Undone by Her Tender Touch (Pregnancy & Passion #4)(21)

“I’m sorry,” she said again. “I’m no good at this. You don’t deserve the way I’ve treated you, Cam. I’m so sorry.”

He gently pulled away and put a finger to her lips. His eyes were soft and so focused on her that she shivered. “How about we just make a pact going forward,” he said gruffly. “Don’t leave me out of the loop and stop avoiding me.”

She nodded, and settled back into his arms.

He stroked her shoulders in a soothing pattern and then said close to her ear, “I’ve got a surprise for you that I think will alleviate some of this stress you’ve placed yourself under.”

She pulled away, hating to leave that comforting haven, but she wanted to know what the heck he was talking about. He must have seen the obvious question in her eyes because he shook his head.

“We’ll be there soon. It isn’t far from your apartment.”

With that cryptic remark, he closed his mouth and settled back against the seat. He pulled her into his side and directed his gaze out his window as they navigated through traffic.

Just a few more blocks up, the driver slowed and pulled to the curb in front of an upscale cluster of retail businesses. Cam opened his door, stepped into the cold and then reached back for Pippa’s hand to help her out.

As soon as she stepped onto the pavement, her gaze went to the shop on the corner of the busy intersection. Her mouth fell open as she saw the sassy storefront sign.

Pippa’s Place. Catering Done Your Way.

It was sort of perfect. Hot pink. Flashy. Contemporary. And girlie! It fit her to a T.

She dropped his hand and surged forward to stare into the window. The inside was immaculate. Already set up with a seating area to the left and a large counter with a display for all the yummy things she’d fill it with. There were two registers at each end of the counter.

“Holy crap, Cam, what have you done?”

She whirled around to see him standing there, a smug smile of satisfaction on his face.

“Would you like to go in and see if the rest meets with your approval?”

He held up the keys, dangling them in front of her like the proverbial carrot before the donkey.

“Oh, my God, yes!”

She snatched the keys from him and hurried to unlock the door. She nearly squeaked her delight when a bell above the door jingled, signaling her entrance.

The inside was beautiful. The walls had even been decorated with pictures of cupcakes. Cupcakes everywhere. How could he have possibly known what suited her so well?

“Ashley helped,” Cam said, as if reading her mind.

“I can’t believe you did this,” she whispered.

He gestured toward the doorway to the back. “Better go check out your kitchen and see if it passes inspection.”

She let her hand slide along the countertop as she rounded the end. She could so see herself inside this place. Could practically smell the mouthwatering delicacies she’d prepare.

She burst into the kitchen and came to an abrupt halt as she took in the perfection before her.

Lining the surfaces of the countertops were rows and rows of top-of-the-line appliances. There were multiple stainless-steel ovens, two huge refrigerators and a huge freezer in the back.

Everything she could possibly want or need was right here. In her kitchen. In her shop.

Her knees wobbled. The practical part of her knew she should refuse all of it. She couldn’t afford any of it. She shuddered to even think of what the lease cost. She hadn’t even inquired about this property because she knew it was out of her reach.

The other part of her chafed at refusing such a generous gift. Cam had put a lot of time and effort into giving her the perfect place to work. She would be the biggest bitch in the world if she threw it back in his face.

“Do you like it?”

Her chest caved in at the thread of insecurity in his voice. There was no way she was refusing his gesture. No way she’d put them solidly back to square one again. If he was so willing to try, then she’d damn well do the same.

“Like it?” she choked out. “Oh, my God, Cam, I love it!”

For the second time, she threw herself into his arms and hugged him with all her strength. He took a step back to steady himself and laughed as she wrapped herself around him.

She closed her eyes as relief poured through her. This was the answer to all her problems. She could start work immediately, or at least as soon as she got all the red tape taken care of. But permits and the like were the easy part.

“I’ll make this a success,” she said fiercely. “I won’t let your investment go to waste.”

Carefully, he extricated himself from her hold and then palmed her shoulders as he stared into her eyes.

“This isn’t a damn investment. It’s a gift. I’ve prepaid the rent for two years. Plenty of time for you to get on your feet and start realizing a profit.”

“I can’t believe you did this for me,” she said quietly. “After the way I’ve been acting. I don’t know how to thank you. You can’t possibly know how much stress this takes off me.”

He sent her an admonishing look. “This gift does come with strings. You’ll give me two promises. One, you’ll stop avoiding me so we can work together on the issue of your pregnancy. Two, you’ll hire enough employees that you won’t be spreading yourself too thin.”