Page 47 of Pretty Desperate (Pine Village #6)

“What the hell?” he whispers, running his hand through his hair as he takes in the group of people gathered in the vast space.

I feel his palm start to sweat as he turns his shocked gaze to me. All I can do is smile. “Surprise!”

“You did this?”

Nodding, I confirm, “I had lots of help.”

He looks around the room before returning his blue eyes to me. “Why?”

“Because we all wanted to celebrate you , silly. Everyone here is proud of you, and they wanted to show how excited we all are for the expansion of Prime.”

His eyes turn a little misty, and it’s not lost on me that while he’s had support from friends and townspeople in the last decade, he hasn’t had many people truly in his corner. Not since his parents passed away, which is why I wanted to show him how much we all love him. He has a tribe.

All of us.

He moves, pulling me into his arms and kissing me soundly right here, in front of our family, friends, and employees. I taste the sweet vanilla icing on his tongue from the cupcake he saved for dessert after our lunch.

I hear the catcalls and the cheers from our friends, and as he breaks away, he gives me a wide grin. “Thank you, Jilly. I love this, and I love you.”

Before I can reply, my parents rush up, my mom throwing her arms around Kameron’s neck.

He lets go of me to hug my mom, followed quickly by a handshake from my dad.

Mrs. Krokus is here too. She’s the one who unlocked the door for Marlin and Veronica so they could set up and promised to turn over the final key at the end of the evening.

Speaking of Marlin and Veronica, they have an amazing spread of food set up on a table toward the back.

I gave him free rein to serve whatever he wanted.

He opted for simple finger foods, along with a few desserts he insisted on making himself too.

Besides setting the ball in motion, they took care of everything, ensuring all I had to do was get Kameron down here at the end of my workday.

There are a few small tables and chairs brought over from next door, and as I look at them, I can’t help but visualize how this place will look when it’s complete. He’s been so excited the last few days; we’ve talked extensively about the remodel and ultimately what he wants when it’s finished.

“I think he was surprised,” Blair says, grabbing my attention.

I give her, Hallie, Ava, Ellie, and Ryan each a hug and a warm smile. “Thanks for helping gather the troops. He was definitely not expecting this.”

“When does he think he’ll be open?” Ellie asks, sipping on lemonade.

“I think the plan is three to four months. A lot of the main dining room is going to stay original, with the exposed brick and old hardwood floors. The kitchen expansion and remodel will take the most time and work, but the contractor is confident he can get his part done in twelve weeks,” I tell them.

“Logan already has a big order placed for materials, but I think some of the special-order stuff they were waiting on until the papers were signed, just in case,” Hallie adds.

“Fortunately, all the current kitchen stuff they’ll be using in the updated space, but he’s adding more freezer and refrigeration units.

I think he was waiting to get those ordered until today,” I inform the small group, knowing he spent about thirty minutes today placing a few orders from my office at the bakery.

When I suggested he go to his office at the restaurant, he refused, stating he wanted to be with me and he only needed a little time to make a couple of calls.

“I can’t wait. I bet this place is packed opening night,” Ava says, glancing around the large room.

“Can we make reservations now?” Ryan asks, making us all chuckle.

“I promise, you’ll all be invited to our opening night celebration,” Kameron states, pressing a kiss to my cheek. “I want to do a big event the night before we officially open to the public, and you’ll all be there.”

My friends give hugs to Kameron and congratulate him on the building purchase. All I can do is smile proudly, so stinking excited for him.

When he turns his gaze back to me, he asks, “Did you get something to eat? It looks like Marlin’s been busy.”

“Not yet, but I will,” I assure him.

He levels me with an intense look. “Make sure you eat, Jilly,” he murmurs privately, though I’m certain my friends overhear.

“I will. Promise.”

“You good? I was gonna run over and talk to Veronica and her husband and Marlin and his wife, Rebecca.”

“I’m fine,” I insist.

He gives me another kiss, this time on the lips. When he straightens up, he turns to my friends, who are all standing there with dreamy looks on their faces. “Make sure she eats, all right?”

I roll my eyes as they all chime in with reassurance. “I’m perfectly capable of getting myself something to eat when I’m hungry.”

He flashes a grin. “Humor me.”

I huff out a deep breath, even though I secretly love his protectiveness and extra attention. “Whatever.”

He leans in once more and gives me a chaste kiss before walking over to greet his employees.

“You two are so stinkin’ cute,” Hallie says, pulling my attention away from the man I was following with my eyes.

“It seems to be going well,” Ellie states, clearly referring to my relationship with Kameron.

I blush, thinking of the fact they don’t know it wasn’t real from the beginning.

Of course, Ryan knows, but everyone else doesn’t know about the arrangement.

Yet. I’m sure I’ll tell them eventually.

Now we’re dating for real, it doesn’t feel like such a big deal, but the fact remains, I lied to them, and friends don’t lie.

I just pray they’re all as forgiving as Ryan was when I told her.

I spend the next hour visiting with guests, talking about the restaurant plans, and snacking on food.

Kameron ended up bringing me over a plate of delicious food and has been watching me closely to make sure I’m, not only eating, but feeling well afterward.

Surprisingly, I am. I feel great, actually.

I’m surrounded by family and friends, and we’re all here for the same reason.

To show Kameron our support.

Kameron walks to the middle of the room and holds up his hand.

“If I can have everyone’s attention, please?

” When the room quiets down, he continues, “First off, I just wanted to say thank you. This wasn’t what I was expecting when Jillian suggested we go for a walk,” he comments with a chuckle. “But I appreciate it.”

He turns to his employees and says, “Thank you for being here, setting this up, and for the delicious food. I have the best staff in town. Thank you to our friends, Jillian’s family, and, of course, Mrs. Krokus for not only selling me this building, but for believing in my dream as much as I have.”

My throat is thick with emotion as I glance over at the old woman, sitting happily at a table and enjoying her second plate of refreshments.

“And to my Jillian,” Kameron starts, turning his blue gaze my way. My heart skips a beat when our eyes meet, just like it does so often. I still can’t believe he’s mine.

My hand drops to my belly as I think of the life we’ve created.

That’s when I hear the gasp.

I look over and realize it came from my mom.

My eyes fly back to Kameron, who realizes exactly what I’ve done when all eyes seemed to be focused on me. A soft smile spreads across his lips as he extends his hand to me, indicating he wants me to join in. My legs feel heavy as I make my way to the center of the room to stand beside him.

The moment I’m there, he presses a kiss to my forehead and gives me an easy smile. “And a huge thank you to the woman I love. She’s been a sounding board, a friend and confidante, and the brightest light on my darkest days.”

This time when he kisses me, it’s on the lips, and it’s not exactly PG.

His tongue dives inside my mouth, making my toes curl as I throw my arms around his neck and raise up on my tiptoes.

The kiss only lasts a couple of seconds though, and when we break apart, he gives me a content little grin.

If I had any question about how happy he was, it’s gone now.

I see it reflecting in his eyes and feel it in his touch and kiss.

Kameron places a featherlight kiss on the tip of my nose and then blurts out our secret. The one we had planned to keep for just a little longer. The one I probably ruined the moment I placed my hands on my stomach just a minute ago.

“Jillian’s pregnant.”