Epilogue
HECTOR
Five years later
“Junior! No running around!” Russell called to his energetic grandson. The child giggled and rocketed off to the other side of the diner. Thankfully, Ryker caught him before he could face-plant on the ground and took him to the table where Lana, Sam, and all our other friends were sitting.
“That rascal’s such a handful,” Russell said with a shake of his head.
“Maybe, but you love him,” Atlas said with a smile. He leaned his head against my chest.
I’d come out to the front to say hi to our friends, who’d come for Sunday brunch. The Diner was filled to max capacity, something that was more the norm than not these days. Half the room was filled with people we knew and loved, who all greeted me with smiles when they saw me.
“They grow up so fast,” I commented.
“Time really flies,” Russell agreed and made his way to their table.
Atlas met my eyes and smiled. His hand found mine, the matching gold bands on our left ring fingers clinking as our fingers threaded together. We’d had a very intimate courthouse wedding a few years ago with only Rhett and Aunt Polly there as witnesses.
Neither of us wanted any fanfare. All we really cared about was tying our lives together in every way possible.
Of course, our friends refused to let our wedding pass without celebration and threw us a party at the diner.
Rhett had cooked up a storm, showing off all the new recipes he’d learned while traveling, and impressing all our friends and family.
It was a grand time filled with good food, lots of laughs, and people we loved and cared about.
Aunt Polly had immediately taken a liking to Mae and her gossiping ways. I sometimes wondered if her many visits to Kither Springs throughout the years were mainly to visit Mae, and seeing us was just an added benefit.
Either way, Atlas was happy to see more of his aunt. He never voiced it out loud, but I knew he wished his aunt would move here. She was too settled in her current town, which just meant we had another excuse to travel.
We tried to visit Rhett and Coal and their traveling circus at least once a year as well. The show was everything Rhett said and more. I’d never seen anything like it. The acts were too spectacular to be anything but magical. The fire danced around Coal as if he were willing it through command.
When I’d asked Rhett about the secret behind how they made the show seem like they were performing real magic, he merely said it was a trade secret and gave me a mysterious smile.
Now, when we visited every year, Atlas and I tried to figure out that secret.
We were never successful, but we had fun anyway.
“Boss, are ya just gonna keep flirting with your man, or are you gonna actually help me?” Becca said teasingly, with a hand on her hip.
Atlas rolled his eyes at her teasing. Most people still referred to The Diner as Hector’s, but I added Atlas’ name to the business a few months ago, so the place now officially belonged to both of us.
He didn’t think it was necessary, though, and was perfectly happy keeping things the way they were.
Our lives might have already been tied together, but I wanted him to know that he was a part of everything I owned.
Even though we were married, I still wanted to make sure he had the legal security of our home, just in case anything happened.
He thought I was being silly, but he obliged because he knew this was important to me.
Becca started calling Atlas boss as a joke, but kept it going because it got a rise out of him. Teasing and flirting like that was her love language, which was probably why Atlas put up with it.
“Hector, there’s an order request I need help with,” Larry called through the service window.
“Be right there,” I answered.
Atlas pressed a kiss to my mouth. “Looks like duty calls.”
I grunted and tried to nip at his delicious lips one more time before he pulled back. “Later, love.”
He hummed happily before skipping off to help Becca with the rush. I made my way back to the kitchen, passing regulars who smiled my way or offered me a pat as we crossed paths, as if needing to include me in part of their day, even if it was only for a second.
At the last table by the kitchen door sat the four men who’d caused a huge fuss in the diner five years ago.
Atlas had been serious about having them banned, and even went so far as finding photos of them online to print out.
He made a board he called the outlawed with their four faces pasted on it and hung the board by the front door as if to prove a point.
The four had lasted two months before they’d returned with their tails between their legs and apologized for their behavior. Atlas had been skeptical and didn’t want to allow their return, but he’d left the decision up to me.
I didn’t see the point of holding on to a grudge. I didn’t want to carry that negativity when I wanted to live a life focusing on the good. And so I’d accepted their apologies, and we took down the outlawed board and allowed their return.
“You’re a better man than I’ll ever be,” Atlas had told me then. What he didn’t know was that it was all because of him. He made me a better man.
“Delicious as always, Hector,” one of the four said.
The rest followed with their own compliments to the chef and complaints of gaining a few inches on their waist from how good my food was.
I accepted their kind words with a smile, one Atlas claimed had softened over the years, and continued into the kitchen.
Larry was busy at the griddle, frying up a couple of burgers. He glanced up and nodded to the two tickets he’d set aside for me.
“Mae requested some sort of pasta. She didn’t clarify which kind,” he said, shooting a grin my way.
In recent years, Mae had taken to ordering the type of food she wanted to eat rather than what was actually on the menu. She claimed she was merely exercising my cooking talents, but I think she just didn’t want the hassle of deciding what to eat.
I checked what ingredients I had and started on her order. Larry and I moved around each other with practiced ease from years of working together.
Atlas had been right about needing help in the kitchen, and before we could even put up a recruitment notice, Larry practically fell into our laps. He’d been sitting at a booth with Arnold one day, watching him study for their finals and chewing on his milkshake straw.
Larry had no interest in studying and hadn’t planned on attending university. Atlas overheard him telling Arnold he was going to look for a job at a restaurant in a nearby town after graduation. He was interested in cooking. Atlas hadn’t hesitated to herd him into the back to talk to me.
That was how we had found our second hire. He was a better helper than I could have asked for. Quick on his feet and a fast learner in the kitchen.
“Larry!” someone called through the service window. Arnold waved with a giant smile on his face, then pushed up the giant glasses that had slipped down his nose.
Larry beamed at his boyfriend. They exchanged a meaningful look before Arnold took his seat.
“He’s back from school?” I asked Larry. They’d been doing long-distance for a few years while Arnold attended college at the state university.
He nodded. “He has a couple weeks of winter break before his last semester,” he said, then added, “You’re still okay with me taking the rest of the week off to take him on a trip?”
“Of course.”
He nodded again. Then, in a much quieter voice, he said shyly, “I’m going to ask him to marry me.”
I looked up from my prep and beamed at him. “Good for you. I have no doubt he’s going to say yes.”
Time really did fly by. The teens who used to frequent the diner had now become men ready to start their new lives together.
So much had happened in these past few years. The fucker who’d stalked Atlas five years ago had officially been convicted on counts of stalking, harassment, and assault, among other things. The trial had taken months, and I knew Atlas took it hard despite trying not to show it.
Our lawyer said Atlas didn’t have to go to the trial if he didn’t want to, and with video evidence from the security cameras and one of him threatening to murder me, they had more than enough to put the guy away.
Atlas proved to me how fucking strong he was and insisted on standing against him at the trial.
With his courage, others started coming forward to give testimony of his stalking and harassing them too.
Apparently, Atlas hadn’t been his first victim, but he sure as hell was his last. The fucker received the maximum sentence, and both Atlas and I breathed a huge sigh of relief knowing we’d never see him again.
Knowing Garrett had been close enough to share bed partners with this fucker, I thought he might have been in on the whole thing.
Or hell, stalked the other poor victims too, but there wasn’t any evidence of Garrett’s involvement, and the stalker had kept his mouth shut about his friend.
I was just glad Garrett had left town long ago and hadn’t been seen since.
Good riddance.
Later that day, after the last customer stayed long after official hours to chat with us—yes, we had official hours now, though they still ended up being suggestions more often than not—Atlas and I closed the diner and headed upstairs to our home.
Shadow popped out from one of the dark corners to quickly brush against Atlas’ leg before rubbing himself all over me. I could tell he accepted Atlas as part of the family, but he was still stingy with anything more than a couple pets from him.
I scooped Shadow up into my arms like a baby and cuddled the cat for the few minutes he’d allow. Shadow had never been a lap cat, and he would always be skittish around new people, which was okay. He was perfect just the way he was.
“It’s my turn to get some loving from my husband,” Atlas whispered to the cat.
He booped Shadow’s nose, which had the feline swatting a large paw at him before jumping out of my arms. Shadow gave what I could only describe as a glare to Atlas, but then shot off mixed signals by rubbing against his leg before sashaying away to find a comfortable spot to nap.
Atlas met my eye, and we laughed at the silly cat. We kicked off our shoes and flopped on the couch. Atlas practically lying on top of me, which just happened to be his preferred position.
Mine too, if I were being honest.
I looked around the living room, tracking all the tiny changes from the last five years. Things Atlas had collected—mementos filled with memories of our life together—and it really hit me how different things were now.
After Angelina left, I’d been so certain I would be okay living the rest of my days with Shadow. But I hadn’t realized how empty my life had truly been and how bare my walls were.
Then Atlas came rushing into my life, fighting for a chance at something I thought had an expiration date. Now, cradling the love of my life close to my heart, I knew for certain there was no ending in sight for us.