“I’m ready to fall into bed with you.”
“Mmm, ditto, baby.”
She glanced toward the piano, where George attempted a rusty version of “Great Balls of Fire.” “I can’t believe how that’s come back to him.”
“I can’t believe how that’s brought him back to us,” Trace said. He pressed his forehead to hers. “I don’t think I’ve thanked you yet.”
“I don’t think you have to.”
He kissed her softly, and Avery felt overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness. “I still feel like I’m in a dream. All anxious that I’m going to wake up and I’m still going to be fighting to reach this dream.”
He lifted his head. “You’ve done all the fighting. Now you’re reaping your reward.”
“I dreamed about this day for a long time, you know? Until a few months ago, I thought that’s all it would ever be, a dream. And even after I started down the road to making it a reality, I must have second-guessed myself a thousand times.”
He lifted a hand to stroke her cheek.
“In my heart of hearts I knew I’d get here. But this opening has exceeded my every last wild dream. And you know why?”
He grinned. “Because you’re beating me in job prospects?”
Avery laughed and lifted her hand to cup his jaw. “Because you’re with me. This wouldn’t mean half as much to me without you here.”
The humor in his expression faded, replaced by deep and serious affection. He combed one hand through her hair. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
“How do you feel about today?” he asked. “About the events and wedding cakes and four hundred sixty-two pies you’ll be making?”
Avery laughed. “Amazing beyond words.” The men at the piano collectively introduced a new song from bygone eras, “Earth Angel” by the Penguins. Harlan, Henry, Pearl, and Phoebe had joined George in singing the sweet ballad.
“Good.” He bent his head until his lips softly touched hers. “Because I love you beyond words.”
The emotions those words evoked were so beautiful they hurt. She took his face in her hands and held his gaze. “I love you, too. So much.”
Trace wrapped her in his arms, swept her back in a dramatic dip, and kissed her in front of a café full of customers . . . and essentially all of Wildwood.
A burst of whistles and applause erupted around them. Avery broke the kiss with laughter. The feeling of being completely loved swam through her for the first time in years.
When Trace pulled her upright, the old-timers decided to jazz things up again with “Old Time Rock and Roll.” Customers started clapping to the rhythm and signing along. Trace twirled Avery beneath his arm, then pulled her in to dance with him. Across the restaurant, Ethan grabbed Delaney and joined them on the makeshift dance floor.
George handled the piano fairly well, but when the group’s worn vocal chords stretched to shout the lyrics, notes went haywire and laughter sprinkled through the café.
Surrounded by her family, her lifelong friends, and the man she loved, Avery felt all the loose ends in her life weave together into a perfect tapestry. Smiling up at Trace, she knew she’d been right since the very beginning. It might have taken her a while to get here, but there was no doubt she was right where she belonged.