Epilogue
EPILOGUE
One year later
B en gave the stainless steel surfaces a final wipe down. After a busy Saturday night in the kitchen of The Colour Palate, he should have been tired, but he was wired and on edge.
He glanced around the spotless kitchen. That night, he’d let his sous-chef go home as soon as the last table had been served. He needed to be alone to get his head in the right place.
From the dining room he could hear Leia cleaning up. No matter what time they finished, or how exhausted they were, they always left the restaurant spotless before walking home together. Working with her was easy; she felt like part of him.
He changed out of his chef whites, bundled them into a wash bag and went to find the love of his life.
‘Hey,’ he said, lounging in the doorway and admiring her. ‘That was quick.’
She straightened, her eyes flicking over him and her cheeks pinking. ‘You look good enough to eat. Why didn’t you just walk home in your whites?’
He shrugged, feigning nonchalance, whilst his tummy did a loop-the-loop. ‘I dunno, maybe I wanted to show you I’m not a scruffy-looking nerf herder?’
‘Nerf herders are the best,’ she replied. ‘I’m only with you for the nerf.’
He raised an eyebrow and advanced on her. ‘Really?’
‘Uh-huh, without my daily portion of nerf meat, I get cranky.’
He reached her side, his mouth at her ear. ‘Would you like me to give you one now?’
Her breath quickened as she glanced at the large windows at the front of the restaurant. He grinned. She was actually considering it.
She pushed him back. ‘Don’t tempt me to the dark side.’
He laughed. ‘What do you mean? I’m Ben Kenobi, not Ben Solo.’
‘Scoundrel.’
He bowed. ‘At your service, highness.’
She rolled her eyes, then hesitated.
‘Ben…’
‘Yes?’ His stomach flip-flopped again. She had a look about her that made him uneasy.
‘Can we sit down for a minute?’
‘Sure.’ He pulled out a couple of chairs, adrenaline spiking uncomfortably in his blood.
They sat opposite each other. Her hands twisted in her lap. This did not look good. He scanned back over the day, the last few weeks, months, the whole of the last year for something he might have missed.
‘Is everything okay?’
She nodded. ‘Yes, of course, it’s more than okay. It’s just… Well… I wanted to talk to you about something.’
Please let this be a good something . ‘Go on.’
‘This year,’ she began, ‘has been incredible. You’ve been incredible. You’ve never asked for anything. You’ve just turned up for me, each and every day.’
He shrugged. That was easy. It had been the best year of his life.
‘And I feel awful—’
‘About what?’
‘That I haven’t done this before. I want to offer you half of the business.’
His heart soared.
‘I know we talked about it once,’ she continued. ‘And you said you wanted to invest. It would mean I could clear the loan I took to buy Tim out. This is your business as much as it is mine and I want us to be equal partners. In it together. I’m so sorry I haven’t asked sooner.'
He shook his head and smiled. ‘I totally understand. You needed to be sure about me. And yes, I’d love to. There’s only one thing I want in this world more than to invest in your restaurant.’
Her brow creased in confusion.
This was it. He took the small box from the back pocket of his jeans.
I am one with the Force and the Force is with me .
He flipped the lid to show her the diamond ring and took a deep breath.
‘Leia Skye Perry. You are the centre of my galaxy, the Force that keeps my heart beating. Will you marry me?’
He watched as her expression stopped still with shock, then lit up with happiness.
‘Oh my god, Ben, yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!’
She leapt on him, covering him with kisses as he laughed with joy. He hauled her onto his lap and gently pushed the ring on her finger.
‘So, whaddya think?’ he asked. ‘A princess and a guy like me?’
She nodded. ‘It’s the perfect happy ending. And…’
‘Ye-es?’
‘Much as I love my parents, I’ve never been fond of the surname Perry, so I’m going to take yours.’
His heart was going to burst. ‘Leia Skye Walker. I like the sound of that.’
She rested her forehead on his. ‘May the Force be with us.’
He brushed his lips across hers. ‘Always.’
The end!