“I will.”
“I think it’s gonna look sexy on you,” Jude says, leaning close and kissing me softly. “So conservative on the surface but underneath it, you’re this sexy, uninhibited lover. It’s an addictive combination. I can’t wait for it to heal so I can drag my tongue over it.”
I shake my head. “Just when I think you can’t get any sexier…”
Jude laughs, gazing up when Casper comes over. “That’s gonna look really cool,” Casper says.
“I think so,” I say, smiling.
“Next thing you know, I’ll have you in my piercing chair. A Prince Albert is always nice.”
My eyes widen. “Uh, one bold move at a time.”
Jude tsks, shaking his head. “You think I’m letting you take him out of commission when I’m still gorging myself on his body every day? I have a lot of lost time to make up for.”
My cheeks blush, not only because Jude’s appetite for sex is insatiable, but because he’s openly sharing part of his personal life with his coworkers.
“Fair,” Casper answers, laughing. “Luca and I are gonna run to the bakery for a snack.”
“Enjoy,” Jude says. As Casper walks off, Jude nuzzles my neck. “You ready.”
“Ready.”
Jude smiles. “For everything?”
I smile back, then plant a big kiss on his gorgeous mouth.
“For all of it.”
Epilogue
Jude
Two Years Later…
“Are you ready?” I call out from the kitchen. “Your eyes are closed, right?”
“Right. This better not be a puppy, Jude. You know we aren’t ready for that.”
“Hush. It’s not a puppy.” I peer around the corner to make sure his eyes are really closed. “Okay, keep them closed. Don’t ruin the surprise.”
Briar smiles, bouncing on his toes. “Come on, babe. I’m dying.”
“Don’t do that.” Exhaling, I lift my gift from the kitchen island and walk it out to my husband of two years.
Two years. I can't believe how the time has gone by. Being married and in love with Briar is the best and easiest thing I’ve done to date.
I stand directly in front of him in the living room, the sunset showing off behind him.
“Okay, sugar boo. Open your eyes.”
He does, looking at my face, then shifting his eyes down to what I’m holding. His eyes shift back up, and he looks slightly confused.
“You got me a cake?”
I laugh softly. “No, Briar. I made you a cake.”
His mouth falls open. “You made that?”
Nodding, I step closer. “Saint’s been giving me lessons when you weren’t looking.”
“You’re kidding?” He looks absolutely shocked.
“Nope. I thought about what I could give you as an anniversary gift. It’s just a cake today, but I wanted to learn things about what you do so I could, you know, help in the kitchen. Help around the shop.” I shrug. “I just wanted to do this.”
“You learned how to bake for me.” He nods, his face so full of emotion it warms my heart even more. “Just when I think my life can't get any better, and my husband can’t be any sexier, you do the sweetest thing in the world.” He steps forward, looking closely at my decorating skills. “It’s gorgeous, babe. Really beautiful.”
“Saint spent hours teaching me while you were out running errands or knee-deep in baking orders. He snuck me in and taught me what to do. It’s red velvet with a cream cheese frosting. Your favorite.”
“Of course it is.” Briar leans across the cake and kisses me. “My gift is a little less sweet than this one.”
“Show me.”
“Put the cake down.” I set it on the coffee table, then take Briar’s hand as he leads me to the bedroom. Our first anniversary was spent moving into our new home and celebrating with little moments, like me attacking my gorgeous man in every room of the house. I knew I wanted to do something more intimate for this one. Since we’re heading to the bedroom, it seems like Briar had the same idea. Just outside the door, he pauses. “Your turn to close your eyes.”
“Done.” I close my eyes and wait for him to lead me inside.
“Okay. Open your eyes.”
When I focus, my mouth falls open. “Oh my god. How did you do that?”
“Snagged your sketch pad, took a picture, found a place who could do it the way I wanted.”
“Wow.” I step closer. “It’s beautiful.”
“It really is.”
As Briar moves into my arms, I study the blown-up picture of my art on the wall across from our bed. It’s the drawing I did of his tattoo—two male hands joined, a peach rolling in the tall grass, a large tree providing needed shade. The words embedded on his flesh painted onto the tree.
“You can’t lose me,” I whisper in Briar’s ear. I had those words engraved on our wedding bands, but seeing it when we wake up is nice too.
Briar twists around, gazing into my eyes with a sweet smile. “Do you love it?”
“It means a lot to me. It’s the nicest gift anyone has ever given me except the day you gave me your heart.”
“And the cake is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me. Except for the first time you fucked me to within an inch of my life.”
I laugh. “We were being so romantic for a minute.”
“Hey, this is romantic too. It’s our way.”
I pull him close, kissing him hard, before pulling back enough to meet his eyes. “What do you say we grab the cake, gaze at our new picture, and then ruin some sheets?”
“I say, sounds like a damn good anniversary to me.”
Laughing softly, I nuzzle his neck drawing a sweet giggle from his lips.
“Happy anniversary. I love you, Briar.”
His eyes soften. “I love you too, Jude.”
“Good. You get naked. I’ll get the cake.”
“Don’t have to ask me twice.”
As I head back to get the cake, I can’t wipe the smile off my face. Somehow, our relationship seems to get better every day. Both of our businesses are thriving, our friends are amazing, and our love story kicked off a bunch of our friends finding their own happily ever after. To think I thought I would never find love. I never thought I would get married, and now I’m celebrating my second anniversary with the love of my life. We spend our time working on projects around the house, watching baking shows, and making love as much as possible. Nowadays, a wild night out means eating at a restaurant instead of cooking at home.
And as long as I’m with Briar, I’m good with that.