Chapter 32

32

DAPHNE

M y mom, Eric, and I went to visit Jake, Rachel, and Elizabeth just as soon as we got the text saying that they were at home and settled. I smiled when Jake opened the door for us. "Hey, Daddy. Congratulations again."

"Thanks." He let us in. "She's in our room. You can go ahead."

I let out a soft squeal, rushing around him to find my friend and her baby in the bedroom.

"Hello, you guys," I cooed gently, striding around the bed to sit down by Rachel's feet. "How are we doing?"

"We're so good," she replied quietly, looking like the very picture of serenity where she sat in the center of their bed, her back against their padded headboard and her blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail.

She cradled Elizabeth against her chest, only the baby's little face sticking out with the way she was swaddled. Rachel smiled at her before lifting her gaze to mine. "I can't believe she's ours."

"I'm still struggling to process it too," I said, giving my friend a quick onceover for any signs of stress or panic, but I didn't find anything.

Once Jake had finally arrived, the birth had gone exactly according to their birth plan, right down to the playlist Rachel had meticulously put together. She hadn't put on any makeup, but she looked gorgeous all the same, her blue eyes bright and happy, and her cheeks slightly flushed.

I leaned in a little closer, grinning at the tiny, sleeping little girl in her arms. She had Rachel's long eyelashes, but her dad's oval-shaped face. A tuft of dark hair sat on her head, little curls wisping out from underneath the fluffy pink beanie she was wearing.

"Are you sure Jake's the dad?" I joked. "Where did all that dark hair come from?"

Rachel giggled softly. "I'm not sure, but they've told me it won't last long. Apparently, she'll lose all this in time, so we'll have to see."

Before we could talk more, my mother came into the room, her fingers coming up to cover her mouth as she hovered in the doorway. Her eyes were smiling, her gaze locked on the baby in Rachel's arms.

"Congratulations, gorgeous girl. She's beautiful. Just like her parents. May I come in?"

"Of course," Rachel said immediately, patting the vacant space on the other side of the bed. "Lizzy would love to meet you."

Mom crossed the room immediately, making her way around the crib and various other bits of baby paraphernalia to come and join us on the bed. An open bag of diapers lay on the floor, Rachel's hospital suitcase still sitting in the corner.

All sorts of wipes and creams covered her nightstand, and there was a jug of water and a half-full glass there as well. As Mom sat down, she took it all in, then another smile spread on her lips. "Oh, how I miss these days. The nights really are long, but the years are so short."

Rachel returned her soft smile. "I've heard that. I guess we're about to find out."

"I'll let my mom dote on you for a while and bring you some fresh water," I said, standing up and taking the nearly empty jug to the kitchen with me.

Eric and Jake were in there, making coffee while they talked. I walked in at the exact part of the conversation I'd rather have missed. "… so involved the other night. I couldn't believe it when he walked into the diner."

"Yeah, man. I just called to find out if you were still at the bakery, but the next thing I knew, he was on his way out and insisting on covering the next towns while I searched around here. It felt a little like the old days, you know? When we were a team who would do anything for each other."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Jake said. "I always thought he was going to end up marrying Fiona and having a bunch of kids himself. Back in the day, my bet would've been that max five years after graduation, they would've been the first of us getting married. Just as soon as they would've been able to afford it after college."

Frankly, I'd thought the same thing, but it still didn't feel great hearing it from them. Especially not given recent events. Neither of them paid much attention to me as I refilled the jug.

Eric nodded his agreement with Jake's statement, chuckling as he thought it over. "I hated the thought of him being with her forever, because I figured that meant we were stuck with her too, but you're right. I thought the exact same thing."

"Well, I guess it might still happen," Jake said. "Fiona's in town for the reunion, so you never know. Maybe they'll rekindle that old flame."

Suddenly, there was an ache in my chest and I felt terrible. As soon as the jug was full, I took it back to Rachel's bedroom and begged off. "I have to get going. We just wanted to pop in to welcome you home and everything, but I'll see you soon, okay?"

My friend frowned slightly, as if she knew there was more to it, but then she glanced at my mother, not asking while she was in the room. "I'll call you later. Thanks for stopping by, Daph."

"I'll stay for a few more minutes," my mom said.

I nodded, smiling as I backed away. "I thought you might. See you later, Mom."

"See you, kiddo." She gave me a wave too, turning back to Rachel and Elizabeth as I left. I felt my friend staring after me, but then I heard her restarting her conversation with my mother.

Going back to the kitchen, I stuck my head in through the door and forced a smile. "Bye, guys. Enjoy yourselves."

"You're leaving already?" Jake asked, clearly surprised as his eyebrows lifted and a slight furrow appeared between his brows. "I thought you'd be staying until after dinner."

I chuckled. "Dinner is hours from now, but maybe next time."

Nodding as he strode toward me, he walked me to the door and I said goodbye again, but Eric rushed out after me, frowning deeply when he caught up to me at my truck. "Look, this is weird for me, but I'm just going to come out with it."

"Okay," I said slowly, dragging out the word. "What's going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know," he said, looking me right in the eyes. "Is there something happening between you and Sterling?"

"What?"

"You were pretty damn cozy at the hospital," he said, only half-joking. "It made me wonder if I'm missing something."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "It was the middle of the night. I don't even remember falling asleep on him."

Eric still seemed suspicious, though. His eyes were still darker than usual, his brow puckered as he stared right at me for another beat. "All the same, you'd tell me if there was something happening between you, right?"

I shook my head. "Probably not, but you're right. This is weird."

My phone beeped and I pulled it out of my coat pocket immediately, relieved to have an excuse to look away from him. The text turned out to be from June, and I smiled, glad that my excuse had offered me another excuse.

"Would you look at that?" I said, reaching for the door and climbing into my truck. "June says she's just gone to the bakery and it's ready to reopen. We need to get baking."

Eric blew out a frustrated breath, clearly not convinced yet that I was being honest, but he nodded, waving for me to go ahead. As he turned and went back inside, I decided to drive directly to the bakery.

I needed to clear my mind, and there was no better way I could think of to do it than to spend a few hours baking.

If I managed to bake from now until tonight, we'd be much better prepared for the start of the festival. As I drove out of town, I felt the unease that had crept up on me because of Eric and Jake's conversation melting away.

There was something about Northfield Farms—and the bakery in particular—that calmed me. I hadn't even arrived yet and already, it felt like someone had rubbed a soothing balm on my soul. I breathed in deep, relieved that the ache in my chest was subsiding.

There were no cars outside when I arrived, letting me know that June must've come and gone, but I didn't mind. In fact, I was glad to have the time alone and she'd taught me enough that I would be just fine prepping the basics on my own.

I surveyed the exterior of the building as I parked and climbed out of the truck, surprised that I couldn't find any signs of damage or change to the facade. It looked exactly the same as it always had, which was a theme that continued as I made my way inside.

Jake's crew had done an incredible job, and they'd gotten it done so fast that it made my head spin. They'd really rallied for Northfield Farms, and another surge of gratitude swept through me. It might've been years since the boys had been like brothers, but my God, Eric, Jake, and Sterling were proving beyond a doubt that all that old loyalty and love was still there.

Jake throwing himself into fixing the bakery like this for Sterling. Sterling heading out into a storm without hesitation to find his friend so he could be there for his daughter's birth. Eric going above and beyond to collect Jake's truck, working through the night to get it fixed.

Shaking my head at the impeccable work of Jake's crew as I made my way through the main area, I smiled and headed to the kitchen, switching on the lights and rolling up my sleeves. I was in for a long afternoon, but there was absolutely nothing I would rather be doing right then.

The minutes melted into hours as I laid out the ingredients, prepped, and started several bowls of doughs and batters. With the monotony of the work soothing me even more, I didn't even notice the sun had set until I heard someone come in the back door.

I grinned. "Hey, June! I was wondering how long you were going to stay away."

She didn't reply immediately, and when I turned, I saw it was because it wasn't her, but Sterling standing in the doorway. He was resting against it, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and his elbows locked.

His eyes were intently focused on me, a slight, thoughtful smile softening his features as he pushed away from the door. "Hey, Daph. Have you got a minute? I saw your car outside and I figured this might be a good time for us to talk."