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Kiera smiles at me after I park behind the restaurant. The glow of the dashboard accentuates the twinkling in her blue eyes… a mixture of excitement and romance. Everyone piles out of my car, our exhilaration infectious as the boys giggle and Kiera squeezes my hand hard.
At the back door, the owner meets us as Drake had planned. He introduces himself as Maurice Aubert in a lilting French accent and motions us in and out of the cold. “Come in, come in.”
We enter the kitchen area and not much is going on. There are two chefs—one uses a handheld torch over crème brûlée and the other surfs his phone.
“Monsieur McGinn and Mademoiselle Norcross are just finishing up their entrees,” Maurice advises us. “And I must say, it’s a very romantic atmosphere. You see it in the eyes… such a deep well of love. Very exciting this proposal,non?”
My hand rests at Kiera’s back and I can feel her practically vibrating.
Maurice tells us that he served a classic coq au vin paired with a 2010 Château Latour. I must have had a blank look on my face because he adds, “It goes for fifteen hundred dollars a bottle.”
Jesus fuck. Drake is not holding anything back, although I doubt expensive things mean much to Brienne. She could buy a country if she wanted to. I suspect just the act of renting out the restaurant will get him a solidyestonight.
Maurice leads the boys over to where the chef is working on the dessert. He explains how the sugar is being caramelized and we all watch as he writes “Will You Marry Me?” in chocolate before carefully placing the open ring box on the plate.
Oddly, that’s something I probably would have called cheesy, but for some reason, I think it’s a nice touch.
A waiter comes in from the dining area carrying the empty plates. He looks at Maurice. “They’re ready for dessert.”
Maurice claps his hands lightly and motions to the plate with the ring. He snaps at another who pulls out a bottle of champagne and a bottle of sparkling grape juice—presumably for the boys, although Kiera will be drinking it too. It’s set on a tray with multiple flutes, which I assume will be carried out after the proposal.
The waiter picks up the plate.
“I should switch the ring again, right?” I tease, nudging Kiera.
“Don’t you dare, Bain,” she says, a playful glare in her eyes as I throw up my hands in surrender.
Maurice motions us to follow the waiter to the swinging kitchen door. “You’ll all be able to peek out from here and watch. Mademoiselle Norcross’s back is to us.”
That’s a nice touch.
The waiter walks out and before the door swings back, we poke our heads through. We’re like a totem pole with the boys at the bottom, their eyes wide with anticipation. Kiera’s in front of me and I’m tall enough to see over her head. I can’t resist resting a hand on her hip as we watch.
Drake sees the waiter approaching Brienne from the rear and this was all evidently choreographed. As soon as the waiter starts to set the plate down, Drake takes Brienne’s hand from across the table. She doesn’t even dip her head to look at the dessert and Drake has his eyes locked on hers.
His voice is loud enough, it carries to us. “Brienne, I don’t know how I did life before you. Maybe it was all a test to see if I was worthy of you and you’ve honored me with your trust, love and loyalty. You’re my partner, my very best friend and the woman I will love until the last breath leaves my body. But it’s not enough. I need more. Will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?”
Drake nods down at the plate and we can see Brienne’s head drop and assume she reads the question… sees the ring.
Then she squeals and I’ve never heard a sound like it before. Brienne Norcross is the epitome of elegance, sophistication and grace, and yet she lets out a bleat of pure joy as she jumps up from the table and flings her arms around Drake’s neck. He stands from his chair and they kiss passionately.
“Can we go?” Jake whispers.
“Go for it,” Kiera says and the boys burst out of the swinging door while Kiera and I follow at a more reserved pace, our fingers laced together.
The boys call out to their dad, breaking the kiss. Brienne whirls to see them and tears well in her eyes. Her hand flutters at her mouth and it’s Tanner who slams into her, his little arms going around her legs as he tips his head to look at her. “Can I call you Mommy when you and Daddy get married?”
Brienne hugs him to her. “You can call me whatever you want whenever you want. But I’m going to take care of you for the rest of your life, okay?”
Kiera’s fingers reflexively grip hard onto mine and I look down to see her crying. My arm goes around her shoulders and I pull her in close as we watch Drake shoo the boys away so he can put the ring on Brienne’s finger. She admires it and then the boys ooh and aah.
Finally, Brienne’s eyes pin on Kiera and she pulls away from me to hug her future sister-in-law. The waiter comes out with the champagne and sparkling grape juice. Flutes are filled and toasts are made. There are more hugs and kisses and Drake even tells the story of how I switched out the ring and gave him a heart attack. Brienne laughs so hard, her face turns red.
Eventually, I gather Kiera and the boys. I’m taking them back to Drake and Brienne’s house where Kiera will stay the night with the kids. Drake booked a suite at the Omni William Penn and while I’ll stay for a bit with Kiera, it won’t be an overnight thing.
While the boys chatter on the ride home in the back seat, I notice that Kiera is quiet. She stares out the passenger window as the downtown lights fade behind us.
“You okay?” I ask.
