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“Those two things you know for sure,” I told him, “they’re enough. For now, they’re all we need.” Dreams and love.
He leaned back and used his thumbs to wipe the tears streaming down my cheeks and tipped his chin slightly. “It’s a little messy and a lot risky. It’s less than perfect,” he told me.
“Far less,” I agreed with a grin, bringing my lips to his and kissing him before drawing back and looking him in the eye. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
EPILOGUE
Gage
One Year Later
It was Saturday night and a packed house. Just like every Saturday in the last three months since Canary Blue had opened…and Fridays and Sundays, and even most weeknights. Reservations were booked months in advance and several national food critics had already visited and subsequently left glowing reviews that I now had proudly hung on the wall.
While I’d originally prepared the menu and created all the recipes while the remodeling of the old building was being done, I had since hired a full culinary staff and now only worked four chef shifts a week, this being one of them. The rest of my time was spent creating recipe specials, refining the menu, and sourcing products from local vendors.
I poured a splash of bourbon into the skillet and watched as the fire leaped and the liquor sizzled as I constructed Rory’s favorite desert—bread pudding with caramel bourbon sauce.
Rory. The warmth that infused my chest had nothing to do with the fact that I was standing in front of an industrial stove.
She always came by for dessert and to keep me company as I closed for my final shift of the week, but tonight she was also at the restaurant celebrating Bree’s birthday with the rest of the Hale crew. It blew my mind to think of how much had changed since the evening the year before when I’d run into their family celebrating the same occasion.
I’d opened Canary Blue and I’d also assisted Romeo Casteel in coming up with a new menu for Cakes and Ale featuring some of those crab cake recipes Rory and I had made together the first night we met. The night I’d first begun falling head over heels in love with her, even if I hadn’t realized it at the time. I knew what the country club in Claremont Landing served and I also knew that now, Cakes and Ale’s menu far surpassed theirs. The Casteel family business had already begun expanding and Rory and I traveled there often to visit and help fine-tune their kitchen operations.
But I’d also been by Rory’s side as she’d built and opened her own business, Nathan’s Legacy. She’d turned the land the Hale family had given her into a retreat built around dogs. There was a beautiful, shaded, fenced-in dog park where dogs romped and played, and dog-lovers met and bonded. She’d had a doggy daycare built and also offered training and dog walking services. She was already overbooked and while she’d hired five employees initially, she was currently looking to hire two more.
We certainly had our hands full. Only…it didn’t even really feel that way because all of it brought joy and purpose and a satisfaction I’d never even knew existed. And Rory, she brought more passion and love to my life than I’d ever dreamed of. I woke every morning wondering how in the world I’d managed to begin living a life that so thoroughly and perfectly filled my mind, heart and soul.
And I knew that it was all because of her.
Samantha, one of the servers, breezed through the door just as I set the final dessert for table twelve on the counter and began placing them on her tray. “Ready?” she asked as she stuck a candle in the slice of raspberry cheesecake.
I blew out a breath, running my hands down my hips as I came from around the counter. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
She winked as she picked up the tray. “Deep breath. You’ve got this.”
I gave her a smile as she turned and hoisted the tray onto her shoulder. The thing was? I wasn’t nervous. I was excited and my heart beat with anticipation of baring my heart in a room full of people. But the surety I felt inside soothed my nerves and propelled me forward, through the swinging doors and out into the main dining room.
“Gage,” Mrs. Ramsbottom greeted as I moved past their table. “Dinner was absolutely splendid. I haven’t had such incredible coq au vin since we dined in the south of France. Yours might beat it, truth be told. Everything was perfect.”
I shook her hand. “Thank you, Mrs. Ramsbottom.” I greeted Mr. Ramsbottom and then moved on to another table, stopped by one after the other, my gaze wandering briefly toward Rory who sat watching me with a small smile on her lips, her eyes filled with pride.
I moved between tables, over the black and white tiles and past a marble pillar, the chandeliers and crystal wall sconces bouncing light around the room and highlighting the molding that had been revitalized. It had been important to me that we preserve as much of the original building as possible, from the formal main dining room to the more casual rooftop seating where Haven had helped me plant a rooftop garden near the back where I sourced all my herbs and several other items.
The conversation Rory and I had once had about stories whispered back to me and my heart filled the way it always did to know that more stories were being told in this space…celebrations that marked life’s sweetest occasions…
Finally, I headed toward the table near the vault where the Hales were gathered, including Haven’s brother, Easton. Rory laughed at something Haven said, Bree joining in. Those three. They always had their heads together, laughter ringing out, as close as sisters who’d always known each other, sharing secrets, giving advice, and handing babies back and forth. And one day soon—very soon, I hoped—ours would be one of them.
Samantha set the last of the desserts at their table and then lit the candle on Bree’s cake. Rory stood and laced her fingers with mine as she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, the soft brush of her lips even on that small patch of skin, causing a flare of heat to ignite in my belly. Travis Hale started signing Happy Birthday, the rest of the family joining in, Archer beaming at his wife as she turned toward him, her hand running over his cheek as she kissed him and whispered something against his lips that only he could hear before turning and blowing out the candle. Applause erupted, not only from their table, but from the fellow diners as well. I caught Bree’s eye and she gave me a wink as Rory turned to see her uncles come through the door, followed by my parents. She let out a small sound of surprise and they all stopped, obviously barely holding back smiles as their eyes turned toward me.
And then I went down on one knee.
A collective gasp was heard and several sighs as I reached in the pocket of my chef’s coat and removed the ring.
Rory followed their gazes, bringing her hands over her mouth as she too let out a muffled cry that I could hear was mostly joy. My heart slowed, eyes meeting hers, everything and everyone fading so that it was only us.
“I thought long and hard about how to do this and finally decided that this was the perfect place.” I smiled softly. “You knew, that first day I brought you here, that I was opening my heart and showing you my secret dream. I don’t even think I fully allowed myself to acknowledge it at the time. But you’ve done that from the start. You’ve seen me, you’ve exposed the parts of myself I didn’t even know existed, and you’ve brought me more joy and fulfillment than I knew life offered.” I glanced around at the people then, the world expanding, so many expressions of pure love beaming at us. “And I wanted our families and the community to be here because I intend to spend the rest of my days talking about how much I cherish you—they should get used to it now, because it’s going to be excessive.”
A small murmur of chuckling was heard, and Rory let out a tearful laugh.
