The CEO’s New Baby

“Ryan, I can’t do this.” There was no way she could give a speech in front of all those people. It was crazy. There were people Ryan had worked with, people who were used to his selected words and careful phrases. They would expect the same thing from her, and there was no possible way she could ever reach those expectations.

“Sure you can. You don’t even have to stick to what we wrote last night. Just say whatever you deem fit,” he whispered in her ear, his breath fanning her neck, making a trail of goose bumps to raise on the back of her neck.

She wished she could run away and hide under her covers. Because that was exactly what her body and mind urged her to do. But she couldn’t. She had an obligation to fulfill. She had signed up for that on her own and now she needed to find a way to bring it to an end.

“Hello,” she began. Her voice was shaky and a bit low. In fact, it had been so low she doubted they even heard her.

But low as it had been, it gathered all attention, making all eyes to set on her. Slowly, she moved away from her mother and Ryan, praying to dear God that she wouldn’t fall and make a fool of herself in front of all those people. She tried remembering the words she had dotted down the night before, or at least the ideas she had touched upon, but she couldn’t remember. Her mind had blanked out. But she had a plan B, Ryan had given it to her moments ago. All she needed to do was talk about what she felt.

“Hello, everyone, thank you for coming here today. A few years ago, as most of you might know, I was a no one. A mere waitress who was kicked out of work because I did not have the power to talk to a customer. When that happened, I went back home and swore to myself that one day I would be someone who would fight hard and prove to all those people that they weren’t any more special than I was. Of course, at that time, it was all but a dream. I had no idea how I was going to become the woman I so badly wanted to be.

“But life never fails us. It never leaves us alone to tend to our own problems and hopes. It is always there, it sends us help, it sends us advice. All we need to do is listen. Well, life sent me Ryan and his mother. They showed me the light at the end of the tunnel. His mother, Meredith, trusted me, and he loved me. And thanks to those two things, I came to be who I am today. They gave me back my mother and a beautiful daughter. And thanks to them, I gained the most powerful weapon, a weapon that can help me fulfill whatever dream I have. A family.

“To keep things short. I want to thank them, and my mother, for supporting me. For giving me everything I ever needed or wished for. For that, I will be forever grateful. Setting formalities aside, thank you for coming, and I hope this makes your day a bit sweeter.”

She grabbed the scissors from Ryan’s hands and cut the ribbon. The gesture made the crowd erupt in a fit of applause, all directed towards her. She couldn’t believe she had actually done it. She had officially opened her own bakery.

Inside, people had already started eating, serving themselves with the sweets scattered on the tables. Peter was around them, walking by the guests, making sure to make small talk to each one of them, telling them a story or two about who taught him the recipes for that specific plate. He was good at small talk, he was charming and witty, able to immediately spot what a person wanted.

Kayla was still under the effect of the adrenaline from back the opening. She walked through the crowd with Ryan in hand, she smiled and spoke, but could never actually remember who she saw or what she said. It had all been so surreal, so out of a story. But she loved every part of it.