Page 60 of First Bride to Fall
“One son, Aidan.” She searched his eyes, looking like she wanted to say something more, but then she didn’t.
“What happened to your dad?” he asked her.
“Mr. Strong cheated him in business. My dad is such a kind person, nice as the day is long, but that also makes him a little naive, and I’m afraid Mr. Strong took advantage.”
“How?”
“By giving him the coffee shop in Majestic in exchange for global distribution rights.”
“Hang on.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Bearberry Coffee. That sounds familiar somehow, and not just because of your shop.”
“Yeah. They distribute to specialty grocery stores. Co-ops and the like.”
“Oh yeah, I remember the packaging. It’s like your store logo but more streamlined, with berries and missing the bear silhouette rising up to eat them.”
“Right. They operated off of the company’s initial recipes. The first blends my parents and the Strongs concocted together. Afterward, my folks went on to develop new coffees, but the international business stuck with the basics because that’s all they’d gotten rights to.”
“So,” he asked. “That’s you guys, then? Everywhere in the stores?”
“Would have been us, but no. There was a split between the families and the businesses, with the Strongs becoming billionaires after moving to London, and the Delaneys receiving no share of those profits while they stayed here. After that, the two families became enemies.”
“Oh no. For how long?”
She was quiet a moment. “The wounds still linger. The point is about my dad and what Mr. Strong’s deception did to him. He didn’t start drinking—nothing as drastic as your dad—but he did change, and not for the better. He just became unhappy in a way. Less cheerful and optimistic than he used to be.”
“And now? How’s he doing?”
“Okay, just not the same as before, and the café is struggling, like I told you. That doesn’t help his outlook.”
“It will come back, Nell.” He gave her an affirming hug. “Things will get better.”
“I’d like to believe that,” she said.
He hoped that for her, too. They sat together in silence, the warmth of their bodies mingling in a way that comforted him. Grant never talked to anyone about his family, but sharing things with Nell had seemed natural. He was glad she’d felt comfortable talking to him about private things, as well. The fit between them was so easy and right. It felt good being with her and having her beside him.
“I think it’s cool about you and your family,” he said. “All being so close.”
“Yeah, it’s nice.”
“You think you’ll want a big one, too?” She gazed up at him, wide-eyed. “I mean, someday.”
She smiled softly. “Someday, sure. But not huge-huge. Not sure how many diapers I want to change.”
He chuckled. “You make a good point.”
“Of course, I won’t be the only one diaper-changing.”
“No?”
Her eyebrows arched. “I’d be expecting some help from my partner.”
“Sounds fair.”
They were both quiet a moment, and then she asked him, “How about you? Want kids?”
“Yeah, probably. I think that would be nice. Assuming I found the right woman. The right person for my wife.” If he hadn’t already.
“You’d make a pretty great dad,” she murmured. “Based on your skill level.”
