Love for Dessert (Contemporary Romance) (11 page)

Anastasia woke up to her phone ringing. It was only nine in the morning, and she had only slept three hours. She searched her bed covers for the vibrating menace. “Hello?” she said sleepily after she found it and pressed it against her ear as she rolled back onto her back. It wasn’t a number she recognized. “Who is this?

“Sorry for calling so early, is this Miss Anastasia Emmott?” It was a male voice, and one that she seemed to recall from last night.

“Ah, doctor!” Anastasia sat up as she placed the voice. “Is Darren okay?”

The doctor chuckled. “Yes, he is fine. Aside from being shot, he is completely fine. His surgery was a huge success, and he is awake now. He is asking for you, actually.”

“Oh, I’ll head down there right now, thank you so much! Have a great day.” Anastasia was in a great mood now, despite her lack of sleep. She hopped out of her bed and took a shower, making sure she looked pretty.

She was at the hospital in half an hour. Darren’s face lit up in a smile when he saw her walk into his room, hips swinging and heels clacking on the ground. She looked like an angel to him. “Ana…” His voice was soft, and filled with love. “Oh, Ana.” He let out a sigh of happiness.

“Oh, Darren!” Anastasia flew at him, hugging him tightly. “I’m so glad you’re alright!” She cried out joyously as she released him and sat back to look at him. He looked normal, except for the IV attached to his arm and the bundle of white bandages around his shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

“Better, now that you’re here.” He was just as charming as ever.

Anastasia leaned forward and kissed him lightly. “I’ll always be here, Darren. I’ll always be by your side.”

Darren grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. “I love you.” There was complete silence for a moment, but it was a comfortable one. “Ana, you didn’t get hurt, did you? The kidnappers didn’t hurt you, did they?”

“No, not really. I’m okay. I’m just worried about you, sweetie.”

“Right now, the most important thing we need to focus on is the evidence.” Darren murmured as he stared into her eyes. “The evidence that I risked my life to get. It’s critical that you get it to the police station as soon as possible, to the head officer. It is enough to make sure the kingpin is put away for life. We can save so many innocent lives…”

“I can get it to him. Leave it to me,” Anastasia said determinedly. “Trust me with everything.”

**

Anastasia walked through the doors of the police station, searching for the head of the officers. It was somewhat confusing to her, and she was half asleep. But she managed to find the man, and entered his office. A couple hours later, everything was done. All those months of undercover work, all the danger, everything, was done. The lieutenant promised to lock the criminals up.

Anastasia headed back to her hotel room, wanting to get some more sleep. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Very soon, the men would be arrested and her life would not be in danger any longer. It was a nice feeling. Before, at her accounting job, all Anastasia had wanted was some excitement. But after this little episode, Anastasia realized that there was nothing she wanted more than some peace, quiet and relaxation.

She couldn’t wait to be back in her bakery, making people happy with her delicious baked goods. The best thing in the world was seeing those smiling faces of her customers, day after day. She was also excited to visit Darren again, as soon as she woke up…

“Happy birthday, baby!” Darren smiled widely as he wrapped an arm around Anastasia’s waist. It was morning, and Anastasia was in her kitchen, getting a drink of water. “I love you.” She looked beautiful, even though she was still somewhat sleepy. Her fluffy pink bathrobe fit her perfectly. “You look pretty.”

She turned her head, planting a kiss on his lips. “I love you more,” she murmured, her lips curving into a smile. “And you look pretty, too,” she teased. She knew she looked like a mess without any makeup on and with her messy hair. But to Darren, Anastasia looked like an angel who had just descended upon him from the heavens.

“I have good news. Yesterday, the trial for the drug kingpin ended, and with the evidence we gathered, he was put away for many, many years.” Darren grinned as he leaned in for another kiss. He just couldn’t get enough. They were both extremely happy about the kingpin’s verdict, for they both knew he deserved it for all the terrible things he had done throughout his reign. The baker’s son, from across the street, had also been arrested, thanks to Anastasia’s evidence delivering efforts.

A couple of months had passed since the terrible incident, and everything was going very well. Darren had been allowed lots of time off work, and he used it to invest in the bakery. Darren and Anastasia now both owned the bakery, and were incredibly excited about expanding the bakery since they were doing so well. Her lifelong dream was finally being realized, after so long.

Ariana’s wedding had been perfect, and now she was pregnant with twins. So unfortunately, she couldn’t help out in the bakery as she had initially promised. It was a huge event for her, and Ariana was having all kinds of morning sickness, upset stomachs and frequent doctor visits. But it was okay, because Darren was a great help. Darren’s now famous cheesy bread brought many new customers to the bakery and Anastasia felt like she couldn’t be happier.

Anastasia sung happily as she changed into her usual work outfit. “Baby, wear something super nice. It’s your birthday!” Darren laughed. Anastasia rolled her eyes but did what he said. She chose a pretty red dress, and put on a tiny bit more makeup than usual. She looked very pretty, and Darren smiled widely as he saw her. They went into the car, and drove to the bakery.

Once they were there, Darren immediately covered Anastasia’s eyes with a hand. “Huh?” Anastasia murmured as she walked forwards, hearing him open the door. “Is something happening? What’re you doing?”

“Nothing.” Darren laughed as he led her in. There was no sound, and everything was dark.

Then Darren removed his hand, and all of a sudden, a switch flipped on and light flooded the bakery. “Surprise!” A chorus of voices called. Balloons flew and bunches of confetti were thrown into the air. “Happy twenty-sixth birthday!”

“Oh my god! Everyone!” Anastasia cried out happily as she looked out among the sea of people. Ariana and Peter stood at the front, holding huge gifts. They had completely transformed the bakery into a party room, and it was beautiful.

“Happy birthday, Ana!” Ariana rushed forward and embraced Anastasia in a tight hug. “Surprise!”

Erica was also there, with George. Erica had the proudest smile on her face, and she walked quickly after Ariana, also holding a gift in her hands. “Oh, darling, I’m so proud of you. You have a man, and I got to say… I was wrong about the bakery.”

“Sorry, Mom, could you say that again? That last bit.” Anastasia giggled.

“You are terrible, Annie. I was
wrong,
okay?” Erica rolled her eyes in a mock annoyed manner. George chuckled as he patted Erica’s arm lovingly. Anastasia noticed, and thought that it was nice that they were still so in love. George was a gentleman, and was perfect for her mother. Perhaps this sixth marriage would be her best, and her last.

“Thanks, Mom, love you.” Anastasia chatted with Erica for a bit, catching up on the latest events. Anastasia didn’t mention the kidnapping or Darren being shot. Their cover story was that he had been playing with a knife and accidentally stabbed himself with it. Everyone seemed to buy it, and the only people that knew the truth were Anastasia, Ariana and Darren.

After her mother finally finished talking, Anastasia looked around the room, and noticed a long table completely full of food. In the middle of it all sat a large cake, obviously made by Darren. It had taken a long time to make, and it was beautiful. Anastasia could not stop smiling. She noticed Darren’s cheesy bread among the other tasty morsels. It looked like everyone had pitched in to make something to add to the buffet-style table. “This all looks so good… Thank you so much, guys. This is the best birthday ever!” She couldn’t wait to try everything.

As if he had read her mind, Peter walked up. “Try this one first,” he said as he pulled out a cupcake that was held within a glass case. It was beautifully decorated, and looked so delicious. It was obvious that Darren had made it, and Anastasia was sure that it would be a yummy treat.

“Okay!” Anastasia grinned as she took the case off. “Gosh, this is really nice.” She took a big bite of it, feeling the sweetness and icing dissolve on her tongue. “Oh, it’s so good!” She took an even bigger bite, savoring the taste. Suddenly, Anastasia spotted a small corner of some plastic in the middle of the cupcake. “Huh? What’s this?” She pulled at it, extracting a small bag out of the spongy cupcake.

Inside it, was something that made her heart stop and her breath hitch.

A beautiful diamond ring.

Darren moved forwards, and took the ring from her trembling fingers. He sank down onto the floor, onto one knee. “Anastasia, I know we’ve only known each other for a couple months but I’m so in love with you. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. You’re the first person I want to see every morning, and the last before I go to sleep. I want to create a family with you. We’ve been through so much together, and there is no one I’d rather go through it with. I love you so much, Anastasia Emmott, would you do me the honor of being my wife?”

Anastasia melted as a chorus of “awws” came from the women in the crowd. Tears filled Anastasia’s eyes as she stared at Darren, who awaited her reply. “Yes, of course I will, Darren. A thousand times, yes!” He slid the ring onto her finger and stood up, pulling her in for a tight hug. “I love you,” she murmured into his ear.

“I’m so happy right now,” Darren whispered back, pulling away and pressing his lips to hers in a kiss filled with passion. He didn’t care who was watching, he was just so happy that this woman was to be his, for the rest of time.

So much happiness flooded her heart, she could barely stand still. She finally had a job she loved, and a man she loved even more. Darren made her feel completely safe and he understood everything about her. She had the support of all her friends and family, whom she also loved dearly. It had been a hard journey to get to this point, but it was worth every moment.

This was right where she was meant to be, and Darren was who she was meant to be with. She finally understood why she had been through all that heartache with Aaron. She had learned so much in the past months, and grown more mature.

Anastasia knew that with this proposal, another chapter of her life was beginning, and this was one she definitely could not wait for.

In childhood I observed a huge love between my mother and father and promised myself that one day I would meet a man whom I would fall in love with head over heels. At the age of 16, I wrote my first romance story that was published in a student magazine and was read by my entire neighborhood. I enjoy writing romance stories that readers can turn into captivating imaginary movies where characters fall in love, overcome difficult obstacles, and participate in best adventures of their lives. Most of the time you can find me reading a great fiction book in a cozy armchair, writing a romance story in a hammock near the ocean, or traveling around the world with my beloved husband.

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Kate

www.KateGoldmanBooks.com