“I may be younger, but always wiser.” I chuckle, tapping my index finger to my temple.
“When is my wise sister going to take some of her own advice and find a man to make a big decision with?”
I shrug. “Time will tell.”
“What happened to that Rick guy you went out with a couple of weeks ago?”
“He was a dud. He still lives in his parents’ basement, and his mom does his laundry.”
“Is there a reason for that? Is he in school? Building his own home? Working three jobs?”
I love that she always tries to find the good in people. Even after everything she’s been through. “Nope, nothing other than he’s a lazy ass. He bragged about not having to do anything or pay bills. I’m out on that.”
“Sounds like you dodged a bullet with that one. I’ll give you that. However, that doesn’t mean you need to stop dating.”
“I just want it to be… organic, you know? A chance meeting. I don’t want it to be some planned blind date. I know my prince charming is out there waiting for me.”
“And how are you going to know when this moment happens?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I just know that I will.”
“Well, I want to be an aunt, so yeah, get working on that,” she teases.
“You have Riggins babies to be an aunt too,” I remind her.
“And I’ll love and spoil them, but I want to do that to your kids too.”
“You’re not asking for much,” I tell her, and she laughs.
“Get back to work.” She points at me before disappearing back into the kitchen.
I move to wipe the counters when the bell chimes over the door, and that’s how the day goes. A steady flow of customers, and I could not be prouder of what Aurora and I have created. When she presented me with the idea of opening Warm Delights, I knew I was all in. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my big sister. We’re more than sisters. We’re best friends. At the time, I was working as an administrative assistant at a local newspaper. It was a dead-end job that I didn’t really enjoy. I jumped at the chance to move to Nashville and help her achieve her dreams. It turns out it wasn’t just her dream. While I may not be the creation wiz like my sister in the kitchen, I discovered that I enjoy baking when I have a recipe to follow. I also enjoy working the counter and seeing the smiling faces, and getting to know the regulars. As an added bonus, I’m using my associate's degree in business to help with the books, ordering, and everyday operations. We’re a great team, Aurora and me.
I love that this move has helped my sister blossom and overcome that jerk ex of hers. She’s found her prince charming, and although I know my time will come, she’s impatient. That’s just Aurora. She wants the best for everyone, especially me being her younger sister by two years. She’s always had that maternal instinct with me, even though we’re close in age. She’s going to be a great mother to children of her own one day.
By the time we lock the doors and get the kitchen and lobby not only cleaned but set up for tomorrow, I’m exhausted. Aurora leaves to go to Grant’s place. He’s not there, but I know they both want her there, and I’m happy for her. For both of them. However, as I lie here in my bed, trying to take a nap since I’ve been up since the butt crack of dawn, I can’t help but wonder if I’m just speaking gibberish.
Will I ever have my chance to meet a man who looks at me like Grant looks at my sister? Will I ever find my forever love? That’s my last thought before drifting off to sleep.
Chapter 1
Aspen
“I feel like I’m forgetting something,” Aurora says as she thumbs through her wedding binder. When she finally set an official wedding date, it didn’t take us long to fill that thing up. It’s a good thing my sister is very decisive on what she wants for her wedding. And Grant, he just wants Aurora to have the wedding of her dreams. Big or small, he doesn’t care, as long as at the end of the day she’s his wife. He’s a goner for my big sister.
“Sweetheart.” Mom places her hand over Aurora’s. “We’ve been through everything. It’s all been handled. Just take a breath,” she says, pulling in a deep breath and slowly exhaling as if my sister needs a visual to understand her request.
I think we’re all a little overstimulated with wedding planning. We managed to hire two new employees at Warm Delights to cover while we’re gone for the wedding. Aurora is stressing out about this. That’s not all we did. We planned a small intimate wedding at the Riggins’s family cabin in the Smoky Mountains, and every detail is perfect. All of this was done in a matter of a few months. To say we are exhausted is an understatement.
“Rory.” I wait for her to look at me. “We’ve got this. McKenzie and Gloria are both doing amazing at the bakery. They can handle it. And all this”—I point to the binder she’s clutching to her chest—“we’ve all got you covered. This wedding is going to go off without a hitch, and you and Grant are going to be in wedded bliss, working on a house full of little Riggins babies.” I immediately cover my mouth and glance over at Lena Riggins, Grant’s mom. “Sorry,” I say sheepishly.
She waves me off. “Please, I’m ready for the house full of little Riggins babies,” she assures me with a kind smile. She then turns her gaze to my sister. “It’s all going to be perfect. It’s going to be the day that you’ve imagined and planned it to be. We’ll make sure of it.” Something passes in her eyes. I’ve seen that same look in all five of her sons. Determination. Lena Riggins is going to make damn sure that my sister’s wedding to her middle son is executed with precision.
“It’s going to be a day to remember,” Mom says, wiping at her eyes.
“Mom,” Aurora whines, dragging out the word. “Please don’t do that. You’re going to make me cry.”
“And I have a rule, no one cries in front of me alone,” Lena says, dabbing at the corner of her eyes with a tissue.
“I love you, Rory. Take a deep breath. It’s all going to be fine. I’ll personally drive up early to make sure of it,” I offer.
“Really? You’d do that?”
“Hello, sister, best friend, and maid of honor, of course, I’ll do that. I’ll be there to coordinate deliveries and decorators, and it’s all going to be perfect.” I watch as her posture visibly relaxes, and the worry lines across her forehead diminish.
“Thank you, Aspen.”
I wave my hand in the air. “It’s nothing you wouldn’t do for me. I can take your dress with me too. This way, you can ride to the cabin with Grant with no worries of him seeing your dress.”
A smile breaks out across her face. “That’s a great idea.”
Just the idea that she gets to ride with him to the cabin has her smiling like a kid in a candy store. Grant Riggins has worked his Riggins voodoo magic on my sister, but if it keeps that smile on her face, I’m good with it. That doesn’t mean I believe in the “magic” hype that they all talk about. I’m skeptical, but Aurora, Sawyer, and Layla are all believers. I guess love does that to you. It makes you believe in things that aren’t real, like magic.