Epilogue
Hank
“Are you nervous?”Chastity asks me, squeezing my hand.
“Not at all.” We’re in the dining room at Conviction for my restaurant’s opening night. There’s a line outside waiting to come in. It’s mostly my family and friends, but it’s still a line. My staff is bustling around, putting finishing touches on tables, Conway behind the bar. Everything in the kitchen is prepped and ready to go. We’ve run through this service half a dozen times this week in prep, and I’m confident. “My food is good.”
“Your food is amazing. Plus, everything looks beautiful.”
Shelooks beautiful. I bought Chastity a dress to wear tonight, a summer floral silky thing that makes me want to unzip it and see it slide to the floor. I’m so proud that she’s here with me, celebrating this milestone in my life. “You’re beautiful, Chastity. In case I haven’t told you today.”
She laughs softly. “Thank you. You have, at least four times. But I’m not complaining. How is your foot?”
My beautiful, cautious, ever-fretting-because-she-loves-so-deeply girlfriend.
“My foot is fine. It’s been five months. I’ve been fine for four of those.”
“Just take it easy.”
That amuses me. I’m opening a restaurant. There’s no taking it easy. But I make a noncommittal sound. Then I glance down at her. “You going to tell me, or what?”
“What?” She bites her lip. “Tell you what?”
If she thinks I don’t know her body inside and out, and that I wouldn’t notice it’s changing, she’s crazy. She’s never been a drinker, so it’s not a noticeable change that she’s staying away from alcohol. But she keeps resting her hand on her stomach at random intervals, her face is pale, and her chest is bigger. Most obviously of all, her period is late by a couple weeks.
Two months earlier, she had her IUD removed when we moved in together. It was causing her headaches and heavy bleeding, so we just decided to let nature do its thing.
Apparently, it did its thing immediately.
“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?” The way that makes me feel is overwhelming, in the best way possible. But I’m holding back, on the slim chance that I’m wrong.
She nods, though, tears instantly in her eyes. “I took the test this morning. I wanted to wait until after Conviction’s opening night to tell you. I didn’t want to distract you.”
With a whoop, I scoop her up in my arms, and spin her around. “Sweetheart, oh my God.”
She’s laughing. “I take it you’re happy?” she asks, breathless, when I set her back down.
“Ecstatic. Josiah needs a sibling. He needs a buddy. I loved having all my siblings.”
“I would have loved having a sibling.” She smiles up at me. “I didn’t want to steal your thunder tonight though.”
“Are you kidding?” I gesture around Conviction. “This, you, me, Josiah, our baby–this is all our future. It’s everything coming together.”
Chastity nods quickly, wiping at her eyes. “You should open the doors, Hank. It’s time.”
She’s right. “Here we go.” I take a deep breath and head to the front door of my restaurant. My restaurant. I’ll never get tired of saying that. I pull open the door, Chastity beside me, blinking as the sunlight hits me. “Hey, everyone, welcome to Conviction! Come on in.”
I’m shaking hands and greeting diners as they enter. All of my siblings are here, including Cash and his wife Sera and their blended family of four kids. I give little Nelson, their five-month-old, a chuck on the chin. He’s all rolls and chubby cheeks and it hits me hard that a year from now, I’ll have a pudgy little four-month-old or so.
I give Sera a hug. “Thanks for coming.”
“We wouldn’t miss it,” she tells me with a smile.
“Looking good,” Cash says, shaking my hand. “I’m hungry, so look out.”
That makes me laugh. “Good. You’ll be a great test audience.”
Faith and MacKay are here, and Faith gives Chastity a hug. I’m happy to see they’ve buried the teenage hatchet. MacKay owns a bourbon distillery, so we’re serving his label tonight behind the bar. “Can’t wait for everyone to experience your Kentucky straight,” I tell him.
“We’re happy to be featured,” MacKay tells me. “My brother is here tonight too, though he’s late as usual.”
“That’s not a bad thing,” I tell him with a grin, glancing back behind me at the dining room.
As the diners are filing in, my hosts are seating them. It’s going to be a challenge to seat everyone simultaneously, but it’s a great test of my staff’s ability to handle pressure. My parents are here with Pops and Josiah, and they all want to sit with Cash and his brood. I barely have time to register that when my mother hugs Chastity, then pulls back, she stares at her long and hard. She looks over at me, eyes wide.
“What?” I ask.
“Y’all are expecting, aren’t you?” she demands.
Now how in the hell she knows that is beyond me. Chastity looks as startled as I feel.
“I…well…” she stammers, glancing down at Josiah nervously.
“Never mind,” my mother says. “I already have my answer.”
“Mama, mind your business,” I tell her, reaching out and giving her a hug. I murmur in her ear, “But you’re right.”
“I’m so happy for you.” She hugs me tightly. “And Mamas are always right. Remember that, son.”
I laugh. “Got it.”
Pops shakes my hand, then gives me a wink. “I’ll give you the family discount on my matchmaker fees.”
That makes me shake my head, amused. “There’s a bourbon behind the bar with your name on it. I’ll have Conway bring it to you.”
“Screw that. I’ll go get it.” Pops rubs his hands together. He’s moving pretty well as he hightails it to the bar.
I put my hand on the small of Chastity’s back. The amount of pride I have in my life tonight has me near to bursting. There’s only one thing left that I need to do.
A little over an hour later, I finally get my chance to escape the kitchen. Everyone is having a great time enjoying the food and the atmosphere of Conviction. The staff is doing an amazing job, and there have only been minor hiccups, but nothing noteworthy. I’ve actually been smiling and laughing in the kitchen, even though I’m focused on delivering a delicious meal to each of our guests.
I’ll need to make this relatively quick, but I want to thank everyone for being here for me.
“Attention, everyone, attention.” I knew I wanted to make a speech, so I have a mic ready by the bar and a glass of MacKay’s bourbon to toast with.
The restaurant quiets down, and everyone turns to look at me expectantly. Toby lets out a holler of encouragement, raising his glass, which makes me grin. I seek out and find Chastity sitting next to George’s wife. She’s beaming at me.
“I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for being here tonight. This is a special night for me, to realize my personal dream of opening up a restaurant, but it’s even more special because it’s here, in my hometown. Good or bad–this place, my parents, and our amazing Cajun culture are responsible for me becoming the man I am today.”
“It’s not my fault!” my father yells out with a grin, raising his bourbon glass. “Blame your mother!”
My mother smacks his arm. “Dave!”
“My parents, ladies and gentlemen. Dave and Jenny Young. Let’s raise a glass to these two crazy kids who thought it made sense to raise five boys and two girls.” I lift my glass and take a tiny sip. “But now that we’re all grown, the Young family is getting bigger as two of my brothers have gotten married and added their beautiful wives to our collective insanity. What do you all think about adding one more wife to this family?”
There are a few gasps. My mother’s hands go to her mouth.
Chastity looks frozen.
“Chastity, come on up here, please,” I say.
George’s wife pats her hand in encouragement. Chastity stands, her cheeks pink, and she walks over to me. I kiss her gently and take her hand. “Don’t look so scared,” I murmur.
Then I tell the crowd, “So, when I came home a while back, I ran into this girl again, and I was kicking myself for wasting a chance I had to win her heart two years ago. She told me she wanted to be just friends, and I tried, y’all, I really tried.” A few people in the room laugh. I take in Chastity’s sweet smile, her tender eyes, her perfect little nose, and the way she always leans in toward me. The two of us draw together, time and time again. “But it’s really hard to be just friends when you love someone the way I love this woman, when she makes me a better man, and trusts me both with her own heart and that of her son’s. Chastity, I will spend every day for the rest of my life making sure you and Josiah are taken care of, protected, and loved the way you both deserve to be loved.”
My dad and Josiah are in on what I’m planning, so I look over at them. “Dad, it’s time. Josiah, come on up here, son.”
That’s what he feels like to me—my son. I know we still need time to learn how to be a family, but I’m as committed to Josiah as I am to Chastity. He’s a great kid, and I love him.
Josiah takes the box from my father and runs up to us, grinning. He shoves the ring box at me. “Thanks, buddy.” I give him a fist bump.
I set the mic down and go down on one knee. “Chastity DuBois, will you marry me?”
Chastity is crying, shaking her head in earnest. “Yes, Hank Williams Young, I will marry you.”
I slip the ring on her finger. “The Williams is silent,” I tell her, gathering her in my arms and giving her a kiss that comes from the depths of my soul.
Everyone is cheering when we ease apart. Chastity is laughing and blushing and holds her hand up to show off the diamond.
I turn to the room and call out, “Hell yeah, she said yes. That would have been really embarrassing if she said no.”
“As if I’d ever say no to you,” she says quietly. The look she gives me is naughty.
For a split second, I wish we were alone when I’d done this, but then I realize there will be the rest of our lives to be alone together. We need to share this moment with Josiah, and with our family and friends.
Chastity bends down and hugs Josiah. “You knew about this?”
Josiah nods. “Me and Hank talked about it last night.”
“A little man-to-man,” I tell her. “I needed his permission.”
Now she’s crying. “God, I love you.”
“I love you, too.” I reach down and haul up Josiah into my arms. “Great job keeping the secret, buddy.”
“I can keep a secret,” he tells his mother proudly.
“You sure can.”
Then Chastity surprises me by lifting the mic off of the bar. “I want to add my own thanks to everyone for being here tonight to celebrate the opening of Conviction, and apparently, our engagement. It means the world to us to share this with our family and friends. I had no idea Hank was planning this, though, and for the record, I never wanted to be just friends with Hank. I’ve wanted to marry him since I was eighteen.”
That also surprises me a little. My eyebrows shoot up. “Some of us are a little slow on the uptake,” I tell the room.
Everyone laughs.
“Kiss her, idiot!”
That’s my brother, Toby.
The servers, on my earlier instructions, are passing out glasses of champagne to all the diners. I lift my glass and toast. “To Conviction. To home. To love. To my future wife.”
Then everyone claps and cheers and sips bubbly, and I take my brother’s advice.
I kiss her.