Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Maybe that scary look was actually a good thing.
* * *
Ransom was aware of Ava every moment as he mingled his way through the reception. She’d been sitting with Dane for a while, then she’d joined the ladies. He loved standing back to watch her, so beautiful, so charming. And all his.
After making his way to Rosie, he hugged her. “Thank you so much for the painting. It’s gorgeous. The view of the bay at sunrise is the exact view I see out of my office window every day. How could you know?”
Rosie just smiled. “The bay is one of my favorite subjects.”
“Honestly, you guys didn’t have to give me anything for helping out with the wedding. It was my pleasure, and I wanted you both to have the best.” Ransom held out his hand to shake Gideon’s.
Gideon slapped his two big hands around Ransom’s and shook. “You bailed us out. We don’t how to thank you.”
Rosie, with the prettiest smile, said, “Gideon handcrafted the picture frame. He’s got a whole setup for woodworking in the garage. People are asking for his frames as much as they’re asking for my paintings,” she added with a laugh.
They were such a special couple. They’d recently moved into a larger home to accommodate Jorge and baby Isabella. Ransom would have said he’d never seen a happier couple, but as he looked around the christening reception in Evan and Paige’s living room, it was filled with loving couples.
His gaze once again alighted on Ava laughing with Cammie and Kelsey and several of the Maverick ladies. What a feeling to be half of one of these loving couples.
Rosie gave his shoulder a little push. “You better go to her. I could feel something brewing between the two of you even at the wedding.”
Gideon chuckled. “Oh yeah, all those longing glances. Will just wouldn’t stop talking about it. I swear he’s the biggest gossip.”
Rosie rose on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I swear, all of you Mavericks are the biggest gossips around.” Then she whispered to Ransom, “Go to her.”
He didn’t need another push. All these Mavericks might think they’d cornered the market on love, but he truly had. He’d found Ava again, and she’d found him.
And a little while later, he was arm in arm with his beautiful Ava when Fernsby and Gabby rolled out another fabulous creation. One tier was Victoria sponge, Fernsby’s winning cake from Britain’s Greatest Bakers, and it was all vegan, if one could ever imagine a Victoria sponge as vegan. Gabby had done the honors on that, under Fernsby’s tutelage. The other tier was a classic sponge, with nothing vegan about it.
No one knew which was which except the two bakers.
Gabby and Fernsby had worked on the cake the entire morning before the christening, in a collaboration. They’d piped all the babies’ names on it in tiny perfect script. Instead of flowers, they’d added balloons in all the colors of the rainbow.
And, incredibly, both tiers were equally delicious.
As they stood with Gabby, Ava hugged her sister. “You’ve made another amazing cake.”
Ransom added his two cents. “I can’t believe one of these is vegan.”
Gabby beamed. “That was all Fernsby’s recipe. I’m selling the cake in my vegan bakery, but if you want to know the truth—” She cast a glance at Fernsby, who was fawning over Susan Spencer. “Don’t tell Fernsby, but I couldn’t have figured it out on my own. He’s brilliant.” She put a finger to her lips. “And don’t tell him I said that either.”
Ava laughed. “Didn’t you tell me that day at the chophouse that he was the wisest man you knew?”
Gabby rolled her eyes. “I should never have said that. It totally went to his head.”
They all laughed. Ransom would always love Ava’s laugh.
“So,” Ava said, squeezing his hand. She’d already talked with him about what she planned. “Here’s what I would really love from the two fabulous cooks in my life.”
Gabby frowned, as if she were afraid of what was coming.
Ava rushed on before her sister ran away. “Ransom is taking over the catering for all my US facilities.” She put her hand on Gabby’s arm, sliding all the way down to her wrist. “And I’d really, really, really like it if you and Ransom could work together on some vegan offerings. Right now, we’ve got salads, vegan soups, and vegetables.” She shrugged. “But honestly, we need really fabulous vegan food. I know you two can do it.”
She looked at her sister with hope. Ransom knew how badly Ava wanted this.
Many years ago, when he’d taken stock of the rising number of vegans and vegetarians around the country and the globe, he’d had one of his people approach Gabby. But she’d given his representative a blistering no. He’d understood it to be a result of what had happened between him and Ava. Gabby was the most loyal of sisters, and she wasn’t going to forgive easily.