My Saving Grace

Chapter 26

"How many more left?", I asked, clutching my stomach as I let yet another spoonful of frosting and sweetness settle in it.

"Three. You got this, girl," Alexa said encouragingly, rubbing my back. "Ooh, the next one looks beautiful."

I groaned as she led me towards the towering white four-tiered wedding cake, which had strawberries lined around the edges and was adorned with red roses on the bottommost layer. It was the best one we'd seen yet.

"Let's hope it tastes as good as it looks," I said, popping a small piece of the precut slice into my mouth. The combined flavors of vanilla, chocolate cream, and strawberries instantly brought my taste buds to life, and I had to stifle a moan I knew would sound way too sexual.

"I'm guessing you like it?", Alexa remarked with a smirk.

I nodded.

"This is the one, Lex. I'm not even gonna bother sampling the last two."

"Sounds good to me. I'll go grab Tony quick."

Tony was the creator of all of these masterpieces. An old friend of Antonio's had recommended him to us. In normal circumstances, Antonio would've been the one at my side for the past hour, sampling cakes and debating with me about which one was the best.

Unfortunately, he had to fly up to San Francisco for a family emergency. His mother had suffered a minor heart attack yesterday and was in the hospital. Thankfully, she was going to be fine based on what he told me last time I called.

Since Alexa was already in town for a conference, she offered to come to the cake tasting with me. At my wedding dress fitting a while back, she'd acted both the roles of mother-of-the-bride and maid-of-honor, crying when she saw me with it on then proceeding to joke about how we thought we'd be single forever. Friends like her only came once in a lifetime.

The wedding was set for July 7th, a month and a half away, and I couldn't be more excited. I'd always dreamt of getting married on Coronado Island ever since I was a little girl, and what better place to hold a reception than the Hotel del Coronado, one of San Diego's most prominent landmarks?

Later that day, I dropped Alexa off at the airport then drove to a small coffee shop in Santa Monica to pass the hour until Antonio's flight arrived. After deciding what I wanted, I stood in line to pay, rummaging through my purse for my credit card when I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder.

The moment I turned around, I was met with a pair of piercing blue eyes, but they didn't belong to just any stranger.

They belonged to Chase Lincoln.

I felt the ground move beneath my feet as I stood there in a trance, zoning everything and everyone out except for the man in front of me.

"You're up next, Sophia," he spoke at the same time a voice behind me said, "I can help whoever's next."

Snapping out of my trance, I whipped around to face the cashier, who was smiling widely.

"What would you like today, Miss?"

"A mocha with whipped cream." My words were a jumbled mess as my heart raced in my chest. "Please," I added.