Epilogue
Epilouge
VALENTINE’S DAY
Harper
The last of the dishes had just gone out. The special chocolate lava cakes with a raspberry coulis and a dusting of powdered sugar had been the perfect touch of simple and elegant. It was only after Erin walked through the swinging doors to deliver the final cakes that I could exhale properly.
“We did it, boss.” Kevin came to lean against the counter next to me. “Again.”
“Again.” I laughed a little. “These special dinners are starting to be a bit of a trend. That’s two in two months.”
“The customers love them,” Kevin said with a satisfied smirk. “You sold out in minutes. I think word is going to get out that Wander & Whisk is the place to be for a special occasion.”
Wander & Whisk.
Hearing the new name of the restaurant—my restaurant—still made my heart skip a little.
Of course, the rebrand was still pretty new.
The special Valentine’s Day meal had been the official launch of the new brand.
The custom-made wooden sign Reid made for me had been hung outside less than twenty-four hours earlier.
“That sounds pretty good.”
“That you were sold out in minutes?” Kevin teased, with a gentle elbow to my ribs.
“The name.” I grinned at him. “This place is really mine.”
“It sure is.” He pulled the towel from the string in his apron and wiped his hands before shoving up from the counter and moving to the stove to start to clean up. “And I couldn’t be happier to be part of it, Harper. You’ve got something pretty special going here.”
I sat in the glow of his praise and soaked in the moment, knowing he was right. I did have something very special here. And it wasn’t just the restaurant. It was all of it.
Trickle Creek.
Grayson.
There was no doubt in my mind that I’d made the right choice in staying.
The last six weeks had been a whirlwind as I put into practice all the ideas for the restaurant I’d been thinking and dreaming of.
And Grayson had been full-on as well. The sale of the hardware shop was finally official, and soon the doors would open for the grand opening of Lyons Hardware.
But as busy as we’d been, every minute of it had felt exactly right.
Tears pricked at my eyes as I looked around the room, taking it all in, when the kitchen door swung open and Grayson walked in.
“Knock, knock.” His eyes scanned the kitchen, lighting up when they landed on me. “Is this a good time?”
“It’s the perfect time.” I crossed the room and greeted him with a kiss. “Happy Valentine’s Day. I’m sorry we didn’t get to spend the day together.”
He dismissed my apology with a wave. “Are you kidding? You had kind of a lot going on.” He turned to take in the state of the kitchen. The part-time staff had already started on the cleanup, but there was no hiding the chaos Kevin and I had created. “How did it go?”
“Great,” I answered honestly. “I can’t wait to hear what the customers thought.”
“I can tell you that,” Erin said, joining us in the kitchen. “All rave reviews,” she continued. “And every single plate was practically licked clean. You did it again.”
I beamed, my heart swelling with pride.
“I had no doubt.” Grayson pulled me in close. “Because you are amazing and your food is incredible. Trickle Creek is lucky to have you back.”
I closed my eyes and sank into his kiss, completely uncaring who else was in the room.
“I’m lucky to have you back,” Grayson said when he pulled away. “And I know we said no gifts, but—”
Grayson took a step back and produced a gift bag I hadn’t noticed before.
“Gray.” I held up my hand. “Just being together is—”
“I know. I know.”
His grin was so boyish and handsome, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“But it’s just a little thing.”
I tilted my head, not buying it.
“Trust me,” he said. “It’s perfect.”
I wasn’t going to win the argument, so I took the bag, pulled the tissue paper out, reached in and pulled out a…
“A whisk?” Obviously, I had plenty of whisks in the kitchen, but this one was shiny and gold and…perfect.
“Now that this place is officially Wander & Whisk, I thought it was only right to have your very own whisk to hang next to Willa’s whisk.”
Again, my eyes filled with tears. This time at his immense thoughtfulness.
When the rebranding of the restaurant was complete, I took Grandma’s favorite whisk out of the kitchen and had Reid build a shadow box to preserve it so it could forever hang in a place of honor in the dining room.
A reminder of where I’d come from and where it had all begun.
“It’s so perfect.” I dropped the whisk back into the bag and reached for Grayson, but he stopped me.
“You didn’t even take it out of the bag,” he said. “You need to see it all.”
Again, I tilted my head, giving him a questioning look. I’d seen enough. It was a beautiful whisk. How much more to it could there be?
Without further argument, I did as he asked and once more reached into the bag, this time pulling my gift all the way free. It was only then that I saw the satin ribbon tied to the bottom, and hanging from the ribbon was a—
“Oh!” My hand flew to my mouth when I realized what I was looking at. “Grayson, I—”
Grayson
The ring sparkled in the kitchen light, but I wasn’t looking at the gold and diamond jewelry I’d picked out weeks ago. I only had eyes for the love of my life, who was still holding the whisk up in the air, letting the ring dangle from the ribbon.
I took it from her and untied the ribbon before sinking to one knee on the tile floor. From somewhere behind me, I heard Erin, or someone else, gasp as they realized what was about to happen, but I didn’t take my eyes off Harper.
Her hands covered her mouth, her eyes wide and filled with tears as she watched and waited.
I wouldn’t make her wait too long. “Harper.” I reached for her left hand and the silver ring I’d put on her hand for the first time when we were kids.
“When I gave you this ring back, I told you I hoped you would never take it off again.” I took a moment to look at the simple design.
The perfect purple stone. It represented so much.
And it always would. “But I lied,” I continued. “Because I do hope you take it off.”
She gasped a little and swallowed back a sob. Her hand shook in mine, but I couldn’t stop.
I held up the engagement ring with the cushion-cut diamond, set in a platinum band.
“Because this is the ring I hope you never take off.” I took a moment to catch my breath and ground myself.
“I have spent my entire life loving you, Harper Bennett, and that will never change because I plan on spending the rest of my life growing and learning with you, building the life we both want, together. Will you make me the happiest man in the world and do me the honor of being my wife?”
With the words finally out, I blew out a breath.
“Grayson. I…” She shook her head, and for a moment, my breath caught in my throat. “I…this is so…oh… I mean…I can’t wait to marry you,” Harper said in a tumble of words. “Yes!” she cried. “Yes. Yes. Yes. Of course I’ll marry you.”
Before I could slide the ring onto her finger, she dropped to her knees on the floor with me and, with a shaking hand, took the silver ring from her left hand and moved it to her right hand.
I pressed a kiss to the amethyst, thankful I’d kept it all these years, before turning my attention to Harper’s other hand.
We were both shaking as I slipped the engagement ring onto her finger. A perfect fit.
“It’s beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful.”
I pulled her in for a kiss and lifted us both to our feet in the same move, needing to hold her properly. My fiancée.
My love.
My future.
A chorus of cheers and congratulations rose up behind us. With Harper still in my arms, we turned to see Kevin, Erin, some of the part-time staff, and of course, Willa, watching us.
Earlier in the day, I’d visited Willa and asked her for Harper’s hand in marriage. It was an outdated tradition, and I of course already knew what she’d say, but Willa appreciated the gesture. And I knew it would be important to Harper that her grandmother was there to witness the moment.
“Congratulations, you two,” Erin said.
Kevin clapped and whooped. “Incredible.”
But it was Willa who walked slowly toward us, tears in her eyes, arms outstretched for a big hug. “I couldn’t be happier for you both,” she said as we embraced. “I just love you both so much.”
After a few moments, Erin interrupted. “I think this calls for a bottle of bubbly.”
“Yes!” Willa pulled away and swiped at her eyes. “Everyone out to the dining room for a toast.”
The others moved first, but Harper pulled me back before we could follow.
“I love you, Grayson Lyons,” she said simply.
I cupped her cheeks in my hands and held her gently before pressing my forehead to hers. “Wherever this life takes us,” I pulled back to look in her eyes, “I will always be by your side. Because there will never be even one second of my life where I don’t love you, Harper.”
We stayed that way for a minute, soaking in the moment and everything it meant, before we heard the cork pop in the other room. “We should get out there and celebrate properly.”
With a laugh, hand in hand, we joined the others to raise a glass to toast to us and our future.
We moved out to the dining room bar, where Willa already had a bottle of prosecco and a tray full of glasses.
There were still a handful of diners, finishing up their meals. Including, I noticed belatedly, my brother Brody and Lauren tucked into a corner table.
“What are those two doing?” Harper asked before I could say anything. “I thought they weren’t together.”
“They’re not.” I shook my head. “And from what I understand, Lauren is on some sort of dating quest, but apparently it’s tradition for the two of them to spend Valentine’s Day together.”
“Hmm.” Harper shook her head.
“Maybe we should get Willa to give them a little nudge? She seems to have a way of bringing people together.”
I winked at her, and Willa shrugged. “Say the word, and I’ll go work my magic.”
“Later,” I said firmly. “Tonight is about us.” I took a glass that Erin had poured and handed it to my fiancée as everyone else took one and raised it for a toast.
“To Wander & Whisk,” I started. “The hardware store, and of course, more importantly…to…” My throat tightened as I looked at Harper. “To forever.”
“Forever,” Harper echoed, clinking her glass against mine before we each took a sip.
I kissed her temple and held her close. She’d been my first love. My only love. And now, standing in her restaurant, hearing the people we cared about cheering around us, I knew she’d be my last love, too.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Harper turned to face me. “I actually have something for you, too.” She reached into the inside pocket of her chef’s coat and produced an envelope.
I narrowed my eyes. “I thought we said no gifts.”
She shrugged. “I think you’ll agree that it’s completely perfect.” She wiggled her left hand. “Especially now.”
With a laugh and a shake of my head, I tore open the envelope and pulled out a room key. “Don’t tell me this is for the lodge?” I raised an eyebrow, remembering exactly how our night had gone the last time we’d stayed there.
She nodded with a smug smile. “For tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“I thought maybe our first Valentine’s Day as a real couple deserved some memories. Besides, I never got a chance to try out that big bathtub last time.”
A low growl slipped from my throat as I pulled her close. “Careful, sweetheart. If you keep spoiling me like this, I’ll never let you out of my sight.”
Her eyes danced as she tugged me toward the door. “Come on then, that bathtub won’t fill itself.”
I laughed, sweeping her close for one more kiss.
This wasn’t a show. This wasn’t pretend.
Finally, this was us.
Forever.
Join Harper and Grayson for their special Valentine’s night.
Click HERE for that scene!
Jess Anderson has always been in control—until she leaves her fiancé at the altar and escapes to a remote mountain cabin.
The last person she expects to find is Preston Lyons—her biggest critic and the man who’s made it clear they’ll never be on the same side. Preston’s story is next in Only for Tonight.