Chapter 411

Olivia

Despite my sadness over the cancellation of our highly-anticipated wedding, I awoke the next morning with a new sense of excitement in my chest.

Today was my first day apprenticing at the bakery, and I couldn’t be more ecstatic.

I popped up out of bed the moment my alarm went off and made my way to the bathroom, where I took a shower and began going over my schedule in my head. I was supposed to be at the bakery in an hour, which meant that I needed to get dressed and get the twins changed and fed before I left.

Thankfully, it was a short walk to the bakery in our small town, but I still had a lot to think about. But this was what I signed up for—this was what I had wanted, and I was prepared to be a worker and a mother all at once.

And so, as soon as I hopped out of the shower and put my robe on, I made my way to the nursery to see the twins already awake in their cribs and looking at me with their big blue eyes.

I gently picked up Elliot, who had been babbling softly in his crib, and then turned to Aurora, who was gripping the bars of her crib and trying to haul herself to her feet with only minor frustration.

“Look at you go, Aurora,” I said as I scooped up her brother. “Just a little more and you’ll get there.”

As I began changing Elliot, I kept Aurora in my peripherals, and I couldn’t seem to wipe the smile off of my face. “Today’s a very big day for mommy,” I cooed as I smiled down at Elliot, who was sucking on his fingers and blinking sleepily up at me. “A very big day.”

Once Elliot was changed, I quickly picked out some clothes for him and got him dressed. Clint was supposed to be here in thirty minutes, and I wanted to have the twins both dressed and fed by then. It was going to be a bit of a rush, but I was hopeful that I could get everything done and still be at the bakery in time.

But then, just as I was about to finish getting Elliot dressed, I felt a warm pair of lips press against the back of my neck. I turned to see Nathan, his sleepy blue-green eyes filled with tenderness.

“Good morning,” he murmured, his voice husky with sleep. “You look beautiful as always.”

“What are you doing up?” I asked, glancing at the clock. “I thought you normally get up at seven on work days.”

Nathan smiled and brushed a strand of hair away from my face. “I’m here to stop you from killing yourself with ‘mom’ duties,” he said. “Now move out of the way. I’ll handle the twins.”

“But Clint will be here—”

“I told Clint to stay home today,” he said as he scooped up Elliot. “I’m bringing the twins to the Council building. We’re gonna have a lot of fun today, aren’t we, little man?” As he spoke, he tickled Elliot’s chubby little belly, eliciting giggles from Elliot.

I was taken aback by his thoughtfulness. “Nathan, are you sure?” I asked. “You don’t need to do that. You’ve got your Alpha duties to attend to, and I’ll only be at the bakery for a few hours—”

“Olivia, it’s all under control,” Nathan said as he set Elliot down in his crib and then scooped up Aurora to get her changed and dressed. “Really. Just focus on your apprenticeship today.”

I didn’t know what to say. Nathan didn’t bring the twins to the Council building often; it almost felt as though something had changed recently. Not that I was against it, but it was just surprising.

“Wow, um… Thanks,” I said. “I’ll come pick them up after my shift.”

“Nope,” Nathan said. “After your shift, you should relax. Seriously, Liv.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Nathan put his hand up to stop me and I shut it again. Without another word, I simply nodded and left the room, rushing back to the bedroom to get dressed.

As I walked to the bakery that morning, though, I couldn’t stop thinking about Nathan’s devotion to our family. It made me think about our courthouse wedding, and how excited I was to finally make him my husband.

And that alone made me grateful, despite the tragedy surrounding our ceremony.

When I arrived at the bakery, I was greeted by the delicious aroma of freshly baked bread. James and Petunia were already hard at work, kneading dough and shaping loaves.

“Good morning, Olivia!” Petunia called out with a warm smile. “Ready to get your hands dirty?”

I grinned and tied on an apron that was waiting for me on the hook. “Absolutely,” I replied. “I can’t wait to learn.”

Over the next few hours, I immersed myself in the art of bread-making. James and Petunia were patient teachers, guiding me through each step of the process. It was fascinating to see how different it was from baking at home. The precision, the timing, and the science behind it all were truly impressive.

“You’re on the right track,” James said as I carefully kneaded the dough. “But try this instead…”

As I stepped out of the way, James stepped in and began kneading. I watched as he worked, taking in how he carefully twisted his wrists and used the heels of his hands to get a good knead. Each movement seemed so precise, and before I knew it, both of my arms were sore from trying to match his form.

“It’s a bit of a workout, isn’t it?” James asked with a chuckle.

I nodded, my brow coated with a thin layer of sweat from the heat of the ovens. “I thought I was in good shape, too.”

“It’s just a different muscle than you’re probably used to,” Petunia said. She was already shaping her fifth loaf of dough to place on the proofing rack, and I was still working on my first one. “You’ll get used to it quickly, though.”

“As if you know about muscles, Petunia,” James teased his sister. “The only muscle you work is your mouth eating the bread.”

“Hey!” Petunia yelled, tossing a handful of flour at James, who laughed maniacally in response. I couldn’t help but laugh too at their sibling rivalry, knowing that there was no real harm in their words.

Next, as I shaped the dough into a round loaf, Petunia shared some tips and tricks of her own with me.

“You have to make sure not to make the ball too firm,” she said, showing me how she quickly shaped it by holding the dough with one hand and slapping it into her other palm, going around in circles until the dough was in a neat, smooth shape. “See how I give it some air by doing this?”

I nodded, trying to match her rhythm. As I worked, I could see the dough bubbling up in areas. I went to press the bubbles down, but Petunia stopped me.

“Leave the air pockets,” she said. “It adds a nice crunch and texture. Air is key in a good loaf of bread.”

As the morning progressed, I made my fair share of mistakes. My first attempt at shaping a loaf resembled a lopsided blob, and I accidentally spilled flour all over the floor. But with James and Petunia’s guidance, I persevered and gradually improved.

But then, everything changed.

Just as I was taking a break and heading out into the front area for something, I was met with a sudden burst of blinding light. Cameras flashed, and a group of people were shouting.

“Luna, look over here!”