“They’re all settled in the aviaries and had breakfast,” she chirps.
I push up from my chair and go to give her a kiss.
“How about you come by the bar after and hang out? You can see how much of a difference Hannah’s posts have made in just a few days. It’s become almost more than we can keep up with, we’ll probably be hiring more servers and bartenders soon.”
“Sure! After the shelter I need to run a few errands for the non-profit, and then I’ll come hang out,” she agrees.
“See you then,” I say with a grin, giving her another kiss before she heads out.
When I get to El Abrevadero, my dad is puttering around and checking inventory. We’ve been going through bottles so quickly lately that we almost need to order double what we normally have been.
“We’re getting really low on the orange vodka until the next order comes in,” he says after we greet each other.
“Want me to run out and get another bottle or two, even though it won’t be the usual wholesale price?”
“Send Iggy out with the business credit card when he gets here. Two bottles should hold us over for now,” he replies. Then he shakes his head in amazement.
“Who knew one influencer would make such a huge difference so quickly,” he goes on ruefully, his face broadcasting how innovative he thinks the next generation is.
“I did, that’s why I reached out to her,” I retort, giving him a smug thump to his shoulder. “Don’t act like you didn’t cry when she talked so lovingly about the history of this place.”
“There were tears shed, she did a great job at capturing what El Abrevadero is all about. The way she raved about the food and her margarita was really heartwarming,” he admits.
“It’s going to make this place an even bigger name in the area, somewhere people have to try if they come to New Jersey,” I say, my excitement barely contained.
“That it will, mijo. It was a fantastic idea to reach out to her.”
Pride is absolutely bursting out of him, and his eyes take on a suspicious shine.
“It wasn’t easy, raising you boys and keeping this bar afloat,” he rasps. His arm sweeps in an all encompassing motion around him.
“This makes it all worth it, though. My boys are healthy and happy, and the bar is going to be better than ever. Every agonizing second was worth it, son.”
My eyes get shiny too, and he grasps me in a tight hug.
“You were and are amazing, pops. Wayne and I would be nothing without you,” I croak.
He almost violently clears his throat, and gives me one last pat on the back before we break apart.
“Alright, let’s get to work,” he mutters, obviously ready to be done with all of this emotional talk.
I check all of the registers, clean, and make sure the kitchen is all set with everything they need while my dad continues to take inventory. With all of the new interest, he wants to take a fresh look at what is selling the most, what isn’t selling well, and how much we now need to order so that we don’t end up low on something we need again.
Once we open, it’s non-stop wonderful chaos. I’m loving every minute of it. The customers are laughing, dancing their asses off to the live band, drinking, eating, and seeming to have a great time. My dad is floating around and happily socializing in between his inventory checks. Iggy is slinging drinks like a master, Chloe is handling so many tables without missing a beat, and they still manage to make eyes at each other.
After a few hours, my eyes snap like magnets to the door when I catch sight of shiny red hair. My mouth goes dry as I drink in my wife. She’s clearly gone home to shower and change after the shelter and her errands, because she’s in that green sundress that makes me weak. It’s the one she wore the first time she came to my house. Ourhouse.
Her hair is in loose waves, her lips are crimson, and her skin is glowing. I have never seen a more stunning sight in my life. It makes me think about how my dad just said that every agonizing second was worth it for our family to get to this place.
I’ve been afraid of that agony. Terrified of putting myself through that much pain without knowing whether I’d ever recover from it. It becomes clear though, when this amazing woman sees me, smiles, and starts walking toward me.
Celeste is worth all of the agony in the world.
I’m sure we’ll have some serious bumps in the road, and there’s no telling whether that road will lead to us staying married, staying together, or what. What I do know is that I want to find out, agony be damned.
I reach over the bar to cup her face and bring her in for a quick kiss, which she returns enthusiastically.
“I’ve never seen it this crowded!” she exclaims when we break apart, trying to be heard over the music.
