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Wilder smiled. “Thank you.” He sighed. “Tell Brett thanks, too.”
“Will do. Go get the place ready and we’ll get it all managed.”
Not long after, Wilder arrived home. He cleaned the entire apartment from top to bottom, with no idea how long he had until Avery arrived. After slipping in for a quick shower and shave, he heard a knock on the door. He pulled on his robe and opened the door.
“Hi, I’m Pierce Lambeau… I own Lambeau’s Restaurant. I’m here to deliver your dinner.”
Wilder took a step back. “Come on in.”
Pierce paused and looked over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
A line of waitstaff rolled into the apartment, including Brett, carrying totes and coolers. They even brought a table at the end.
Pierce eyed Wilder’s rarely used dining table. “Sorry, I wasn’t sure what we were working with here.” He nodded to his guys. “Carry that on back to the van. His will do fine.”
Two chefs came in, carrying a bevy of totes.
“I asked for takeout. This is a far cry better than takeout.”
“Avery’s a hard worker. A good kid,” Pierce said. “I just want him to be aware that we support him. We’re happy he’s free.”
“Well…” Wilder said.
“Free enough. He’s not in prison,” Pierce said with a grin.
Wilder sighed. “Free enough sounds about right.”
“Now, since we weren't sure how long it would take before he arrived and we didn’t want the food to get cold or to sit for any time, we prepped everything and got it ready. One of Avery’s favorites is my brother’s recipe for lasagna, so I figured that was the easiest thing to do, given the circumstances.”
“Wonderful,” Wilder said, watching the perfect dance the servers and chefs performed getting the space ready. “Please give our thanks to your brother.”
Pierce got an odd look. “I would if I could.” He sighed. “The guys are also going to do a few last-minute fixes in your kitchen, finish the salads and the appetizers. They’re gonna show you everything you’ve got to do to put the finishing touches on, like how to sugar the crème brûlée and use the blowtorch. I’d appreciate the return of my blowtorch, too.”
“You’ll have it back as soon as possible,” Wilder said.
“I packed this dinner with as many of his favorites as possible. Sorry if they’re not your taste. I hope you both come to the restaurant in six months and have dinner on me, as my guest. Then you can have your pick off the menu.”
“I would be honored,” Wilder said. “I can’t begin to thank you.”
“It’s the least I could do for Avery. He means a lot to me.” Pierce looked past Wilder’s shoulder and spoke to one of his men. “He’s pregnant. He can’t have wine. I told you to bring sparkling cider.” He shook his head. “Look, you go get dressed and we’ll have this all set up in no time.”
Wilder shook Pierce’s offered hand and smiled. “You’re making this too easy for me.”
“Tonight shouldn’t be hard,” Pierce said. “You can finally relax with the man you love.”
Pierce’s gaze landed on Brett… who glanced up and got a strange look that Wilder had seen on Avery’s face a million times before. It wasn’t the first time Brett had looked Pierce’s way since he’d walked in, either.
Seems I had nothing to be jealous about after all.
Wilder returned to his bedroom, got dressed, and gave one last look in the mirror before heading for the kitchen. A chef tossed him an apron, and the pair walked through everything he needed to do once Avery arrived—as well as gave him an instruction sheet in case he forgot anything.
The only thing they didn’t help him with was what to do between their departure and Avery’s arrival. Hours passed, and Wilder grew worried. Had something happened? Had the plans changed? Finally done with his pacing, he reached for his phone to call Tensen… but a knock came at the door.
Finally.
He rushed over, shoving his phone back into his pocket. Swinging open the door, he smiled.
Only to find his parents standing in the doorway.
