Chapter 31

chapter thirty-one

Addie

"Baby… your phone is ringing," Grant calls from the kitchen. "Want me to answer it?"

"Yes, please. I'm coming," I call back, closing my sketchbook and rising from the comfy chair that's tucked into the corner of our living room. It's become one of my favorite places to sketch, and I've found myself in this very spot more often than not since… that night.

It's been almost a week, and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what happened.

It still doesn't even feel real. Even though the flames are burned into my memory and plague all of my nightmares.

Auggie follows me into the kitchen, undoubtedly so that he can beg his dad for a treat, and when I walk through the doorway, I see Grant leaning against the kitchen counter, nodding while he listens to whoever's on my phone.

His dark blue eyes shift to me when he sees me walk through, and he pulls the phone away from his mouth to whisper, "It's Investigator Bishop."

I nearly trip over Auggie as I rush forward to his side. Grant puts the phone on speaker and hands it to me.

"Hi, Investigator Bishop. Hi," I breathe, my gaze shooting to my husband as I wait anxiously. This is the call we've been waiting on since the night of the fire. Some type of update from the investigation.

The past week has been the worst kind of torture, moving so slowly that I wasn't sure I would make it through.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Bergeron," he says. "I'm calling to let you know that my team and I have finished our initial investigation and structural assessment of Ever After. While the damage is substantial, the property is not a total loss. Most of the fire was contained to the kitchen and storage areas, so the front part of the building has mostly only sustained smoke damage. I believe it can be restored and renovated to prior standing."

Oh my god. Oh… my… god.

The bakery is salvageable?

A sob escapes past my lips, and I nearly drop the phone as I reach for Grant when the floor feels like it's going to fall out from beneath my feet. His strong hands grasp my forearms, and he drags me into his chest, holding me tight against him as the sound of my soft cries fills the room.

I think… I think I'm in shock.

I was truly expecting the worst, the news that there would be no saving the bakery. That the place I loved was never going to return, and just the thought nearly gutted me.

I didn't want to imagine a world where it doesn't exist. Where every part of my mother was gone. I couldn't.

"Your insurance company will work with our agency to conduct a more detailed evaluation to determine the full extent of the damage, but as of now, we do know that restoration is an option," Investigator Bishop says.

I suck in a shaky breath against Grant's chest. "Th-thank you so much. For everything you've done."

"It's my pleasure, Mrs. Bergeron. I'm so glad that this is the news I could be calling with," he replies. "If you need anything in the meantime, please let me know, but we'll be in touch with the insurance company to get the ball rolling once we have the adjuster's information."

I thank him, and we exchange goodbyes, but as my finger hovers over the button to end the call, I stop.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Bishop, I do have one more question," I blurt before he can hang up.

"Of course."

"Am I allowed to go there? I just… I really want to see it for myself," I mumble quietly.

Grant pulls back to look at me, sweeping his thumb along my cheek in quiet reassurance.

After a brief pause, Investigator Bishop says, "You can. It's been cleared structurally, so while I wouldn't advise attempting to go in the dark, it's not unsafe to enter. There is a lot of smoke and soot residue, so please take proper precautions if you do."

As thankful as I am to know that it's not going anywhere, I still want to see it for myself. I'll feel better if I can see the damage. The last time I saw it, it was engulfed in flames, and I'm desperate to replace that image in my head.

"Thank you, again." I set the phone down on the counter next to me once we hang up and glance up at Grant. The hopeful, soft expression on his face is what causes the emotional well to spill over, fresh, hot tears wetting my cheeks and staining his T-shirt.

"I can't believe it," I whisper tearily. "I- I thought that… I would never see the bakery again. I thought the only piece I had left of my mom was gone."

Grant's fingers gently stroke my hair as he holds me against his chest. "I know, baby. But it's not. It's still here, and it's yours. No one can ever try to take it away from you again."

With Brent being arrested on felony arson charges, my attorney said he's no longer able to contest the will to try and retain ownership of the property. I couldn't even feel a sliver of relief in hearing that because I wasn't even sure if there was going to be a bakery. We had no idea the extent of the damage. Until now.

And now… the hope I've been clinging to is a reality.

"Do you think we could go right now?"

"Of course, baby. Are you sure that you can handle that right now? I just want to make sure you're going to be okay. It's been an emotional few days." The space between his brows is bunched in worry, and my heart swells.

This man always takes care of me. He always considers my feelings and wants to make sure that I'm okay, and it's unlike anything I've ever had.

I nod. "I feel like there's this weight lifted off my shoulders knowing that we can restore it. I know it'll probably take an incredible amount of work, and it won't be easy, but I feel like I need to assure myself that part of it is still there, even if seeing the damage is hard."

Grant looks deeply into my eyes, and apparently, he finds what he was searching for because he kisses me softly and gives me his trademark wink. "Okay, babe, let's go."

I keep reminding myself that no matter what I'm seeing right now, Ever After can be saved. That once the debris is gone, the walls have been repainted, and new equipment installed, it will look like the place that I have always known.

Maybe even better.

But seeing it the way it is right now is even harder than I anticipated. My chest feels hollow as I take in the sight of the kitchen in front of me.

The walls are scorched and charred, revealing the framework beneath the drywall. Most of the equipment has been destroyed and melted, leaving behind skeletons of metal. It feels eerily… empty with so much missing. The smell of smoke lingers in the air and clings to every surface, a constant reminder of what's occurred. Soot and ash blanket everything in a charcoal sheen.

I'm fisting my hands so tightly I can feel the skin of my nails as they cut into my palm, and I will myself to release them and try to take a calming breath.

It's fixable. No matter what, we can fix it.

I wish with all of my heart that this hadn't happened. That everything would still remain the same and I could walk into Ever After without it being tainted by what Brent and Dixon had done.

But the reality is that it did happen, and now we have to make the best out of what we've got. I'd take it still standing, in any condition other than being gone.

Grant steps into me and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me gently back against him. "Are you okay, baby?"

I nod, sinking into his arms. When the world is turbulent around me, his touch always calms me. Like a ship along rough waters and the sail that holds it steady. "Yeah. It's just… hard. Being in the midst of all of these broken pieces. Seeing the place I love like this. I'm trying to see beyond what's in front of me. I'm… I'm thankful that there's even a bakery to come to and that with a little love and renovation, it'll be back to exactly the way it was."

And this time… the people responsible for trying to destroy it are facing felony charges and will pay for what they did.

"You're the strongest person I've ever met," he whispers against my neck. "And I am so fucking proud of you."

My head falls back against his chest. "Thank you. For being here with me and being my strength when I feel like I have none. I'm not sure I could've made it through this without you."

"Yes you could have, baby. I'm just glad that you didn't have to." Grant pauses, glancing around the kitchen. "Do you want to look around? See if we can find anything that's not been damaged?"

I nod. With a chaste kiss against my hair, he lets me go and reaches for my hand. Together, we walk around the empty, wrecked kitchen.

Most of the things in here have been touched by the fire, whether the smoke or flames, but there are a few things that have somehow managed to survive. An old apron on the far side of the room that's only slightly charred. A mixing bowl that's missing a handle.

We stop in front of the stainless steel table where Grant and I stood only months ago and made beignets for the first time. A smile flits to my lips at the memory.

The table is slightly warped from the heat of the flames, and it's come unscrewed from the wall behind it, leaving a huge gap between.

Grant's brow pinches as he peers between the space.

"What is it?" I ask.

"I think I see something behind here. It must have fallen at some point."

He squats, turning to fit one long arm between the space and coming back with a thin black picture frame the size of a sheet of notebook paper.

My brow furrows in confusion. Where did that come from?

Grant hands the frame over to me, and I flip it over to the front. The glass is covered in a thick layer of ash and soot, so I reach out and brush it away, revealing what looks like an old, yellowed newspaper article beneath.

I squint, trying to make out what's beneath the remaining layer of dust and grime, but I can't tell.

Whatever it is, it's old. I wonder how long it's been behind the counter. If the old paper is any indication, I think a while.

"Here, let me see." He takes the frame from my hand and lifts the hem of his T-shirt, cleaning off the glass with it before handing it back to me.

"Oh my god," I whisper when I finally can see what's in the frame. "This is… this is a newspaper article from the local paper from when my mom first opened the bakery."

There's a photo of her standing in front of the bakery, wearing a wide, proud smile as she holds me in her arms. I was only an infant then. Probably no more than three months old or so. Hot, fresh tears prick in my eyes, and I'm hit with a wave of how badly I miss her.

I was so young when she passed away that my memories are hazy, fading over time.

My eyes scan the article as I read it out loud.

"When we asked Cindy what the inspiration for the name of her new beignet bakery was and if it stemmed from her love of fairy tales, she smiled, shaking her head as she said, ‘As much as I love a fairy tale, I chose the name for the bakery in honor of my beautiful baby girl, Addie. Because no matter what, I want her to always have her own Happily Ever After .'"

The knot in the base of my throat tightens, the emotion stuck there making it impossible to breathe as my heart pounds erratically in my chest.

I… I never knew. I never knew the meaning behind it. That she named the bakery after the dream she had for me.

I feel my tears staining my cheeks as I let out a half laugh, half sob, and clutch the frame to my chest. It feels a lot like fate, finding this today. After everything that's happened in the last few months, and after walking into the bakery like this today, finding this of my mother feels like a beacon of… hope.

A light in even the darkest time.

I turn, swiping away the tears, and hand the frame to my husband, who takes it, peering down.

"You look like her twin, baby," he says with a smile that lights up his face. "I can't believe I even saw it there. It was wedged between the wall and the back side of the table. Seems like it protected it from the fire."

If there was ever a sign that I would wish to get from her, this feels like the one.

I drag my gaze around the remnants in the room and suck in a shaky breath as I clutch the frame to my chest.

"I never expected to find something like that, especially after all of the damage from the fire, and I know it probably sounds silly, but it almost feels like she wanted me to find it today."

"Doesn't sound silly at all. I think so too, baby. I think that I believe in fate more now than I ever did, and I think it led us right to where we're meant to be," Grant says, his eyes flickering with sincerity.

In a way, I'm thankful for the things that Brent has done. Because had he not tried to force me into marrying someone I didn't know, I never would've gone to that party, and I never would've met Grant.

If he hadn't tried to steal the bakery from me, I never would've fallen in love with my fake husband.

I never would've married the man I now plan to spend the rest of my life with.

All of these things led me to where I am today. With a husband who puts me first and loves me unconditionally.

With a place that I have loved fiercely, devotedly, my entire life and the ability to rebuild the parts he damaged. Making it not only mine but my mom's as well.

It's a bittersweet realization, but all of this taught me to find the beauty in the ruin.

"I think… that my mom led me straight to you, Grant. Even if she couldn't be here, she still made sure that I had my happily ever after by giving me you. "

He always said he would be my Prince Charming, and it turns out he was right all along.