Page 82 of Bittersweet

“Correction, little lady,” I say with a huge grin. “Youhave apuppy.”

Her jaw drops. The little guy squirms in my arms, desperate to get to Coco and no doubt see what she’s all about. I set him down on his feet and he runs to her, licking her face as shesqueals.

“Er, babe? Why is there a bonfire on our backdeck?”

I set the lighter fluid on the kitchen counter and wrap my arms around him. “Because I just set my wedding dress onfire.”

He blinks. I can see the shock isn’t registering, and then his eyes widen just a fraction and he pulls back to study my face. “But you love thatdress.”

“No, I loved the idea of that dress, but you know what?” I kiss his lips as he finally relaxes and wraps his arms around me. “I got something better than the wedding I alwayswanted.”

Those deep brown eyes study mine. “Really?”

I nod. “I got a family, a place, and people to belongto.”

He kisses the tip of my nose, his beard tickling my face. “Hell yes, youdid.”

“And you know whatelse?”

“What?” he asks in a low, rumblingwhisper.

“Life couldn’t be moreperfect.”

Elio kisses my lips. It’s sweet and chaste, but his eyes tell me it was more for Coco’s benefit because the kind of kisses he wants to give are definitely not suitable for four-year-oldconsumption.

When he pulls away, I glance at the adorable kid in question. Coco and her new puppy are sharing a few kisses of their own. She has what I assume are happy tears streaming down her cheeks as he sits on her tummy and licks the saltwater from her face to a soundtrack ofgiggles.

I smile to myself and turn in Elio’s arms so that I’m facing the deck. The bonfire is still roaring, the black smoke rising high into the chilly, winter air. “We may want to eat outtonight.”

“I’m gonna be eating something out tonight, and it’s not food,” Elio whispers, as he nuzzles myneck.

A chuckle escapes me. I lean back into his warmth and watch the last shred of the old Romy Love go up in smoke. Maybe someday Elio will get down on one knee and ask me to be his wife. One day I might put on a new dress and walk down the aisle toward this incredible man and his unforgettable daughter. We’ll make this thing official, but even with his ring on my finger, I don’t see how life could get more perfect than it is rightnow.

Between miscommunications, muffins, and madness, the path that led us here wasn’t exactly smooth, but now? Now I have everything I ever wanted: a child, a family, and a hot baker who can’t get enough of mybuns.