13. Epilogue—1 year later
Chapter 13
Epilogue—1 year later
Minnie
I open my front door and it’s filled with Connor’s shape, his glorious shoulders framing a bunch of sunflowers. His beautiful face is smiling down at me.
“Aw, you shouldn’t have!” I cry.
“Well, I’ve had good luck with them before. Do you remember?” I notice he’s pulled his hair back in a neat man bun and he’s wearing a dress shirt and dark chinos. I inhale. He smells delicious.
“Yeah, of course! When you first asked me out, you won me over with sunflowers. But you don’t need luck anymore, Connor. I hate to tell you but I’m kind of a sure thing.” I take a moment to give him a special smile before I usher him inside and he bends to kiss me.
“Well, I’d never take that for granted, for one thing”—he kisses me again—“and for another, luck always comes in handy,” he says, waggling a finger at me.
“I should put them in water. Come on through.” He walks behind me and gives a low whistle. I saunter just a little and grab a vase as I enter the kitchen, fill it with water, then unwrap the flowers.
It’s sale time in the mall and I couldn’t help stopping at Nexia boutique. I’ve got a new chiffon wrap-around dress that was less than half price. It’s got a floral pattern, and it drapes perfectly, feels so flattering. From his whistle, I can tell he likes it. Little does he know, I’ve decided to go without underwear.
Connor puts his arms around me from behind and bends to kiss my collarbone. “You look amazing, I love that dress on you,” me mumbles into my skin with more kisses, then inhales long and deep. “And you smell good enough to eat,” he says. “Are you ready for our special date?”
“Mmm-hmm,” I say, enjoying the feel of his arms viced around my chest. “But we don’t have to go out, you know. We could stay here, order in?” I place the blooms into the vase and swivel in his arms so that I’m facing him. He bends to gently kiss my lips.
“Nah,” he says, shaking his head. “I’ve organized something—we’re going out. We can come back later. We’ll have time to cuddle then, I promise.” I laugh at him. We do spend a lot of time in bed, so I don’t doubt his promise. And it’s fun to go out for a change.
He opens the Jeep door for me and settles me in, just like he did on our first date, and I luxuriate in the feelings of familiarity and security. He’s mine now. He glances at me with a super happy smile. He really does look hot when he’s dressed up, and I’m suddenly really excited about this date too.
That’s why it’s strange when he pulls up in the mall parking lot. I immediately say, “Did you forget something?” I can’t imagine what that might be, as most of the shops are closed.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did leave something at the gym. Can you just wander in with me to get it?”
Now I’m really suspicious. “What are you up to?” I ask him with a giggle.
As we walk around the corner of the building, he pushes me behind him so my view is obscured by his enormous bulk. “Hey, I’m going to trip if you get in my way like that,” I cry, trying to push him back, but he simply turns and lifts me into his arms, swashbuckler-style. We are facing away from the mall and he’s looking at me very seriously.
“Minnie, are you ready for a big surprise?” He’s got a dangerous glow in his eyes.
My heart is bouncing with excitement, but it’s a tiny bit confusing. “Yes! And hurry up, you are weirding me out,” I say.
Connor
I’ve been planning this for months. We’ve talked about getting our own café and decided we can’t afford it right now, and well, we are scared about the legal side of everything.
Then I had a chat with Jimmy. He’s ready to move on, and it seems like a great first step if Minnie and I take over the café. She’s going to be so excited, and I’ve dressed it all up for her so it’s looking its best.
“Well, close your eyes,” I say.
She obeys and I hold her tight in my arms, swing her back around, and walk right up to the front door which Jimmy has propped open for me.
“Okay, you can open them now.”
My chest swells at the sight of her beautiful blue eyes filled with joy. I clasp her to me.
“Did you do this?” she asks, taking in all the fairy lights, the new table settings, the dozens of bunches of sunflowers. “It’s adorable, Connor.” She kisses me and I kiss her back. It’s so good to have my baby in my arms.
“Welcome to what used to be Roasters Café,” I say to her, angling her so she can see how I’ve thrown a sheet over the café’s internal sign.
“What the hell?” she says, screwing her face in confusion.
I nod at her, smiling. The anticipation is bubbling inside me. I set her on her feet.
“Oh, well, I was just getting comfortable…” She stands upright and pats me on the shoulder, looking around as if expecting the next act to walk through the door, but the whole place is empty. She tips up her hands. “This is all so lovely. Um, thank you?”
Then she sees table twelve is set for two at the back of the café. There are candles lit. It reminds me to start the music, so I grab my phone and get the audio going through the café speakers.
She turns and smiles at me. “Awww, a candlelight dinner? How romantic!”
I do a sweeping gesture to motion her to the table, and as we approach, I sidle in front so I can pull out her chair. I sit opposite her, pull the champagne out of the ice bucket, and pour two glasses. As she takes a sip, I reach for my phone and send a quick text.
“How do you like the new table settings?” I ask her. I’ve spent the afternoon setting out some new things I sourced locally, so they can all be returned if she doesn’t like them.
“I really like the color of the plates,” she says, picking up the appetizer plate that I’ve already set out. It’s got a Japanese ceramic vibe that’s very cool. She turns it over.
That’s when Jimmy arrives, right on cue. He walks in the café door and comes over to us.
“Oh hi, Jimmy!” An expression of surprise is chased off her face by a friendly smile and we both watch as he places a large cooler bag on a table nearby.
“Good evening! I have a special delivery!” He walks over and hands Connor an envelope. “Do you want me to stay for a bit, Con?”
Poor Minnie, she’s handling all this with a lot of patience, and I don’t want to keep her in suspense any longer.
“Sit down, Jimmy, just for a few minutes. Minnie…” I turn to her. “Minnie, I know we’ve been talking about setting up our own café for a long while. I know it’s not an easy transition, but Jimmy suggested something that might be the answer for us.”
Jimmy and I have been talking about how the evening will roll out, so he’s prepped to take over the conversation at this point.
“Minnie,” he says. “Connor really wants to see you shine with your own business, and I need to step back for a while, focus on Harper and getting our lives back together. The gym’s owners are happy for you guys to take over the lease, and they are even fine with you changing the name, branding it as your own business—whatever you want.”
Minnie’s eyes are round and wondering. “That’s so great, Jimmy. Thank you. What a wonderful opportunity.” She looks towards me and cocks her head. “You’re right, Connor, this could be a great transition.” I can see she’s happy, but I know she still has questions.
“Okay. Well, Jimmy, thanks for coming in to show Minnie how much you are behind us, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in that hamper!”
“No worries, bro. You guys did so much for me when Harper was sick, so I know that getting you started here is just small compensation to repay what you did. Enjoy your night, we can chat about it all next week.” Jimmy holds out his hand for me to shake and Minnie kisses him on the cheek.
“Well, darling, what do you think?” I look back at her after Jimmy goes. Her eyes are shining in the candlelight and her cleavage is framed by her dress. “You look amazing tonight, did I mention that?”
“Thanks, sweetheart, and thanks for organizing the surprise and setting it all up like this. We’ve really got something to think about. It’s so cute that you’ve dressed up the café too.”
This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. I take a deep breath. “Minnie, there’s another reason I’ve dressed up the café, and it’s much more important.”
Her face is glowing with love. She nods. She’s caught on, I think.
My chest is fluttering. “This is where I first met you. This is where I fell for you.”
She nods again, her smile getting bigger.
“So I wanted this to be the place where I asked you to spend the rest of your life with me. Minnie, will you be my wife?”
I completely forgot that I was going to go down on one knee, so I get up quickly and half-kneel next to her chair. She reaches for my face, putting her hands on my cheeks, and kisses me.
We break apart. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes, Connor, of course it’s a yes.” Next thing I know, we are both standing, embracing, and laughing. I’m so happy, the feelings are hitting me from everywhere and I want to jump and do burpees.
But instead, I hold her head to my chest, cradle her to me. “My darling Minnie.”
“Oh Connor, this is perfect. If we get married, then we can truly be a partnership.”
“Please don’t think it’s about the business or the café. That’s just the setting—what started us—and a fun place to decorate. It’s about you and me being together, combining our goals and celebrating our achievements. It’s about us. I can’t imagine my life without you.”
“You’re so adorable, Connor, your support has made so much possible for me. You are caring and fun—so amazing—and I love you so much. I can’t wait to spend my life with you.”
We kiss like new lovers, and I rake my hand down her body, feeling my desire heighten. Then I remember Jimmy’s hamper and lift my head.
“Darling, there’s some lovely food here. We can eat.” I take a step back, picking up her hand and kissing it.
She giggles. “Oh yes! Let’s see what Jimmy brought. I’m hungry, and we have so much to talk about.”
I can’t resist another kiss, which I steal before going to open the hamper. There’s an antipasto platter covered in cling film. I take off the wrap and place it on the table between us. There’s also a covered dish with a note on top: 30 minutes on medium .
“Mmmm, seems like we have to wait 30 minutes before that will be done.” Minnie looks up at me through her eyelashes. “How do you think we should pass the time?” She raises an eyebrow suggestively.
I walk to the oven, which was already preheating, and put the dish in, then in two steps I’m back with Minnie, my arms around her. I whisper in her ear. “I can think of at least three ways to satisfy you in 30 minutes.”
“Oh really?” I feel her tongue lightly graze my neck, and her hand probes the swelling mound in my pants.
“Not if I satisfy you first.”
Her comment fires me up and I put my arms around her, smooth my hands down her cute ass. That’s when I realise she’s not wearing any underwear.
“Hmm, you are making this difficult, Minnie. Unfortunately, I can’t resist you. I’m going to have to take control.”
I walk her backwards to the section of wall that’s just behind the table. As we reach it I put my hands either side of her chest and lift her up, settling her between my hips and the hard surface so she’s stable and I can reach underneath and stroke her pussy, check if she’s ready. Of course, she’s all wet for me and I unzip my pants, my erection bursting out.
Her voice is thick with desire. “Connor, as you are going to be my husband, you don’t have to resist. From now on, I’m all yours.”
I smile with pleasure as I ease my cock into her warm tightness—sex with Minnie is going to be one of the best parts of the rest of my life.