Chapter Twenty-Seven
It was a well-known fact that when Jake felt guilty, he went to Barry’s Bakery to get Bailey a bagel after his shift. This time, he’d said no to a group date with the infamous Zack. He might have been feeling a little bitter about his breakup, but Bailey was still too young to be dating. Right? Sure, he had dated around her age, but he wasn’t ready to let her grow up that fast. He also might have been making up for the fact that Erin had backed out of that trip to the yarn store.
Jake cussed under his breath. This was what he got for opening himself back up. He had inadvertently hurt his kid. The one thing he promised himself he wouldn’t do. Back to square one. But this time, the hole he’d been filling with work and his daughter was left wide open and gaping, like a damn puncture wound and no sutures in sight.
“Bagel for Jake,” the barista called.
But before he could snatch it from the counter, a set of manicured hands grabbed it. His stomach clenched when he spotted who those hands were attached to.
Erin.
“What are you doing here?” He kept his voice flat. She should be in California by now. She’d packed her shit up. Ready to move on with her life and leave everyone in her wake. Just like Reece had promised.
“What did you wish for?” Her eyes were wide, a little crazy around the edges. Erin had a carefree attitude about her most days, but he knew that she was in full control, a planner. Never one to seem frazzled like this.
He didn’t know what the hell she was talking about. All he knew was that he wanted to get his damn bagel and leave.
Even though he should have walked away, for his own personal sanity, he indulged. “What wish?”
“The one you made on this.” Jake did a double take as she held up the coin covered in Sharpie.
“How did you get that?” Seeing that reminder in her hands was an unexpected kick to the gut. She should keep it. They both represented the same things to him. Leaving.
She ignored his question. “When we were down by the riverfront. What did you wish for in the fountain?”
“Why does it matter?” I wished for you. A fool’s wish, he realized. He’d never had her, never would. Anything with Erin was like a race dog chasing the rabbit. He’d gotten close enough, could even taste what it’d be like, but it just wasn’t in the cards.
She mashed her lips together. Why was she here? He’d like his damn bagel back and to get the hell home.
“It matters to me,” she said.
He blew out a breath. Honestly, he didn’t want to see Erin right now. Looking so goddamn gorgeous in jeans and a tank top. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and a few waves framed her face. She was so beautiful it hurt. “I wished for you, Erin.”
“I don’t believe in wishes.” Her thumb smoothed over the top of the coin. “I’ve never believed in them. But today, when I had to turn onto the interstate to go back, I just couldn’t. I can’t leave.”
“Why not?” This made no sense. She’d wanted to leave from day one. It was Jake who had been an idiot for thinking she wanted to stay. Only fools hoped.
She threw her hands up in the air. “Because all this means nothing if I have no one to share it with.”
“I get where you’re coming from. I do, but I think it’s better this way. I can’t subject Bailey to any more pain.”
Her gaze raked over him. “Bailey or you?”
“Both,” he admitted.
“I am going to apologize to Bailey and make it up to her. But I’m begging you to please give me another chance. I know I screwed up. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. But I am here to stay. Because when I came back to Portland, I didn’t just fall back in love with this town. I fell in love.” She mashed her lips together. “I know we’ve only been seeing each other for a little over a month, but I’d like to keep doing that. The seeing-you part. And I’d also like to get to know Bailey better. I decided to take the interview with the school here.”
“I’m happy for you. Sounds like you have a good plan going on.” This was a lot to take in. He trusted Erin. She’d always been up front. But he didn’t know if he trusted himself.
“Listen, I’m sorry. I screwed up. This sounded a lot better in my head when I was on my way over here.”
“How did you know where to find me?”
She gave a wry smile. “It’s the end of your shift. You’re predictable.”
“Boring, you mean.” Maybe that was why Erin had decided to leave in the first place. She liked spontaneity. His life revolved around structure. A matchmaker’s nightmare.
“Never. You’re the best man I know. You know what’s sexier than the bad boy you used to be?”
“What?”
“The good man you became. You have your shit together. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, and it scares me.”
“It scares me, too.” So damn much.
“But you didn’t run. You see danger, and you go toward it. I’ve never been that way.”
“You stole from a public fountain. I’d say you have a bit of danger in you.” He realized that the coin he’d been carrying around for years didn’t hold the same weight as he thought it would when he saw it again. It was just a coin. There was no such thing as placing hopes on inanimate objects. But there was the woman in front of him whom he’d fallen for.
“I’m serious.” She playfully smacked him on the chest. “I may not believe in wishes, but I do believe in you. I want to make this work. If you’re willing to forgive me, please give me a second chance. I know you have Bailey to think about, and I understand if you want to protect her, but I am here for good. I’m not going back to California. I’ll take a job here.”
His brows shifted together. The wall he had built was back in place. He could feel it as if it were actual bricks. “Why?”
She shook her head. “What?”
“What changed your mind?”
“I realized I made a mistake and hurt the person I love.”
He lifted a brow. Was she really admitting what he thought she was admitting? It’d been only a month, but what he felt for her went deeper.
“I think there’s a whole line of people that fit that category. Can you be more specific?”
“You, you dummy.” She pushed at his chest. “I love you.”
A few gasps erupted around them, and a quick glance confirmed several of the coffee-shop patrons were watching them with rapt fascination.
Jake’s pulse ticked in his temples. This woman. This firecracker who sparked something inside him. Made him believe in love again. Damn it, he couldn’t pass this up a second time. “What about all your stuff in California?”
She looked up at him with hopeful eyes, ones that melted his resolve. “I’ll need to have that shipped home.”
“Home.” He smiled. “I like the sound of that. Erin?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you, too.” He tugged her to him, sweeping her into a kiss. Her lips were so damn soft, and Jake could spend forever exploring them.
She pulled away, those perfect pink lips pulling into a smile. “Thank God, or else this conversation would have gotten really awkward. Does this mean you’ll give me another chance?”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ears and cupped her cheek. They’d make this work. They had to because Erin was quickly becoming his everything. “You’re holding my wish in your hands. You tell me the answer.”
Her arms wrapped around his neck, and her lips met his again.
“Yes.”