Tony laughs. “Or maybe she just likes pepperoni like her mama.”
I smile, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world ten times over. We're going to name her Angelina.
My husband places the last piece of pizza on my plate before I even have to ask for it. He knows me so well. Tony says his goodbyes and says he'll check on me tomorrow. He's worried about me going into labor and missing something, even though he lives fifteen minutes away.
Alone in the apartment with my husband, I sit with him as I polish off the rest of the pizza. It feels cozy, safe, and I know soon enough this will change, our circle of love will grow, and we will greet our little one — so I am savoring these moments with my husband as a family of two.
“I love you so damn much,” he tells me, kissing my cheek.
“And I love you too.” I melt into him, knowing we don't want a slice of heaven.
We want the whole dang pie.
And somehow, despite all odds, we have it.
Epilogue 2
Matteo
Five years later…
Mirabella is in the kitchen with Angelina, and I hear them giggling as I walk in the door. It was a long work week, and it feels good to be coming home to my girls.
“Daddy!” Angelina calls. “Come look!”
In the kitchen, my wife and daughter are wearing aprons, flour covering them, and there’s pizza crust on the cookie sheets. The crust is shaped into a heart, and it’s covered in red sauce and mozzarella.
“Look,” my little girl says. “It’s a heart. Mama says I have a pizza her heart. Do you too?”
I lift my little girl up in the air, smoothing her rosy cheeks. I set her down on the counter. “You have my whole heart, little one.”
She giggles adorably, and my heart goddamn melts. Mirabella gives our daughter a hand full of pepperoni. My wife has cut them into tiny hearts, too.
“Okay, this has to go on the menu,” I say, shaking my head. “It’s too perfect.”
“You think? Not too cheesy?” Mirabella asks, a sparkling in her chocolate-brown eyes.
“You know I love cheesy,” I say, pulling my wife in for a kiss.
Angelina is laughing as she places the heart-eroni on the pie. I wrap my arms around the love of my life, knowing I want more than a slice tonight. I am starving. And she knows just how I like it.
Later, with our daughter tucked into bed, I pull the jewelry box out of my jacket pocket and find Mirabella in our bedroom. She’s wearing a silky pink robe, her curly dark hair spilling down her back. I come up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist, breathing her in. I work a lot. Tony and I have grown our business to expand nationwide — just as Mirabella predicted. And so, when I’m home, I do everything I can to be completely present, not wanting to miss any more than I already do.
“Hey baby,” I say into her ear. She spins, facing me, and her mouth meets mine.
“Mmmhhmm, I missed that,” she says. “I missed you.”
“We’re both here now,” I say.
She licks her pink cherry lips, opening the bathrobe, letting me in. I run a hand over her naked body, lush and full, and so damn irresistible.
With my other hand, I offer her the box. “For me?” she asks. “What’s this for?”
“I saw it and knew it was made for you,” I tell her as she opens the box, revealing a yellow diamond and ruby-encrusted pendant on a gold chain.
She giggles. “This is the most expensive piece of pizza I think I’ve ever seen.”
I laugh, sweeping her hair to the side and clasping the chain around her delicate neck. The piece of pizza hangs over her heart.
“What do you think?” I ask.
“I think we just took cheesy to a whole new level,” she says. “Now come here and let me melt into you.”
I pick up my wife, holding her in my arms, carrying her to the bed. Ready to devour her, head to toe.
Muffin Compares To You
The Way To A Man’s Heart Book 2
Frankie Love
I order a blueberry muffin to go… but when I see Jessa, the baker behind the counter, I don’t want to go anywhere.
I want to stay. Forever.
But this red-headed bombshell is a tough nut to crack.
She has walls up to protect herself but I know I’m the man to make this cookie crumble.
It’s time to convince her that I can be this Muffin’s man.
Dear Reader,
This better than a baker’s dozen! It’s the perfect 1-hour coffee break.
Josh and Jessa are ready to take a big ole bite outta love!
It’s got an extra spoonful of sugar… are you ready for a super sweet treat?
xo, frankie
Chapter One
Josh
Pulling on my charcoal grey suit coat, I head out of my corner office, in desperate need of a mid-morning pick-me-up. I wave to my secretary Kourtney as I pass her but she doesn’t notice. She’s on her phone, lips pressed together in concentration. I can’t help but tease her.
“Found someone with potential yet?” I call out.
She groans, lifting her chin. “I wish, Josh.” Kourtney’s on the perpetual hunt for the perfect man… yet in the year I’ve known her, she hasn’t actually gone out with anyone. I wonder sometimes if she started looking up, instead of down, would she see what she’s looking for?
Not that I’m one to talk. I haven’t been out in ages myself. I haven’t met a woman who sparked my interest… who seemed different. Who seemed like she might match me. I’m not picky, exactly. I just don’t want a woman shaped from a cookie cutter. I’d much rather have a muffin top.
I tell Kourtney I’ll be back in twenty and then I leave the office building and head down the busy sidewalk. I recently read about a new bakery in the neighborhood, and I have a terrible sweet tooth. It’s the reason I work out with my buddies so damn much.
The signage for Treat Yourself is blue and pink and as I open the front door, I am overwhelmed with the delicious scent of fresh-baked muffins. Next thing I notice is the very long line, customers who are looking at their watches or phones, annoyed. Not an employee in sight.
“Hello?” one of the customers in line calls out. “Anyone working here?”
There’s the clashing sound of metal pans hitting the floor, a yelp and then a moan. A second later, a petite red-headed woman rushes through the back room and into the shop, a look of irritation written on her face.
“Hey, no reason to panic. I’m here,” she says in an unapologetic tone.
“I’ve been waiting for five minutes,” a large man says, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses. “This is unacceptable.”
A woman with a frizzy perm and a pearl necklace nods. “Considering this is a new business, I’d think you would treat the customers better.”
The curvy woman behind the counter smirks. “You’d think, right?”
The pearl-clutcher doesn’t like that response. “I can take my business elsewhere.”