The Alchemy of Affection

Previously

…He realized, with a surprising jolt, that he was already looking forward to his next visit. The scent of vanilla and sugar had drawn him in, but it was the quiet dedication of the baker, the hint of vulnerability beneath her composed exterior, that had truly captured his attention. It was the beginning of something, he sensed, something beyond the simple pleasure of a perfectly baked treat. It was the scent of a new beginning, and Liam, the architect of structures, found himself unexpectedly drawn to the architecture of a human heart.