Forgiving Daan wasn't as simple as him saying sorry. That night, while I let him take me home and helped him patch up some of the cracks he'd created with his absence, I refused to fully open the door straight away.

Although I practically begged him to use me after Madeleine's funeral, his knee-jerk reaction to what would happen to Wickedly Sweet and my career left a bitter taste in my mouth.

It was what stopped me from asking him when we'd have to close up shop. Neither one of us had found the right time to talk about the imminent sale and each day the uncertainty of where I'd go actually made me sick.

With my uncle's offer to return to France still on the table, I could easily quit and start over again. While France meant no Daan, staying, without this place, felt like I was giving up on my dreams. I was so conflicted. Why couldn't I have it all?

Deep down, I knew which one I wanted most.

I felt like the hands of a loud ticking clock were rushing towards twelve, and time was running out too fast. I couldn't stall any longer.

With shaking fingers, I hooked my apron in the office and waited for Daan to sign off on one of our wholesale deliveries. Shit, one of us would have to call our suppliers to close our accounts. There was just so much to do before closing everything down.

"Right, you ready to head out?" Daan left the paperwork on the edge of the desk and pulled his car keys out of his pocket. "I'll file that away tomorrow." He tucked an arm around my waist and kissed my temple.

Everything was being left until tomorrow when it needed to be dealt with today. "Mmm, yep, let's go." I chewed on my lower lip and stopped him just as we reached the door to the courtyard. My palms tingled and I wiped them down my dress. "Actually, I need to tell you something. Ask you something?"

"Are you okay?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine. It's not about me. Well, not really."

"You sure because you're acting funny."

"Yeah sure. Listen, can we go sit down?" I asked, pointing towards the office like he wouldn't know where the seats were in the building. I shouldn't feel this anxious.

Daan glanced at his watch and rubbed his forehead. "Um, any chance we can have this talk in the car? I don't want to be that guy but we have somewhere to be and I'm worried we'll be late." His grip tightened around my middle and he had the exit door already open, waiting for me to walk out.

A sudden panic crossed over his features when I stilled and my nervousness only grew. Worries surrounding the bakery metamorphosed into fears of where he was taking me.

Reluctantly, I followed him to his car and took a seat inside without objecting, but my mind was whirring with endless possibilities—my thoughts buzzing with what-ifs.

A deep flush crept up my neck to my cheeks as we sat there in silence before he started the engine. My lips parted a few times as I encouraged my voice to make some noise. I needed to get my questions out the way before they ruined the rest of our day but nothing came out and I resigned myself to slumping in my seat.

"You can put some music on if you want." Daan lifted his chin towards the radio and mindlessly drummed on the steering wheel to some soundless tune. 

I settled on the first radio station without hearing what song was playing, then turned the volume down so it was barely a low hum.

"Wow, last time I was this tense was at the Fundraiser."

"Really? Was it because you had to dance with me?" I smiled despite my nerves and cocked my head to the side as I watched his fingers white-knuckle around the wheel and my insides knotted with each passing second.

"Partly. Was shit scared you'd step on my feet with your killer heels."

"Instead, I made you pour boiling water on your hand."

"Oh, yeah." He laughed. "Still one of my favourite nights. Burns and all." He squeezed my thigh and kept his hand there while we drove past his grandmother's house towards Brighton's seafront.

We followed the road along the coast for a while, and I still had no idea where we were heading.

"Are we going out of town?"

"Maybe... It's a surprise."

"I didn't bring anything with me if you're thinking of driving all the way back to London." He sped up and instead of taking the third exit away from the city, he looped back down the road we'd just taken.

"Don't worry. We're not going to London."

I watched the coast come back into view and then disappear as he once again turned towards his grandmother's house.

Where on earth was he taking me?

Our car journey could end at any moment and I knew I wouldn't be able to enjoy his surprise if I kept quiet any longer. "Daan? When's the shop closing?"

His Adam's apple visibly bobbed as he swallowed and he removed his hand from my thigh. "Is that what you wanted to talk about? The bakery?" He rubbed his forehead before resting his right forearm against the car window.

"I think it's time, don't you? We can't keep putting it off." As much as I wanted to deep down. "If it's really gone, I have to look for work again. Regardless of us. I can't sit around and wait for a new job to fall in my lap."

"You're right we can't. I'm not proud of how I've handled everything, but seeing you out of a job was the last thing I wanted. It was selfish of me to forget about your plans when I thought I just wanted that place gone." He glanced over as soon as it was safe to do so and the pit of my stomach dropped. "Where will you go if the bakery isn't there anymore? Your mum said you were going back to France?"

"I have a few options but I think I should make something clear first—" A white delivery van overtook so close to us, I instinctively squeezed myself inwards, praying it didn't bump the front of Daan's car. "—maybe you should keep your eyes on the traffic. I don't want to be that far from Brighton and my friends."

"Oh." Daan sagged in his seat and nodded as he listened.

"And I definitely don't want to be in another country unless you were there so that plan just won't work for me."

His tight-lipped grimace quickly changed into a loose smile. Resting my right cheek against the headrest, I allowed myself a few seconds to appreciate the slight parting of his full lips and the attractive creases around his eyes. I couldn't leave him behind even if he'd insisted I had to for my career.

The repetitive clicking of the indicator filled the car as we slowed and eventually came to a halt.

"There's no easy way to tell you this. Actually, instead of telling you, why don't I show you."

"What are you on about?" I peered over my shoulder and squinted at the familiar bakery facade. He drove all across town just to end back at Wickedly Sweet. My thoughts froze and I hadn't registered Daan leaving the car until he stood in front of me with the door held open. "Did you forget something inside?"

"No." He reached for my hand and gave my fingers three gentil squeezes. "Why don't we take a little walk?" Daan unbuckled my seat belt and pulled me to my feet. With eager steps, he led us back to where it all began.

"Are you messing with me?" I clutched his hand tighter as we got closer and my pulse drummed at my temple.

He removed the bakery key from his pocket and spun it over in his palm twice. "So, funny thing is, I might've forgotten to fully sign the contract with the developers."

"What does that even mean?" I held my breath in anticipation.

"I had it all there, signed, and honestly thought it was a done deal. Papers were sent back to the solicitor. I did it so quickly, acting in anger. But I got a phone call a few days ago. I'd skipped the last page."

"So, they want you to come in and fix your mistake?" I didn't want to get my hopes up.

"I'm not going to do that." His voice dropped as he answered. With his back to me, he placed the key in the lock and turned.

Time slowed and my vision blurred. With the lights off inside, I wouldn't have been able to see anything anyway but I grabbed hold of Daan's shoulder for reassurance.

I adjusted my footing when he stopped in the middle of the bakery and had an odd sense I was being watched from the other side of the counter and prep room door. "What's going on?"

"Welcome to your bakery, Noa."

Daan held me by my shoulders and turned me towards him as the lights came on.

"Surprise!"

Selene and the Hastings sisters, Harlow and Posie, jumped up from behind the shop counter, with balloons spelling out 'Congratulations Noa' above them.

"I—I don't know what to say." Covering my mouth with the palm of my hand, I gaped up at Daan, tears brimming the corner of my eyes. "How is this even possible? What do you mean by my bakery?"

"Without my final signature, the sale can't go through. I have some pissed off solicitors and the property developers aren't exactly happy either, but Posie over there convinced them she had a better deal for them. Some unused farmland between here and Lewes where they could build luxury housing with views to die for, instead of the built up city centre." He winked over at Posie. "Thanks again for that one."

"Any time. He promised a cake of my choice for it though, Noa, so I'm counting on you."

"And I quit my job in London yesterday. After I've worked my notice, I'm all yours down here. I can't bake for shit but I can make a good cup of coffee and I'm pretty clued up on stocktake now." He spoke faster in a bubbly tone and his eyes glanced around the room until they settled on my face. "I know money will be tight for a little while but Harlow and Posie also helped get Gran's house valued," he said, lower this time.

"Just call us your fairy godmothers," Posie added.

Harlow grimaced. "Call yourself that, grandma. I was just doing my job."

Daan ignored them. "Once that sells, we can feed the equity back into the business. What do you think? Will you keep running it for me? And maybe let me stay at yours until we get on our feet."

"You can't do that," I rushed but when Daan dropped his gaze to the floor, I lay my hand over his heart. "Sell the house. You can't sell it, Daan. I know I said the same for the bakery but that was in part selfishly for me. But that house. That's your childhood. That's her house." I wiped the tears which were now falling down my cheeks with my forearm. "I don't have all the answers, but let me call my uncle. Maybe he can help in some way. Maybe if I show him our business plan, he'd invest. Just don't make any crazy, rash decisions."

He placed his forehead against mine and stroked his thumbs along my jaw. "Okay. I think I learnt not to jump the gun too quickly from last time." He cut off my low chuckle by pressing his lips to mine. "But I don't regret quitting my job. I hated it there. Gran knew that and I'm not wasting any more time in a place I hate, especially if you're down here."

"I love you, Daan. I'll make Madeleine and you proud with Wickedly Sweet."

"I just want to be where you are. And everything else will work out somehow."

***

So, my friends, this is the last chapter of Wickedly Sweet.
The epilogue will be posted soon.

Thank you all for being so patient with me. I've never taken this long to write anything but there's always a first.

As it's only a first draft, please feel free to leave your feedback and how you felt about the last chapter. The beauty of Wattpad is that I can always come back to edit.

Lots of love,
Clara