Chapter 10 – Beau
BEAU
H eavy boxes of bottles litter the floor of the storage closet. I yank a final one to the side and frown.
“Has anyone seen the Lambrusco?” I yell.
Tomasso, one of the Terrace sous-chefs, sticks his head in the door. “What are you shouting about, Boss?”
“I can’t find the Lambrusco. We were supposed to get a whole crate.”
“We’re out. Our supplier’s whole Italy shipment got delayed. Something about a storm.”
“Fuck,” I mutter. “The whole second course was built around that Lambrusco.”
“We’ve got plenty of Moscato,” Tomasso suggests, and I shake my head.
“It’s not gonna work. Way too sweet.” I rake my fingers through my hair. Fuck, I need a haircut. “I’ll figure something out.”
Technically, tonight’s family dinner is being hosted by Nate and Cat. But we’re in Terrace’s private dining room, and I’m in charge of the food. That means I can’t just sit around and enjoy the night like a guest.
My phone buzzes, and I grin when I check my texts.
Brinley
Stop freaking out about whatever you’re freaking out about and get out here. The world’s not ending because you don’t have the right Parmesan.
Beau
I don’t have the right wine, actually.
Brinley
Oh, that’s definitely your fault. You should just go throw yourself in the lake.
I chuckle. She’s right. I know my friends would rather have me out with them then in the back of the storage closet, obsessing about Italian supply chains. I consider my options as I lug all the boxes back on their respective shelves.
“Tell service to just bring out the sparkling Shiraz,” I tell Tomasso. “It’ll have to be good enough.”
Shaking out my disappointment, I stride into the restaurant.
It’s a Friday night, and all the tables are full to the brim.
Patrons eat and talk and laugh, filling the air with cheerful noise.
A deep sense of pride fills my chest. I love knowing I built the space that brings them together.
Owning Velvet & Vice, the nightclub downstairs, can be a good time, but my heart is here in the restaurant.
I’m the last person to arrive in the private dining room.
Maura sits at the table, under the custom painting I commissioned from her.
She’s holding hands with James and chatting with Cat and Nate about her next gallery show.
Ryan, Luke, and Pippa are digging into the prosciutto and pecorino from the charcuterie boards.
Across the room, my eyes immediately find Brinley, showing Eden something on her phone. She’s wearing a slouchy sweater that hangs off one shoulder, and fuck, I’m pathetic, because just that glimpse of shoulder is enough to make me crazy.
Like she can sense my presence, Brinley glances up and our eyes meet. We only get a second before we both have to look away so nobody notices the heat in our eyes.
Seeing Nate, James, and Luke in their tailored suits, I straighten my own button-up. I’m always going to be underdressed compared to them. At least I’m better dressed than Ryan, who’s wearing a hideous baby blue button-up with creepy little cherubs embroidered all over it.
“Felt like making a fashion statement tonight?” I ask, elbowing him.
Ryan groans. “No. I lost a bet.”
“Who would be cruel enough to punish you with that monstrosity?”
“The devil herself,” he groans.
Pippa wraps an arm around his waist. “Don’t you mean your angel?”
“No, these are his angels.” Luke pokes at a particularly evil-looking embroidered cherub.
“And I wouldn’t mind seeing you in a devil costume, Pips.” Ryan waggles his brows suggestively.
“Maybe if you’re very good tonight,” Pippa says, winking.
Ryan straight his shoulders. “I promise to be very, very good.”
“Why don’t you keep that in the bedroom?” Luke groans.
“That’s rich, coming from you,” Ryan says, shrugging when we all gape at him. “What? We all read the Toronto Tea interview. Frankly, I think it’s aspirational.”
Luke’s face flushes slightly, but he cracks a tiny smile. “I’m glad to hear at least one person thinks better of me after reading it.”
My heart clenches. Luke might be able to laugh it off with his closest friends, but I know he’s still hurt and pissed that the interview came out in the first place. If he knew his own sister might be responsible—well, I really don’t want to think about it.
Instead, I focus on one thing I can control—the drinks. Cat’s champagne glass is empty, and I hurry over to pick up the bottle. “Let me top you off, Cat.”
Cat glances at Nate and he groans. “I thought we agreed to wait till dessert.”
“If we don’t tell them now, this is going to keep happening all night. You know Beau is allergic to empty glasses.”
“Fine. Let’s do it.” Nate and Cat stands, and he clinks his own glass with a knife. “Listen up, everyone.”
“We have a confession,” Cat says. “We didn’t just invite you all here for family dinner. We have some news we needed to share.”
“Not getting divorced already, are you?” Ryan jokes.
Nate glares. “Never.”
“We found out just before the wedding,” Cat says, taking a deep breath. “I’m pregnant.”
Pippa squeals so loudly, it practically bursts my eardrum. “Oh my god!”
“Congrats, man,” Luke says, clapping Nate on the shoulder.
“How far along are you?” Maura asks.
“I’m due in April,” Cat says, her eyes glistening. “Nate wanted to hold off telling people, but I just couldn’t wait. I really tried. But I can’t keep this in for one more second.”
Nate shakes his head but he’s smiling—the quiet, helpless smile of a man who never stood a chance against this woman’s excitement.
Pippa throws her arms around Cat’s shoulders, squeezing her tight. Happy tears fill her eyes. “I’m going to be an auntie!”
Cat wipes away her own tear with her thumb. “Don’t cry, Pippa. You’re going to make me fall apart.”
“Yeah, Pips, you can’t start sobbing before the woman with all the pregnancy hormones,” Ryan says. “Hey, have you thought about Ryan as a name? Could work for a boy or a girl.”
“Absolutely not,” Nate declares.
“I can’t believe you’re just a few months behind us,” Maura says, beaming. “I’m so happy our babies will get the chance to grow up together.”
As I look down, I spot James grabbing her hand under the table.
I’m happy for the two happy married couples, starting their own families.
I’m happy for Pippa and Ryan, too, and whatever chaotic life they’re going to build together.
It just makes my heart sink, knowing that they’re taking big life steps that I can’t.
Marriage, a baby, a life built in the open—they’re moving forward.
Brinley and I will only ever be this. Stuck in amber. I could never propose or plan a future with her out in the open. Hell, I can’t even tell the truth if someone asks me if I’m single.
I can’t help but wonder if this is sustainable. If we keep this secret, I’m asking Brinley to live half a life forever. But breaking things off isn’t on the table. I can’t imagine having a family with anyone who isn’t Brinley, but I also can’t imagine asking her to keep hiding forever.
So we’re stuck. Both of us. Together and going nowhere.
“I’ll be right back,” I declare before anyone can see the anguish on my face.
I need a second to get my shit together.
Jogging out of the room, I head back to the bar to grab a bottle of sparkling apple cider.
It’s shit—if you ask me, everything shit compared to champagne—but Cat and Maura deserve something to drink for the toast I know is imminent.
It’s not one of our more popular drinks, so it takes me a while to dig out what I’m looking for.
Finally, I find a dusty bottle behind the merlot.
I rub a cloth over the top and head back past the kitchen.
Tomosso’s standing at the expo station. He perks up and waves at me. “Hey, hold up, Beau.”
I cringe. I really don’t want to deal with Terrace business while we’re celebrating, and my staff sometimes overrelies on me to make small decisions when I’m in the kitchen area. “Can it wait? Whatever it is, I’m sure you’ll figure it out!”
Shooting him a wave, I hurry back to our private dining room. Now, Maura, Cat, and Pippa are all in tears. Eden hovers slightly awkwardly.
“Congratulations,” she says. “Sorry that I ended up crashing your big announcement!”
“No,” Cat sniffs. “I invited you, and I’m so glad you came. And oh my god, why can’t I stop crying?”
“Welcome to pregnancy.” Maura laughs. “Stock up on tissues while you can.”
“Here,” I say, filling two glasses with the cider. “You better rehydrate.”
“Thanks, Beau.” Cat grins.
Once everyone else has a full glass of something sparkling, Pippa raises her glass of red wine. I hurry to pull out my phone and snap some pics.
“A toast, to Cat and Nate. The love that you two have for each other radiates out to everyone who meets you. It’s a love that’s generous, warm, and welcoming, and it even makes Nate’s scowls a little less scary sometimes.
I can’t think of better people than the four of you”—Maura ducks her head and blushes as Pippa nods to her—“to bring perfect little babies into this world who will never, ever doubt that they’re loved. ”
I don’t mean to look, but I catch Brinley’s eye across the table.
She’s smiling broadly, and anyone else in the world would think she’s just happy for her friend.
But I know Brinley’s face even better than I know my own, and I can see the splinter of pain underneath.
I know she’s thinking the same thing I am.
Nobody will ever make a stirring speech to our love, because we’re busy pretending it doesn’t exist.
“So cheers,” Pippa finishes. “To Cat and Nate, to James and Maura, and to the world’s most beautiful babies.”
The sound of clinking glasses is suddenly joined by a voice that’s warm, loud, and unmistakably Italian.
“I’m sure Beau won’t mind if I peek in for a moment. He’s my son!”
Oh, fuck.
I should have known I couldn’t hold her off forever. As much as I love her, she’s the last person I want to see right now.
Mama sweeps into the room, her long dark hair swept into a thick braid, her Prada blouse and trousers perfectly tailored. My mother is a force of nature, bright and determined, and the whole atmosphere of the room shifts as she walks into it.
Slightly behind her is a tall, tanned woman with tilted green eyes and brown curls that fall practically to her waist. She’s perfectly lovely and polished in her ivory shirtdress, though she looks slightly overwhelmed by Mama’s overall energy.
“Tesoro!” Mama says, swanning over to me and kissing me on both cheeks.
“Mama,” I manage to choke out. “What are you doing here?”
“I was in the neighborhood, and I thought, if my son keeps dodging my lunch invites, I might as well come to him. Besides, Giulia wanted to see Terrace—I’ve told her so much about it.”
Giulia smiles shyly at me. Across the table, Brinley’s mouth thins into a straight line, and my stomach drops through the floor.