Damien ✔️

Epilogue

"Mia there's another order for blueberry muffins at table 4!" A voice yelled out into the back room.

"Okay!" She replied back, quickly placing 3 blueberry muffins on a plate before bustling into the front of the cafe.

Her eyes skimmed her surroundings, before finding the designated table. Her small feet maneuvered past bodies of staff and customers to serve the occupants at said table.

"Hi there, my name is Mia and I'll be another one of your servers for today." She said with a small albeit genuine smile. "Here are your blueberry muffins."

She placed the plate in the middle of the two guests, who gushed over the smell and appeal of the baked item. After asking if they would like any drinks, they informed her that someone else had already taken their order.

Giving them another smile, Mia hurried back to the kitchen to resume helping with the prep. It was only 11am, yet the cafe was already busy with guests.

While she powdered her hands to start rolling the dough for an apple pie, large arms encased around her waist and pulled her away from the table.

"You're getting so good at this." A deep voice murmured in her ear.

Mia blushed, having no doubt who that voice belonged to, but the blatant PDA he was displaying distracted her from his words.

"Can we go somewhere more private." She mumbled shyly, trying to pull him to the staff room where personal belongings were kept.

"Why? I like it over here." He continued, not even budging at her feeble attempts to move him. "It smells good."

One of his hands proceeded to run up her side to close around her neck, titling it so that he could lower his face into the crevice.

"I thought I told you that I didn't want you to start working till 2." Damien said, ignoring her.

"I don't mind helping out earlier." She shrugged.

Damien smiled into her neck, placing a chaste kiss before speaking.

"Yes, but I would feel much better if you worked less hours. I don't even know why you want to do all the grunt work— it's your bakery."

Damien had worked endlessly to get her bakery up and running. He felt guilty about what had happened to her and he hoped that fulfilling her dream of owning her own bakery would be the start in making up for his mistakes.

It's been open to the public for almost 2 months now, but it was fast to build a reputation for itself in such a short time. Damien also had a part to play in that.

"I'm fine, all I do is bake and serve. I'm only 12 weeks along, I'm good to do things as usual." She sighed, fighting against an eye roll.

Ever since she found out she was pregnant, Damien had been even more protective than usual. A little over a month after the drama within his business, she realized that she still hadn't gotten her period, even despite taking the morning after pill. She was shocked because she thought the pill was a 100% guaranteed kind of thing.

Well, she thought wrong.

"What's wrong pretty girl? You've been quiet and mopey all week."

Damien sat with Mia on a bench near the shoreline. She had been acting strange for the past week, so he thought ice cream and salt water would cheer her up. Initially he thought that she was still upset about what went down at their house almost a month ago but deep down he knew that it wasn't about that.

Mia fidgeted and played with her fingers in anxiousness. It was obvious that whatever was bothering her was a big deal.

"I-I u-um."

Mia could barely get out the words she needed to talk to her boyfriend. Her voice was shaky and unstable.

A wave crashed in the distance and the breeze that came with it gave Mia the opportunity to take a deep breath of fresh air.

She turned to face him, and teary eyes met his blue ones.

"I think I'm pregnant."

Damien's heart froze and surprise took over his face.

"W-what? I thought—I saw you take that pill?"

As much as Damien loved Mia, he knew that they weren't ready for a baby. She was only 18 and he had an endless list of enemies. This wasn't an ideal situation.

"I did! B-but I don't know. I haven't gotten my...y-you know, in over a month." Even in such a situation, Mia was unable to keep her cheeks from flushing when talking about something as natural as her monthly cycle.

Silence took over for a while, the sound of the waves and voices of passerby's filling the void.

"What do you want to do?" Damien finally asked.

Mia sniffled and swiped at a lone tear.

"I'm not ready to be a mom. I-I've never had one, I wouldn't even know how to be one..." She trailed off, watching as a toddler chased after their sibling in the distance. "But I also think that's why I want to try."

Her voice cracked as she finished, more tears now following the lone one that she wiped away a moment ago.

Damien lifted Mia onto his lap and kissed her head, trying to comfort her. Her rubbed her back as her cries settled, still placing soft kisses over her face and hair.

"Then we'll try."

Once they got past the initial shock of the pregnancy, things went on a lot smoother. They went for a pregnancy test, which confirmed Mia's predictions and that confirmation seemed to switch the atmosphere from somber to excitement.

Now, despite the occasional moments of doubt, Mia was looking forward to being a mother and Damien a father. However, his protective behaviour was amplified significantly, which led to many disagreements on their end. She always fought against him and most times he won; except when it came to the cafe.

"You shouldn't be on your feet for the whole day. That's why I compromised with you and agreed to let you start work at 2. No earlier."

Mia rolled her eyes and turned in his arms, successfully getting flour on his black shirt.

"I promise not to come early anymore, okay? I'm sorry." She gave in with a sigh.

Deep down she knew that he was right, but she loved the café so much and wanted to be a part of its growth.

"Thank you," Damien sighed and swiped at a line of flour on her cheek, "you know I only want the best for you."

"Kiss?" She asked cutely, happy that they'd settled their mild spat.

Damien laughed and leaned down to connect their lips, both of them smiling into the caress.

"Kiss." He murmured into her lips.