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I caught Helen’s attention, and she stood, tapping her glass with a spoon, and the rest of the crowd of adults calmed, the children now safely inside, playing video games and some already down for the night.
“Attention, everyone,” Helen said. “Our good friends Sofia and Kieran have an announcement they would like to make.”
“Thank you,” Sofia said as a circle widened around us.
“I’m pretty sure I know what it is,” Helen said. She had a few drinks in her by now and was probably trying to only say that to Everett, but I couldn’t help but laugh at how loud it was.
“So,” Sofia said, stepping in front of me. She had pulled on my hand to get me to step with her, but I hung back. When she turned around to see why, I was already down on one knee, the box in my hand.
“Wh—oh,” she said, the words trapped in her throat. Her eyes went wide, and one hand rose to her lips as she gasped.
“Sofia, before you say another word, I needed to ask you something,” I said.
“Guess not,” Helen said, making me grin even harder and sending a small ripple of laughter around that part of the grouping.
“Kieran…” Sofia whispered.
“Sofia, I love you,” I said. “And before we take any more steps in this life, I need you to know just how much I love you. How committed I am to you. The six weeks I spent on retreat were the longest, loneliest weeks of my life. Without you, I was a zombie. I realized while I was there that I wasn’t a whole person unless I was with you. You are my other half. I need you like I need air.
“Sofia Adriana Falco, will you do me the honor and privilege of becoming my wife?”
“Yes!” she cried, and I slipped the ring onto her finger to a roar of applause from our friends.
I stood and wrapped her in my arms for a kiss, and the cheering only got louder. When our lips separated, we turned to everyone, and Sofia held up a lone finger.
“First off,” she said, choking back laughter and tears of happiness, “thank you all. Second, I have one more announcement.”
“Oh, I think I know this one,” Helen said, and Sofia laughed.
“Yes, this time, you’ve got it,” she said. “For everyone else, though… we wanted to say we are going to have a baby!”
Another wave of cheers filled the yard, and the faces of the children still awake peered in from the glass door. Suddenly, we were bombarded by hugs and claps on the back, people offering to shake my hand and offer congratulations. It was overwhelming in the best way, and for the rest of the evening, the two of us walked around the bonfire, receiving hugs and offers of help from everyone there.
At one point, I let it slip that we were thinking about starting our own place together, one that would be ninety percent Sofia’s place, and Tony’s head popped up.
“Should I?” I asked Sofia, who nodded. I peeled away from her for the first time all night and went to my friend.
“So, you heard about the new place we’re going to open up?” I asked.
“I did,” he said. “Sounds great.”
“Well, it will be, but it’s missing something,” I said. “Both of us agree it needs a head cook, someone who can be there full-time when Sofia and I can’t. Someone we can trust and someone who has their own palate, one that can add to our own and be a star themselves.”
“Wait, me?” Tony asked.
“Of course, you! Winner of the Ashford County Chili Cook-off!”
“Really? Head cook?”
“I mean, yeah,” I said. “Sofia will be the chef in charge, but we need someone who can be there full-time. Neither one of us could possibly imagine a better person for that job than you. If you want it.”
“If I want it?” he laughed. “Of course I do!”
“Good,” I said as Sofia rejoined me, and I put my arm around her, offering my other hand for a shake. “It’s a deal, then?”
“You name a time and place,” Tony said. “I’ll be there.”
29
SOFIA - SEVEN MONTHS LATER
“I can’t fit through the door,” I said, pressing my forehead against the doorframe sadly and fighting the urge to both laugh and cry.
“Why are you going through it sideways?” Wendy asked. “Honey, turn around and come through straight.”
“I know I can fit through it straight,” I said, wallowing in my own self-created crisis. “I’m just so big I can’t fit through it sideways.”
“Not for long,” Helen said, rushing over to guide me in turning and coming into the room. “A couple more weeks, tops.”
“Yeah, and then you will have a tiny little baby to hold,” Wendy said. “It’s going to be amazing. You just have to make it a few more weeks.”
