"No peeking," Quinn said, the broad expanse of his palms covering Crissy's eyes.

"I'm not peeking," Crissy said. "But you better not make me trip."

"I know, I know. I'll be sleeping on the couch for a week and you won't let me touch anything you bake. Believe me, I have no interest in experiencing that kind of torture."

"Where are we going anyway? I have a strudel in the oven. I don't want it to burn."

"It won't burn. We're just stepping outside for a minute. Now would you stop wiggling?"

Crissy waved her outstretched arms in front of her. As Quinn pushed open the door with one foot without removing his hands from her eyes, a blast of ice cold hit her face and she recoiled. She ducked her nose into the collar of her coat and Quinn shuffled a little closer, his breath warm against the back of her neck.

"I smell food," she said.

"You always smell food. And we're literally two steps outside of the bakery. Of course you smell food."

A pause.

"Are we there yet?"

"No," Quinn said with a laugh.

"How about now?"

"I'll tell you when we get there. Just trust me."

She curled her fingers over his wrist. "I do trust you. But hurry up. I'm getting impatient."

"Pretty sure you're already there, sweetheart," he said as his hands slid away from her eyes.

Resting above the bakery was her brand new sign in big bold letters, proclaiming, "Sugar & Spice." It wasn't the title she had in mind for so many years but this wasn't just her dream anymore. It was Amy's dream and Quinn's dream just as much as it was hers. They had all worked to make this come true and it was only right that they agreed on a title together.

"The guys finally finished putting it up this morning while you were busy baking," he said.

"Is that what all that noise was and you wouldn't let me look?"

"It was a surprise! You can't look at surprises when they're in the process."

Crissy smiled up at Quinn, sliding her arms into his jacket. "It's perfect. Just in time for opening day too."

He ducked his head with a quick, chilled kiss before he pulled her arm through the crook of his elbow and tugged her towards the door again.

"All right, that's enough," he said. "You are freezing."

He pushed open the door to the pleasant hum of the bakery. After Quinn's stay at the hospital, Crissy had postponed opening day for a few months until December to make sure he could handle being on his feet all day while he worked. She still caught him coughing very once in a while or scratching at his neck where the livid red scars crept out of his shirt collar and snaked down his arm. Otherwise, he was moving, he was smiling...and he was laughing. That's all she ever wanted.

Despite the fact that the official opening day wasn't until tomorrow, a few customers from the fire department had already sifted through her doors somehow, huddled around tables with coffee and fresh pastries.

Quinn took her coat and hung it up as Crissy returned to the kitchen to fetch the trifle out of the oven and set it aside to cool. Amy bounced by, a bundle of blankets tucked in one arm, two coffee mugs balanced in her hand.

"Hey auntie, Cristina 2.0 has been fed and she's ready for a nap," she said. "If you could work your magic, sugar, that would be great."

Crissy accepted the sleeping baby, skimming the back of one finger over the baby's soft cheek. Within a minute, Cristina's eyes drifted closed and she fell asleep, lightly gripping Crissy's finger.

Quinn ducked into the kitchen with a kiss to the top of her head. She scooped up a bite of the strudel and held it up to him.

"Taste," she said. "You haven't eaten all morning."

His hand settled at the small of her back as he accepted the bite. "Thank you, sweetheart. Hey, where did you put those cinnamon rolls you promised Megan? She just showed up with the whole brood in tow and it's like swimming with piranhas. They're about to chew through everything in sight."

Without looking up from the baby, Crissy dipped her head towards the glass dish on the counter, tucked behind the cooling rack.

"Iced and ready to go. The whole pan is for her."

"Oh god," Quinn groaned. "Those kids are going to be bouncing off the walls."

Crissy laughed softly. "I'll be sure to tell Megan you're free to babysit later."

"Sweetheart, you're adorable and I love you very much but please don't do that to me."

She smiled and patted his shoulder. "I won't tell her. I'll just drop subtle hints instead. Are you ready for a coffee break?"

"Let me get this sugar rush to the kids, and refill Pete's coffee and I'll be there in a minute."

After he left, she poured two cups of coffee and carefully carried them out to her favorite table, tucked in the corner by the window. There were a few surviving scrapbook pages framed and hanging on the wall here, remnants of memories become real, tangible beneath her fingertips.

After a minute or two, Quinn slid into the booth next to her with a kiss to her hair.

"Is Andrea still planning to come for the opening tomorrow?" he asked.

She nodded. "It's the first time we've been together since she started visiting a therapist twice a week so we'll see how it goes. Kenneth will be here too by the way. Apparently he was upset that Andrea didn't save any eclairs for him. She ate them all before she got home."

Quinn shook his head. "Poor guy."

He inched a little closer and peeled a corner of the blanket aside to look at sleeping Cristina.

"You need a dozen," he whispered.

"How about just one for now?"

He brushed his thumb over her chin. "Sounds good to me."

Crissy tucked herself tighter against the warmth of his side. "Are you sure you won't change your mind?"

He squinted at her, wary. "That sounds like a trick question."

She nosed along his jawline with tiny, butterfly soft kisses until she reached his ear.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered, hushed with reverence, breathless with excitement.

Quinn froze for a moment before he pulled back, his hand coming to rest against her cheek.

"You're...certain? I mean..." His voice cracked and he trailed off.

She bit her lip and nodded but she couldn't stop the smile that grew so wide, her cheeks ached. He laughed as he took her face in his hands and kissed her, once, twice, three times, until little Cristina whimpered in Crissy's arms. Quinn retreated, one hand settling on top of Cristina's head while his other hand cupped the back of Crissy's neck, his thumb nestled in the hollow below her ear. His eyes were so blindingly bright, she thought he would come apart at the seams with how happy he was.

"It's still early though," she said. "So I'd like to keep it quiet for now."

"Does Amy know?"

Crissy opened her mouth then snapped it shut with a look. He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah," he said, "forget that. Stupid question anyway."

He kissed the back of her hand, his thumb skimming the inside of her wrist as he watched her.

"Are you happy?" he whispered. "Is this what you want?"

"It's everything I've ever dreamed of."

Crissy shifted to lean back against him. Quinn's chin brushed the top of her head as he wrapped his arms around her, warm and solid and protective as always.

Together, they watched the first snowflakes drift down to nestle up against the slick heat of the windows and the faint scent of cinnamon mingled with sugar in the air.

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