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Chuckling, I said, “Good luck putting her to bed later.”
“Nah, piece of cake. I got this.” Cam was seriously the best big brother any of our girls could’ve asked for. Big and strong to keep them safe, so patient, and he even loved to read them stories using silly voices. They were all looking forward to their weekend together.
“I’ll be back. I need five more minutes to finish getting ready,” I said just as the timer for the oven went off. I stopped off in the kitchen on the way by and left the lasagna to cool on the stovetop, before heading to the bedroom to grab my tie and jacket.
As I walked through the doorway, though, I found Jasper in front of the mirror, straightening out his suit. Damn, my husband was hot. He smoothed his hands over his short hair, then grabbed his contacts case and went to pull off his glasses.
“No, leave the glasses on,” I said, my voice about two octaves lower all of a sudden.
“Really?” he asked skeptically, meeting my gaze in the mirror’s reflection.
I came up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Mm,” I murmured into his neck, sliding my hand down the front of his pants and grinding my growing erection against his ass. “They make you look smart and sexy.”
He gasped, his cock thickening under my palm. “Can’t you wait until we get to the hotel?” he gritted out, while his head dropped back onto my shoulder as he enjoyed the attention.
“We could have a quickie now, and then another round at the hotel room before we go down for the reunion. And then again after…” I pinched his nipple gently through his shirt.
Jasper groaned and rocked into me. “You’re insatiable.”
“You love it,” I rasped before sucking his earlobe between my teeth, making him whimper, and I knew if we didn’t get out of here quick, I’d have him ruining his nice, new suit. So, with herculean effort, I peeled myself off him. “Come on, omega mine. Let’s go show off our dance moves to a bunch of people we used to know.” I threw down a dab, and in response, Jasper did a little whip and nae nae. Our children would be appalled.
Neither of us really cared what any of our old classmates thought of us, the jock and the nerd. After high school, we realized the personas we once worked so hard at building were no longer important. All that mattered was family, happiness, and unending love, and we had all three in spades.
“Shall we?” I asked, holding out my hand to the love of my life.
“Let’s,” he agreed, placing his hand in mine. Together in everything.
Epilogue
The Staff
Timewasafunnything. Some days crept by at a snail’s pace, while other times, years seemed to pass in a blink.
This was Diya’s final shift. She was retiring at long last. She’d been working at The Scarlet Hotel for over 30 years, but it felt like just yesterday she’d started off bussing tables. From busser to server, working prep then to grill, all the way up to sous chef in recent years, Diya had made a decent living here.
She sighed wistfully. She was going to miss it.
“Peter, what the fuck?” Cherie groaned, hanging her head. “Why did you choose today of all days to train new staff?”
Diya bit down on her laugh. Cherie had lost a little bit of her bite over the year, mellowing out as she too approached retirement age, but she still had no patience for newbies.
Peter had stuck around after his first shift, much to Cherie’s dismay, earning Diya 50 bucks on that bet. Not only had he defied the odds and managed to make it through training, but he was now the kitchen’s front-staff supervisor. Diya suspected he’d only stuck around because of Delia, whom he’d trailed after like a lost little puppy for the longest courtship in history, but he’d worn her down in the end. They’d been happily married for four years now, with a baby on the way.
Peter shrugged. “It’s a busy night, and we need the extra hands. Plus, it’ll be a good way to let them sink or swim. Either they’ll make it or the won’t.”
He was right, it was a busy night. All three banquet halls were booked tonight—a charity gala, some sort of marketing award ceremony, and a 20thhigh school reunion—and there wasn’t a single vacant room upstairs.
Diya left the server training to Peter, with Cherie’s occasional bitching in the background, and set about giving the kitchen staff direction. The charity event took most of their attention, since the standard was higher. It was a bunch of rich elite collecting money for an omegas’ shelter, A New Day, and if the food wasn’t up to their standard, they would all be hearing about it. The reunion was a breeze in comparison, because the planning committee had opted for a buffet. Reunions were more relaxed as the alumni got older. They cared less about reclaiming their glory days and dancing to outdated playlists of what was now considered “oldies.” Now it was mostly about having a night off from kids and work.
The evening’s chaos was a familiar environment for Diya, and she relaxed into her role in the kitchen. Tomorrow, when she woke up in her retirement, there would be no kitchen, no hotel, no chaos of any sort. She had no spouse to eat breakfast with, no kids or grandkids to spend the weekend with. It was an unsettling concept, this blank slate, an empty calendar with nowhere to be.What on earth will I do with my time?She figured she would join a knitting group or a book club. Maybe she would volunteer with that shelter. And it was never too late to find love.
Or maybe she would get bored after a month and come back to work.
But then she bent down to grab a box of potatoes, and her knees screamed in protest, reminding her of her age.Maybe I’ll do some traveling instead…she thought to herself in an attempt to psych herself up for the change.
As the evening wore on, the pace slowed. They moved from dinner to dessert, from savory to sweet. There were chocolate lava cakes, rich cocoa-dusted truffles, and whipped mousse with fruit and Grand Marnier, and Diya made sure each serving looked incredible.
“Psst,” Cherie hissed to get Diya’s attention. When Diya peeked over at her, Cherie jerked her head toward the door, indicating for her to follow.
