Dear Mac, sorry it took so long to write back. I hope you had an amazing journey but I’m so glad it brought you back to me. Love, Annie.’

‘Seriously?!’ she said. ‘None of you are going to comment on this?’ She lifted their linked hands between them. ‘Comment on what?’ Logan said, emerging from the kitchen. ‘On this,’ Annie said, still waving their hands around. ‘On me and Mac and … and us and we’re a thing now and everyone's acting like it's normal.’ ‘You’re a thing now?’ Logan said, narrowing his eyes, and for a second Mac thought he might actually be about to give some sort of if you ever hurt her best-friend lecture, but instead, he blew out a long sigh and said, ‘Oh, thank God.’

‘Mac!’ Jacob gasped, coming into the room. ‘Did you finally get your happily ever after?!’ A guy goes to one romantic fiction book-club meeting, and he never hears the end of it! But he wasn’t even mad about it. Jacob was right: second-chance romances just hit different. Mac grinned. ‘I sure did.’ And after eleven years he finally had a new favorite Christmas.