A Match Made in Heaven

“Hi handsome,” she said. “Thanks for buying the dresses.”

“I told you, I’m taking care of everything.”

She laughed. “You did. I found an amazing dress.”

“I know I’ll love you in it.”

“I miss you,” Janelle said softly, trying to fight past the lump that had formed in her throat.

“I miss you too. And the good news is that I finished up work early. I should be seeing you very, very soon.”

Relief flooded Janelle. They told each other goodbye before she stepped back into the warmth of the shop. Everyone was already all bundled up, ready to head to the next shop.

By the end of the day, Janelle was exhausted. She’d safely stored her dress at Clark’s house so there was no way Reece would know what she’d be wearing. Her mom was heading to a hotel for the night. Janelle could tell that she was tired too. When she stepped through the front door of her apartment, she flipped on the lights. Sighing, she headed to the kitchen, wondering what she was going to eat.

“Hey.”
Janelle jumped. Sitting on the couch, was Reece. He had a big grin on his face. Janelle ran over to him as he stood, throwing her arms around his neck. Without a word, he kissed her deeply. From that simple gesture, she could tell that he’d missed her just as much as she’d missed him.

“What are you doing here so early?” Janelle asked.

“I told you that I was coming home early,” he said with a laugh.

“You didn’t say this early!”

“I couldn’t stand not being around you,” he said as his hands ran over her face, pulling her into another kiss.

Janelle quickly lost her thoughts as she leaned against him. His hands were already eagerly roaming over her body. She already knew they wouldn’t even make it upstairs as they sank to the couch.

*****

“Okay, what’s on the agenda,” Reece asked the next morning.

“Caterers. Our favorite thing in the world.”

“Mmm, food,” Reece said looking happy and dazed.

Janelle laughed. She already knew what was going through his head. He was thinking about all of the foods they would try. The rich sauces, the juicy meats, the amazing delicacies. She had to admit, she was just as excited as he was.

“We have to do cake testings today too,” she added.

“Oh baby,” he said as he kissed her. “Now, you’re just teasing me.”

They spent the next few hours sampling food from various caterers until they settled on a menu. When that was done, Reece was all but eagerly dragging her to the bakery. As soon as they’d stepped inside, they were hit with the smell of sugar, fruit and chocolate. Janelle couldn’t wait.

Both of them took a seat at one of the tables before a man brought out a tray for them. On it, there were various slices of cake; strawberry, double chocolate, coconut, red velvet. Janelle wasn’t sure where to start first.
“These look amazing,” she said to the man.

He beamed. “I make every one from scratch and as you can see, I decorate them exactly to specifications. Enjoy them. I’ll be back in a while to check on both of you.”

“Thank you,” they replied in unison before they began to dig in.

“Mmmm,” Reece said as he bit into a piece of cake with butter cream frosting. “This one for sure.”

Janelle tasted it. “Ew, I don’t like it.”

“Strange as usual,” he sighed.

Janelle simply smiled as she bit into a piece of double chocolate. “This one?”

Reece shook his head. “Definitely not.”

They went through each slice that way until they found one that they could both agree on. The raspberry chocolate was a delicious combination. Reece loved the sweetness, while she fell in love with the tart. Satisfied, they both approached the register to discuss the design and decoration of the cake.

“You both have healthy appetites,” the baker said laughing, “your kids will be good eaters.”

“Of course,” Reece said with a smile.

At the same time, Janelle scoffed. “Yeah right.”

They both stopped and stared at each other. Janelle’s eyes went wide. She’d never realized that Reece wanted kids. Reece must have been thinking the same thing as he talked first.

“You don’t want kids?”

“Definitely not,” she said frowning.

“You said that you liked kids.”

“I do,” she said. “When I can give them back to their parents. Why on earth would you want kids?”

“Well, that’s probably because I actually like kids.”

Janelle folded her arms over her chest. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It just means you lied about liking kids.”

She scoffed. “I didn’t lie. You just assumed I’d want to churn out babies apparently.”

Reece shook his head. “I can’t even believe we’re having this conversation.”

“We’re not,” Janelle said curtly, “I don’t want kids. End of discussion.”

Heated, she left out of the shop, the small bell overhead chiming as she left. She headed to the car. The whole day had taken a sour turn she hadn’t expected. All she wanted to do was go home. Reece was several minutes before he jogged outside and unlocked the doors. He drove them back to her place, neither of them saying a word.

*****       

Janelle wondered how long they were going to keep it up. The wedding was getting closer and they hadn’t spoken in three days. Janelle was too stubborn to call him though. After the bakery, they’d gotten into another fight at her place that had resulted in Reece leaving, slamming the door behind him.

“I can’t believe both of you are being this stupid,” Clark said as he sat at the bar, a frown on his face.

Janelle rolled her eyes. “You just want to keep planning.”

“Yes, I do! I want you to have a wedding,” he said agitated. “Dumb ass,” she heard him mumble.

“I heard that. And it’s not my fault. How was I supposed to know that he’d want kids?”