Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Instantly, I shake my head. No, if I was going to do it, this was the only way. Avery is all about doing for other people, and if I brought up this idea to her, she would have come up with something else we should spend our money on. She would have wanted to add to the girls’ college funds or something like that. No, a surprise was the only way to go about it.
I stand at the front of the unit and look around. It’s filled with the best ovens and baking equipment money can buy. For fifteen years, Avery has made her cupcakes and cookies as a side job. To this day, it’s something she loves doing. It was her dream to own her own shop. She never wanted to own a bakery, but she did want a bigger space so she could expand her catering business. And for years, she’s put it off. First, it was because we were in the early stages of parenthood, and the girls needed her at home. Then it was because the girls had practices and games that Avery didn’t want to miss. But now the girls are growing up and able to drive themselves places.
I fiddle with my hands. Fuck, I haven’t been this nervous since the day Avery and I got married. I was so worried she’d change her mind I didn’t give her a lot of time from the point where I asked her to marry me to the wedding.
My phone dings, and I look at it. Chloe, my oldest, sent me a text. “We’re almost there.” She did a whole line of excited emojis afterward, and I give it a thumbs-up before pocketing my phone.
I take one last look to make sure everything is perfect. Every bit of chrome and steel has been wiped clean and is sparkling. I step outside and try not to pace as I stare down the road, waiting for my daughter’s VW bug to pull onto the street.
As soon as I see it, my heart starts to race, and my palms get sweaty. Fuck, I hope she loves it.
Chloe parks the car, and Avery and Chloe jump out while Landry, our youngest, climbs out from the back.
“Hey, ladies,” I say as I pull my wife into my arms.
Avery’s arms go around my waist. “Hey, honey. I didn’t know you were meeting us for dinner.” She looks up and down the street. I was able to get her a location right off Main Street, and we’re close to everything. “Are we going to Red’s?”
I shrug. “We can go wherever you choose, but first, I have something I want to show you.”
She blinks up at me. “Okay.” When she sees the solemn look on my face, she looks around, and the excited looks on our daughters’ faces are giveaways that this is something more than just a dinner date. She moves closer to me. “What is it? What’s going on, and why does it seem everyone knows about it but me?”
I take a deep breath and let it out. “Okay, so I...”
My oldest interrupts. “We, Daddy. We...”
I shake my head. “Of course. We wanted to surprise you...”
Avery puts her hand at my waist. I suck in a breath at her touch. Even after all these years, I’m a sucker for her touch. “A surprise? Linc, you know how I am about surprises.”
I shake my head. Ever since the day she heard that woman on my answering phone claiming to be my wife, she’s hated any kind of surprise, and remembering that makes me even more worried about what I’ve done. “It’s a good one, I promise, but before I show you, I want you to know that this is something you used to always talk about. I hope I did the right thing, but I want you to know that if your dreams have changed at all, you don’t have to take this... I mean, we can do something else with it.”
She looks at me curiously, trying to figure out what I’m saying. “Okaaaay.”
I shake my head because obviously I’m not doing this right. “Look, let’s just show you.”
I point to the unit we’re standing in front of. Chloe has the door open, and Landry is already inside. I put an arm around Avery and walk her inside. She gasps when she sees it, her hand covering her mouth. Her hot pink logo is on the wall in front of us, and it stands out against the white paint.
She reaches for me, grabbing my shirt front. “Linc, what did you do?”
I pull her around the room. “Look, I know you never wanted to be tied down to a store, so it’s not a storefront, but you needed a bigger space to expand on catering. The ladies at Sugar Glaze are excited and ready to place orders for your macaroons.”