Best of My Love (Fool's Gold, #20)(58)

Tears filled her eyes. She willed them away, but they fell. Aidan pulled her close and wrapped his strong arms around her.

He didn’t say a thing. There were no promises that everything would be okay. She liked that. She liked his strength and that he didn’t seem to mind her getting his shirt wet.

She tried to process what she’d finally figured out. She felt lighter and a little sick to her stomach. Men like her dad were easy to avoid, she thought. Brutes rarely wore a disguise. But her mother was different.

“I still love her,” she whispered. “How sick is that?”

He drew back and cupped her face again. “You’re not sick. You’re incredibly strong. Look at all you’ve been through, yet here you are. Happy, successful. Most people would never have figured out there was a problem, let alone done something about it. You came up with a plan to get better. You roped me into it. You’re one of the most impressive people I’ve ever known, Shelby. I’m honored to be in your life.”

His words settled over her like a blessing. She took them in and let them fill the broken bits of her. Healing would take time—it always did. But she’d made a start. A good one.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

He kissed her forehead. “You’re welcome. Better?”

She nodded.

“Good. Because in a couple of hours, we’ll have pie.”

She laughed.

He lowered his hands and took a step away. Without thinking, she grabbed the front of his shirt to hold him in place. His dark gaze settled on her face.

She read the questions there. He wanted to know if she was okay. If she needed more from him. Because he would give it.

He was a good man. Next to her brother, he was the best man she knew. She liked him. She liked being with him.

“Let’s make love.”

Aidan swore and retreated to the far side of the kitchen. “Dammit, Shelby.”

“I mean it. I’m not playing. It will be great.”

He sucked in a breath. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but no. We’re not screwing this up with sex. This is the best relationship I’ve ever had with a woman. I care about you. I’m not going to let some random hookup change that.”

Interesting how she felt disappointment but not rejection. Maybe because she knew he wanted her. And while his determination to do the right thing was annoying, it was also pretty darned wonderful.

“It wouldn’t be a random hookup.”

“You know what I mean.”

He looked frustrated and desperate and on the verge of bolting. The timer dinged.

The relief on his face was nearly comical. He hurried to the stove and pulled out the pie crust.

“Oh, look. It’s done.” He pull it on the cooling rack, then turned to her. “We can’t.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I won’t ask again.”

“Like I believe that.” He swore. “You’re killing me. You know that, right? Because saying no is the right thing and I want to and I won’t.” He groaned. “I really am a woman.”

She laughed. “You’re not. You’re wonderful. This is the best relationship I’ve ever had, too. I really am sorry.”

“That you asked or that we’re not doing it?”

“Both.”





CHAPTER FOURTEEN

SHELBY WALKED THROUGH the vacant property next door to the bakery. She knew nothing about construction, but she wasn’t about to let that stop her from dreaming. Assuming it was possible to break through at least part of the wall between the two storefronts, she could have easy access front and back, with the ability to close it off. So a tea shop in front and a bigger kitchen in the back.

Adding a professional kitchen would be expensive and time-consuming. She’d been doing some research online and the prices had nearly made her faint. But if she was going to go for it, now seemed like the time. The space was there. If she didn’t rent it, someone else would.

The advantage for her was that she could help design the new kitchen. She could put in extra ovens to increase her capacity on the bakery side.

She alternated between excited and terrified. Both emotions were probably normal, considering what she was doing. Talk about a huge leap into the unknown. But not doing it wasn’t an option. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life wondering “what if?”

She carefully locked up behind her and put the key in her pocket. Josh Golden had agreed to give her forty-eight hours to make up her mind. She was going to have to let him know by this time tomorrow. Not that she would need that long. She already knew what she was going to do.

She returned to the bakery. Eddie Carberry stood by the counter.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Eddie announced. “She wouldn’t tell me where you were.”

The clerk behind the counter smiled apologetically. “I offered to take a message.”

“You’re fine,” Shelby assured her. “What can I do for you, Eddie?”

“I want custom cookies for my bowling league. Let’s go in your office and talk about them.”

Shelby generally had those kind of meetings up front, in the small eating area. But Eddie seemed resolved. It was kind of surprising how a woman in a lime-green tracksuit could radiate determination, but Eddie did.