I bite my lip, worried people won’t show up.
“Stop that,” Noah says, his thumb pulling my lip from between my teeth. “You can count on your friends. They wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
I take a calming breath, inhaling their combined scents—comfort, and most of all, love.
“Okay, let’s do this.”
Caleb lets out a small laugh. “That’s more like it.”
He bites down on my earlobe before stepping away and swatting my arse playfully.
I glance over my shoulder, loving how dashing he looks in his suit, as does Noah; together, they are a formidable force.
Breathing in deeply, I steal my shoulders once more. Noah reaches for one of my hands as Caleb takes the other, and together, we make our way into my restaurant—my restaurant.
How is this even my life right now?
Part of me is so scared, like this is a dream, and it will all fall out from under me.
That feeling like the other shoe is about to drop. How is it possible for life to be this good, this wonderful?
I can’t quite put my finger on it, or maybe it’s just an irrational fear that, deep down, I don’t deserve this kind of happiness.
My eyes survey the tables once more. Everything is exactly as I wanted it. There are cocktails and champagne, platters with mini versions of the food the restaurant will be offering.
As our friends begin to arrive, my nerves start to dissipate.
I try to greet everyone. The whole purpose was to make this more of a soft opening, intimate, and personal, and I think we’re making it happen with the help of Caleb, Noah, and my team.
Caleb smiles as Maggie approaches, her husband beside her.
“Maggie,you look lovely,” he says, kissing her cheek softly before Noah does the same. It’s endearing watching him and Noah with Maggie and also bittersweet, knowing she’s theclosest mother figure they both have. We’re all the same in that sense, broken families, lost loved ones.
“This is wonderful, Jessica. Congratulations,” she says, greeting me with a hug before pulling back.
“Thank you so much for coming,” I say. She waves me off like it’s the most absurd thing to have said.
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” A server walks past, and her eyes light up. “Oh, are those mini burgers?” she asks.
I nod, and she claps her hands together. “I must try them. I’m famished,” she says.
“Of course, please, enjoy,” I reply, smiling as she makes a beeline for one of the platters.
“Jessica, this is amazing.” I turn around as Wendy approaches along with her husband.
She’s Caleb’s PA. In other words, she’s pretty much his boss.
“Thank you, I’m so glad you came,” I say as she steps up to kiss my cheek.
“Are you freaking kidding, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. We’re making the most of it, Melonie is at Ben’s mum’s for the night.”
“And how is my favourite god-daughter?” Caleb asks.
Wendy rolls her eyes. “She’s your only god-daughter,” she retorts. “And you need to stop spoiling her every time I come into the office,” she says.
Caleb just shrugs. Wendy remote works and only goes into the office a couple of times a week, but Caleb set up day care to make it more accommodating for working parents. This man never ceases to surprise me.
“Good luck with that,” I say, reaching for Caleb’s hand and giving it a squeeze. My belly flutters to life when I think of what an amazing father he would be, but I squash it down. It’s just baby fever, right?
