Miss Loreen’s brows shot up, though her grin was pure delight.
“Hudson and I are engaged,” I said proudly, chuckling. “And this is my promise ring to Ivy that I’ll always be her forever daddy.”
“Oh, honey.” Miss Loreen pressed a hand over her chest, her eyes misting. “That’s just about the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. Good for you, Ivy. Every girl deserves a promise like that and two handsome daddies to protect her.”
Ivy ducked her head shyly, but her whole little body squirmed with pride.
“And you know what?” Miss Loreen pulled a flip-top container from the display and slid in Ivy’s favorite—strawberry shortcake with extra cream. “This one’s free today.”
Ivy gasped, balancing the box carefully in her good hand, the sling on her other arm tucked close to her chest. “Thank you, Miss Loreen!”
“You’re welcome, sugar pie.” Miss Loreen winked, then turned to me. “And, Matty… congratulations. Y’all make such a handsome family.” She covered her hand over her mouth and whispered, “And made me a few bucks in that betting pool Dusty has going on.”
I groaned. I already knew, since Hudson and I became a frequent topic in town, that someone would have a bet going on, but I didn’t need to know the details.
Ivy tugged at my hand, eager to go. “Daddee, come on. We have to meet other Daddy.”
I swooped down to pick her up. “Faster this way.” I kissed the top of her head. “Let’s go meet up with Daddy,then, before he puts us both in the naughty corner when we get home.”
The bell over the bakery door jingled again as I shouldered it open, Ivy giggling against my chest, her cake box wobbling precariously in her good hand. The late-afternoon sun spilled over the boardwalk, painting the storefronts gold and stirring up the faint smell of hay and horses from the hitching posts at the end of the street.
“We’re late,” I murmured to Ivy, lengthening my stride. “Rowan’s going to throw glitter at us for making him wait.”
“I love glitter,” she said, eyes going wide, as if the very idea were magic.
I huffed a laugh.
A familiar figure came our way. Todd. He had a small paper sack in one hand, his shirt sleeves rolled, his face pinched like he hadn’t slept well. My first instinct was to keep walking, to avoid whatever conversation he thought he was owed. I’d thought we could have stayed friends, but he was deliberately confrontational.
Todd stopped dead, shifted his bag from one hand to the other, and lifted his chin. “Matty,” he said, voice rougher than I expected. “Can I—please—can I have a moment?”
I slowed, tightening my grip on Ivy, who leaned her head on my shoulder, watching curiously. My pulse thudded as his words about Hudson surfaced sharp in my memory.
“Make it quick,” I said.
He nodded, swallowing. “About before, I was out of line. I thought—stupidly—I might still have had a chance with you, but I was being delusional. Now that you two are getting married… I should walk away for good. That’s—I just wanted to let you know I won’t be that presumptuous again.”
The words hit like gravel underfoot. I pulled my brows tight. “And how do you know I’m getting married?”
Miss Loreen was the first person I told since Ivy and I returned to town.
Todd let out a shaky laugh. “Hudson’s expensive engagement ring. It’s all anyone in town is talking about. You can’t buy a cup of coffee without hearing about it. They’re making a bet right now about how much it cost.”
Heat pricked the back of my neck. This town and its gossip mill. Lightning-fast and relentless. “Figures,” I muttered.
Todd offered a small, regretful smile and moved aside. “Anyway, I wish you both the best, Matty. Really. Maybe someday I’ll find someone to love me the way you love him.”
Ivy tightened her arm around me as if somehow she sensed the man I was talking to had tried to take me away from her daddy. I gave him a curt nod, then adjusted her higher on my hip. “I’m sure you will. Thanks for the apology, Todd.”
When we walked on, I didn’t look back, and I hoped he didn’t as well. Only the future lay ahead of us, and mine wasn’t with him.
Ivy and I passed the flower shop, and she perked up at the riot of color in the window display. I slowed, staring at the buckets of roses and wildflowers spilling over each other in the evening light. My chest gave a tug.
“What do you think, Bug?” I asked her. “You think Daddy would like some flowers?”
“Yes!” she chirped, her little hand waving in her sling. “Flowers are pwetty.”
“All right, then, but you gotta help me pick which you think might be Daddy’s favorite. I don’t know anything about flowers.”
