Epilogue
RAINA
“Istill can’t believe you brought me in here,” Matty says.
We’re almost finished preparing the second course for our grand opening. The entire kitchen is organized chaos, plates waiting under the heating lamps to be set with each element of a carefully designed menu.
“Listen, with the amount of logistical and personal setbacks we’ve had, it’s a miracle I managed to bring us both in!” I reply, almost laughing.
I practically waddle from one working counter to another, my feet and back killing me, as I lay the dessert plates out. They’re beautiful, perfectly round and matte white with crimson red lace borders—a special set made by Wedgwood for The Black Swan.
“God, they’re beautiful,” I say, admiring the details depicting scenes from Tchaikovsky’s renowned ballet oeuvre that inspired the guys’ choice of name for the restaurant.
Behind us, waiters in perfectly tailored uniforms gather up to four plates and waltz them out into the main dining salon.
Every time the doors open, the sound of music and laughter and the clinking of champagne glasses pours into the kitchen as a subtle reminder that opening night is a wonderful success.
It means it was all worth it.
I decide to throw Matty a bone. “You belong here, Matty. Someday, I’ll want to open a restaurant of my own. My own concept from the bare walls all the way down to the choice of glassware for the dessert wines, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh, I do.”
“And when that happens, I’ll need someone to take over the head chef position here,” I say, looking at him. “There’s no one else I can think of.”
“You’re gonna make me cry.” He chuckles and grabs one of the sauce bowls. “So we go with the red first, then the green, right?”
“Yes.”
We get to work decorating the dessert plates before we take the lavish berry and lime cheesecake out, slice it, then plate it. Each piece will get a garnish of fresh berries and the thinnest lime slice, along with gold foil and a spiral of fine dark chocolate as the finishing touch.
“You, on the other hand, you don’t belong here,” Matty says at one point.
My brows pull into a deep frown, the heat of insult bursting through my cheeks. “Excuse me?”
“You’re practically stumbling into your due date. You should be at home, resting. I would’ve handled this whole thing on my own, and you know that. At most, you should be out there, wearing a beautiful dress, saying no to champagne and accepting compliments for this exquisite menu.”
Glancing down at my baby bump, I have to admit he does have a point. But with all the setbacks we’ve had, I couldn’t sit back and let Matty carry the whole load. I didn’t want to.
“We were supposed to open three months ago,” I say with a deep sigh. “But hey, the hospitality world can be unpredictable.”
“Well, that, and the fact that Alex and the guys insisted on you getting married before the opening,” he grumbles and rolls his eyes.
“They wanted to make an honest woman out of me before we opened the doors.” I laugh lightly.
“You would’ve been an idiot to say no,” he says. “Point is, I can wrap this up. You should change out of your uniform and get comfy at the table. Sample the goods while you’re at it, you know?”
I shake my head slowly. “I need to keep working until I physically can’t anymore.”
“You’re nervous, aren’t you?” He pauses to look at me.
I take the green sauce bowl and start adding to the dessert plates where he’s already applied the red sauce. “I’m scared out of my mind,” I admit. “Twins, Matty. My first pregnancy ever, and I’m having twins. I’m nowhere near ready for this. One would’ve been a big enough challenge.”
“Yeah, but the universe thought you could handle it.”
“Maybe I can. Until then, I’m going to keep working. The doctor said it’s good for me to keep moving, anyway. And you’ve seen me. I always take a seat when I get tired.”
He shrugs and finishes applying the red sauce. “You make the rest of us look like slackers.”
“Ah, well, setting standards isn’t such a bad thing,” I say with a laugh.
My laughter turns into a yowl of deep pain as I drop the bowl. It crashes to the floor, the green sauce splattering across the white marble and all over my shoes.
I hold on to the edge of the table, feeling the warm wetness spread down my pants.
“Holy…” Matty gasps.
“I think…”
“Your water just broke, didn’t it?”
I nod once. His eyes widen with shock.
At the same time, the doors burst open, and in comes Alex with a most satisfied smile.
“They’re loving the food out there,” he says.
“We’re already getting booking requests for the first half of next year.
Event planners dropped a few cards because they want to work with…
” He pauses a few feet away from me, measuring me from head to toe, as I lean against the counter and try to keep it together while remembering the breathing exercises I learned for precisely this occasion.
“What’s going on?”
“The twins are coming,” I manage before another contraction hits.
“Oh, shit,” Alex says, but he remains calm.
Matty nods a few times. “I can handle the rest of the evening, no problem.”
“How’s our lovely, hard-working wife doing?” Max asks as he and Vincent join us in the kitchen.
“We need to restock the Bordeaux,” Vincent adds.
Alex gives Matty the keys to the cellar. “You can handle this. Have Carla help you.”
“Sure thing,” Matty replies, then grabs the keys and runs out.
“What’s going on?” Max’s amusement fades as he notices my discomfort.
“Our wife is having our babies tonight,” Alex coolly replies.
“It’s go time?” Vincent chimes in.
I nod once. “Yep.”
“Where’s the go-bag?” Vincent asks.
Max is already fumbling through his pockets for the car keys. “I’ll pull the car around to the back door off the kitchen.”
“I’ve got the wife,” Alex says and steps closer, slipping an arm around my oversized waist to help keep me upright. “Come on, we’ve got you.”
Tears spring to my eyes as I look up at him. “What about the restaurant?”
“It’ll be fine,” he says.
“It’s the grand opening!”
“And it’s going to be fine. The staff was prepared for this. Everybody knows what they need to do, and they’ll do it,” Alex replies way too calmly.
“But it’s your big night.”
He laughs lightly and kisses me on the lips. “Baby, it’s our night. And our night is about to get a hell of a lot bigger.”
“How are you so calm?” I whisper. Another contraction hits, and my knees buckle as I hold on to him for dear life.
“I promised you, didn’t I?” Alex says, his gaze soft and filled with love. “I promised you we’d handle this. Look at us, handling it, and you’re still surprised?”
“No, I’m… oh, for the love of… I’m impressed!”
“Good. Then let’s get you to the car before you push the rascals out in time for dessert,” Alex replies and helps me out the back door of the kitchen, which leads us right into the back alley where Max parked the car, leaving the engine running.
“I love you three so much,” I gasp as the contraction slightly subsides, giving me a moment to breathe. “We need to start timing these…”
“You have the watch,” Vincent reminds me as he opens the passenger door, then he and Alex help me get in. “And we’ve got you, baby.”
“We love you,” Alex adds and plants one more kiss on my forehead before he gets in the back seat with me.
Vincent calls shotgun, and Max is about to drive like the gates of hell are about to open up behind us, I just know it.