20. Chapter 20

Chapter twenty

Astrid

“Oh my God, this is a lot of people,” I whisper to Willow as she helps me put the finishing touches on the display table for my cupcakes and cookies. The last twenty-four hours have been a blur, but what really has me on edge is the fact that I haven’t spoken to Penn all day and I have no idea if he’s still going to be here tonight like he said he would.

“I assure you, there are just a few under five hundred. You should have more than enough baked goods.”

“Well, I made extra just in case. It wasn’t easy with one mixer, but we managed.”

The technician couldn’t fix my mixer quickly, so I called everyone that I knew to bring in their hand mixers for me, and between me and my three employees, we managed to finish on schedule with just enough time to go home and get changed before leaving for the two-hour drive to Raleigh. I was a nervous wreck the entire trip, praying that I packed everything tightly enough in the back of my SUV and the other cars so that nothing would get ruined on the way here. And by some miracle, even through the rain, it all worked out .

“You’re a rockstar, Astrid.” Willow grips my shoulders. “You pulled this off and I had no doubt that you would.”

“At least someone believed that because it sure wasn’t me.” My eyes bounce around the room again, but I still don’t see the face I’m looking for. And at six foot five, Penn would be hard to miss.

“He’ll be here,” she whispers, squeezing my upper arms before releasing me.

“I don’t know, Willow. We haven’t talked since last night, and even that was a short text exchange. I have no idea what happened with him and Dick.” I shake my head. “What if it was too much for him?” I say, bringing my nail to my mouth to chew on.

Willow slaps my hand from my mouth. “None of that. Penn wouldn’t change his mind, Astrid. I’m sure there’s a reason why he’s late. He wouldn’t miss this. He wouldn’t let anyone down, especially you.”

“Yeah, I used to think so too before we became a couple and our entire relationship changed. I mean, he won’t text or call me back.” I stare down at my phone again, looking at the unanswered messages from the past few hours.

“Seriously? We are talking about the same Penn, right?” Willow rolls her eyes at me. “I’m going to let your momentary lapse in sanity slide since you’ve had a rough few days, but if you don’t chill out, I might just have to slap you around a bit.”

“I’m sorry. I hope we’re not interrupting something.” A deep voice I don’t recognize says from behind us, and as we both turn to the man standing before us in a completely black tuxedo, my eyes nearly pop out of my head at the sight of him.

“Just pretend like you didn’t hear me threatening one of my best friends, and everything will be fine,” Willow says through a grin, reaching out to shake the man’s hand. I’m still in awe over how mesmerizing he looks—his dirty blonde hair slicked back into place, the light green of his eyes, and then I see the stunning woman with jet black hair standing right beside him, her arm woven through his. “It’s good to see you, Wes.”

“Likewise, Willow. You look like small-town life has been treating you well.”

Willow beams and nods her head. “It has. And it looks like the Raleigh location has been treating you well.”

His grin is lethal. “Thanks to your help, of course.”

She winks at him. “Don’t forget it. And Shayla, you look just as gorgeous as ever.” Willow leans forward to kiss the woman on the cheek.

“Same to you, Willow.” Her eyes veer around the room. “And the event is already bringing in more donations than we could have dreamed of.”

“Well, that’s what we like to hear, isn’t it?” Willow pulls me forward now. “Wesley and Shayla Morgan, this is Astrid Cooper, the baker who is responsible for your dessert table this evening.”

Wes reaches out his hand to shake mine. “Pleasure to meet you. And thank you for venturing all this way to help us out this evening. Willow spoke very highly of your talent.”

For a moment, I forget how to form words. “Thank you. It’s an honor, truly.”

“These cupcakes look so beautiful that I’m almost afraid to eat them,” Shayla says through a laugh. “But don’t worry, I will. I never turn down sweets.?

I take them both closer to the table and gesture to the display. “Well, the ones on the right are the Ferrero Rocher inspired cupcake we discussed—vanilla cake, hazelnut filling, chocolate ganache, and chopped hazelnuts on the top. And the ones on the left are a strawberry cheesecake flavor—vanilla cake, strawberry filling, cream cheese frosting, and graham cracker dust on top. There’s also a layer of graham cracker crust on the bottom.”

“My mouth is literally watering right now,” Shayla says, wiping at the corners of her lips.

“And the cookies,” I continue, holding one up for them to see. “I wanted to bring attention to your hotel, of course. So I replicated your logo on a buttery shortbread cookie that is to die for, in my opinion.”

Wes nods his head, a pleased grin on his lips. “Looks just as amazing as you said they would. This set up is incredible and I’m sure it will be a talking point all evening.” Someone calls out to him from the other end of the room. He holds a finger up to them, and then turns back to me and Willow. “I hate to end our conversation, but duty calls.”

“No problem. We’ll be here all night,” Willow answers.

“Thank you again, Astrid, for taking the time to contribute to this evening. I hope you find the time and energy worth it.”

“My pleasure, Mr. Morgan. Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to such an important event.”

With a nod of his head, he leads his wife away and I let go of the breath I had been holding. “Holy shit. They are two of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen in real life.”

“I know, right? But honestly, they’re some of the most down to earth billionaires I’ve ever met. This benefit is very important to them personally.”

“How so?”

Willow motions for me to follow her as we slide up to one of the open bars and she grabs us each a glass of champagne. “Every year the money they raise from this event goes to building another Wings & Wheels facility, like the one Wes built for his younger brother back in their hometown of Santa Barbara. ”

“What does the facility do?”

“Offers care and assistance to family with children with disabilities. Wes’s half-brother is paralyzed from the waist down.”

“Oh God. I can’t imagine.”

“I know, but what they do through these facilities, Astrid…” She shakes her head, tears in her eyes. “It’s incredible.”

“Well, that makes me even happier to be a part of this event.”

She pulls me in for a hug. “And I’m so happy that you’re here.” When she releases me, she looks around the room. “I lost Dallas. Have you seen him?”

“No.” I start searching with her. “But there are so many people in here, I’m not sure how you’ll begin to find him.”

“Maybe I’ll just wait for him to find me.” With a wink, she says, “Will you be okay if I go mingle for a bit?”

I push her away. “Of course. Go. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“You did good, friend,” she tells me, blowing me a kiss. “I’m so damn proud of you.”

Watching her walk away gives me a moment to breathe, but then my anxiety builds again as I navigate back to my display table. Luckily, there are two servers guarding my cupcakes, making sure no one samples the desserts until after dinner is served. In a matter of minutes, Wes takes the stage at the front of the ballroom, giving his opening speech. The entire room is transfixed on him at the stage, speaking so poignantly about the families that the Wings & Wheels facilities have been able to help this year. But as he holds everyone else captive, my attention is everywhere else.

I’m looking at every entrance, every hallway, every window, looking to see the man I’m waiting for. With each passing minute, I grow more disappointed, wondering how I could have read the situation so wrong.

I thought opening up to him was the right thing to do. He wanted to know the truth, so I gave it to him. But what if it was too much?

Or, what if it was too little too late and I should have been honest from the start?

What if he thought I was too critical of Brandon and he doesn’t want to be on the receiving end of that?

What if he decided that I come with too much baggage?

What if all the gossip around town made him question if a relationship with me is worth the headache?

By the time dinner is served and people are starting to mill around again, the servers tell me that it’s time to serve dessert. Nodding in agreement, I stand back and watch elegantly dressed people moan and devour my creations. Within minutes, I’m bombarded with questions, business cards go flying out of my hands, and I have events booked for the next few months.

But as excited as I am with how the night has gone and how promising the future looks, I can’t stop looking for the one person I want to celebrate with.

And he’s not here.

In a room full of people, he’s the only one I want to see.

He’s my person, and he’s…

“Sorry I’m late, baby.” Cold hands cradle my face as I’m pulled from a conversation and Penn smashes his lips to mine, claiming me in front of all these people. His tongue dives into my mouth, swirling with my own and part of me should care. Part of me should question if this is professional.

But in this moment, I don’t have it in me to care. All I feel is overwhelming relief as his lips take control of mine, slowing down our kiss so that when we part, I’m only slightly breathless.

“Hi,” I squeak out as his hands still frame my face .

“Astrid, I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner. I’m so fucking sorry. I just…”

“Dude, you just mauled her in front of all of these people,” Dallas says from beside us and Willow grins with glee.

“Yes he did!” she squeals. “It’s about time you showed up!”

When Penn releases my face, he stands back and that’s when I see the turmoil in his eyes. “Is everything okay?”

“It is now. I had a day, Astrid—one that reminded me that life is messy. And then on the way here, an accident happened right in front of me. I almost was involved but managed to stop in time. But when I saw what happened, I had to stop and I’m glad that I did. It was a mom and her two kids, and I…” His hands tremble as he releases my jaw and pulls me into him.

“Hey, it’s okay.” I squeeze my arms around him as tightly as I can. “It’s okay.”

“Were they all right?” Willow asks.

Penn nods. “Yes. They got damn lucky. But I waited with them until the paramedics arrived. Then I got here as fast as I could because I didn’t want to miss this. I would have called but I lost my phone in my truck and didn’t want to waste time looking for it.” He turns back to me. “I couldn’t miss your night.”

This man. His heart knows no bounds. His desire to be there for others has no limit.

I love him .

I pull him back down to me and kiss him again. I hear murmurs beside us, but I don’t let up until I feel like I’ve told him everything he needs to know with that kiss. And then when we part, he looks to the side and notices our audience. Straightening his spine, he stands tall with his arm around my waist, and asks, “Is everyone enjoying the cupcakes? ”

Laughter rings out and more guests come up to talk to us. But I barely have to say a word now. Penn answers for me. He brags about my talent. He makes suggestions on what someone should order if they visit the bakery. He also drops Dallas’s restaurant in the mix, bragging about our small town that they should visit when the weather gets warmer.

“And Penn will have a few beautiful rentals available for your stay should you choose,” I add in. He glances at me with a lift of his brow. “I’ve seen the work he’s done and they’re stunning.” A lie, but I don’t have to see the house with my own eyes to know what kind of time and care Penn puts into his projects.

“There’s only one house right now,” he mutters in my ear.

“There may just be two sooner rather than later,” I mumble back.

As the conversation dies down and I give out my last business card, Penn grabs my hand and pulls me into a small alcove just outside the ballroom, granting us some privacy.

“You are so incredible,” he says, dipping his lips down to mine again, kissing me like he needs me like oxygen.

“I wasn’t sure if you were going to show up tonight,” I admit on a shaky breath.

He rears back and looks at me confused. “What?”

Fidgeting with the lapels of his jacket, I stare at where my hands are and not into his eyes. “I don’t know. I thought maybe the other night was too much for you, that you didn’t want…”

He stops me with a press of his finger to my lips. “Don’t you dare fucking finish that sentence.” Trailing a finger down the side of my face, the corner of his mouth lifts as he speaks again. “I made the mistake of not telling what I was thinking after your revelation, but I’m not going to make that mistake again. And honestly, I needed some time to process.” He takes a deep breath and says, “I’m sorry that Brandon was not the husband you deserve. I’m sorry that I have been making myself sick with guilt for wanting you when you weren’t really his anymore to begin with. And I’m sorry that I couldn’t tell you this that night, but I’m telling you now.” He bends his knees so our eyes are in line. “I promise to be the man you fucking deserve, Astrid. I love you, and I want a life with you, and that means a life that we both want. I want us to be a team because that’s what we both need—a person we can count on to be there through the highs and lows, a person that will fight for us until the end of time.”

Emotion overwhelms me. “I need you in my life so much that it scares me, Penn. You’re the only person who has ever really seen me and values who I am.” Shaking my head, I continue. “When you marry someone, people fail to realize you’re vowing to love every version of that person—who they were before you, who they are when you say your vows, and who they will become. Brandon and I grew apart, plain and simple. We grew into two different people, and he wasn’t the person I wanted a future with anymore. But now, I want that chance with you.” His smile grows. “I want to love the friend you were before, the man you are right now, and the partner you will become. I’m in love with you, Penn, and I’m all in. I want to tell and show the world that you’re mine.”

“It’s about fucking time,” he grates out, and our smiles mirror one another’s.

“I’m sorry that it took me so long to get here.”

“I’d wait ten lifetimes if they led me to you, Astrid. You are my person, and I wouldn’t trade how we ended up here for anything.”

A tear slips from my eye. “I love you,” I whisper.

“I love you more,” he says before our mouths connect again.

And in the alcove of a hotel, Penn and I find ourselves on the very same page at the very same time, ready to write the rest of our story together.