Love At the Candy Heart Cafe Chp 13 by Mary Alford

Love at the Candy Heart Cafe

Chapter Thirteen - The Conclusion

By Mary Alford

Candy stared wide-eyed up at him, her heart melting like cotton candy. There had been so many misunderstandings in their relationship. She couldn’t afford to be wrong again.

“You mean you want to be my business partner?” she asked, holding her breath while her legs shook like a bowel full of her grandmother’s favorite strawberry Jell-O.

Chad’s face crumpled. “No, I’m saying I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’m saying I want you to marry me, Candy.”

Candy’s mouth dropped open. “You want to…marry me?”

He drew in a breath. “More than anything, I want you to be my wife. I thought I’d lost the chance when I left town, but I never stopped loving you. Wishing things had turned out differently.” The heartbreak in his eyes accented those words and she put her arms around his waist and drew him close.

“I never stopped loving you either, Chad. You’re the only man I’ll ever love.” She looked into his eyes because she wanted him to see the love she had for him there.

Tugging her closer, he tipped her chin and kissed her with his heart in his touch. “I love you  so much,” he whispered against her lips and watched as tears slipped from her eyes.

“I’m happy we found each other again, and so sorry that I believed the story about you and Ginger.”

Chad brushed his thumbs across her cheeks, taking away her tears. “No, this wasn’t your fault. Taffy was foolish for listening to Bruce. She’s always had a blind spot for him and couldn’t see that he was only after his own interests.”

Nothing that Bruce tried to do to keep them apart mattered anymore. They had found each other again and she was determined that nothing would ever keep them apart. “We should go tell Taffy. She’s going to be thrilled for us.” She smiled up at him, her eyes shining with happiness.

 Candy turned away, but he caught her hand and held her there. “Hang on a second.” His solemn expression face froze her in place. Was he having second thoughts already?

“What is it?” she asked, her heart hammering in her chest.

“Your grandmother called me shortly after you came home again to look after her,” he admitted and she had no idea how to respond.

“She did? What did she want?” But Candy believed she knew the answer already.

“She told me that you would do everything in your power to keep the Candy Heart Cafe running, even if it meant you had to give up on your dreams.” He shook his head, recalling the conversation. “Your grandmother said that you still loved me and she believed I felt the same way about you. That's the reason I came home. She begged me not to let you give up on your dreams, and I won’t. You deserve to have all your dreams come true.”

Candy clutched his hand tight. Even when she was dying, her grandmother was worried about her. 

“That was just like her,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “Sweet as a chocolate truffle on the inside, and tough as a jawbreaker on the outside.”

He chuckled at her description. “Yes, that was her. I have to believe she’s smiling down at us right now. Happy that we finally got it right.”

She framed his face with her hands. “Me too. I love you, Chad. I can’t wait to open Sweet Vows with you. And I have the perfect person to help us out. Taffy.”

Candy told him about leaving Taffy to run the café.

“She must be as excited as a kid in a candy shop right now. Taffy always loved working at the café with you and your grandmother.”

“Yes, she did.” Candy and Taffy had spent many happy hours together in high school working at the Candy Heart Café. “Come on, let’s go tell her the good news together.” As she stared up at his handsome face, she could tell there was something more he wanted to say.

“Chad?” Their love was still so fragile. She was terrified something would come along and take it all away.

He took a tiny box from his pocket, and then still holding Candy’s hand, he knelt in front of her. Looking up at her with love in his eyes, he opened the tiny box that contained a beautiful princess-cut engagement ring.

“Will you marry me, Candy?” he asked, uncertainty in his tone.

With tears falling freely, she knelt beside him and hugged him close. “Yes, I will marry you,” she managed through the tears. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you as--” her words died away the moment his lips claimed hers again, but it didn’t matter. They both knew that no matter what life threw at them in the future, they’d face it together, in each other’s arms.