“You still have a crush on me,” Jensen teased her. “Don’t you?”
“I do,” she admitted.
“I’m so glad,” he told her, his voice suddenly serious. “And I’m going to do everything I can to never break that spell.”
When he bent to brush her lips with his again, she could feel the pull between them, and she knew there was no spell to be broken because there wasn’t a bit of magic involved.
What had started as a crush had grown into a love so strong that it had made the three of them a family—and it was built on history, but also on respect, and compassion, and so much joy.
“It’s not just a crush anymore,” she told him.
“I know,” he said, his voice rough with emotion as he stroked her cheek so gently.
“But don’t worry,” she whispered. “I still want to write your name in my diary with puffy hearts all around it.”
His warm laughter filled her heart, and she knew everything was going to be wonderful from now on.
25
WILLOW
On the morning of her wedding, Willow bustled around the kitchen, happy that Jensen had relented and agreed to let her come over and cook with him instead of going out to breakfast.
Willow had been dreaming of her wedding day with Jensen Webb ever since she was an adolescent with hearts in her eyes. She always assumed she would be wearing a gigantic gown, walking down the aisle of a cathedral, and that their reception would be in a ballroom.
As it turned out, the real thing was going to besomuch better.
But she still had tons of nervous energy to burn off, so she figured cooking, eating, cleaning up, and playing with Henry would be just the right way to spend the morning.
The kitchen timer went off, and Jensen strode over to the oven.
“Can I take these out?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” she told him as she slid eggs out of the pan and onto three plates.
The moment he opened the oven, the rich scent of cinnamon filled the room.
“Oh, wow,” Jensen said. “They smell incredible.”
“That’s my mom’s recipe,” Willow told him. “Now you’ll be able to tell her you finally made the Wright family cinnamon buns.”
“This was more important than the actual wedding if I want to be part of the family, wasn’t it?” he teased.
“According to my mom, probably yes,” Willow laughed.
“As long as she’s not mad at me for not asking her blessing in person,” Jensen said nervously.
“You asked her over the phone,” she said. “And you asked Ransom in person. I think that counts as extremely respectful.”
“And we saved them from buying another set of plane tickets,” Jensen pointed out.
Willow laughed, though it was true. Her mom and Aunt Rhonda coming down in January instead of on Christmas had actually worked out well. She and Jensen had been able to make all the arrangements for their simple wedding to coincide with the visit.
“Yummy,” Henry said excitedly, looking up from the toys he was playing with at the table.
“It smells so good, doesn’t it?” Willow asked him. “Let’s put your toys away and wash your hands.”
She headed over to help, but he put his arms up to her.
