Epilogue
“Jay, how’s my sauce coming along?”
“Almost ready, boss.” He confirmed.
“Kim?”
“The cobbler for table seven is coming out of the oven now.”
“Great job guys. We’re almost there.”
A pair of large hands slid around Lily’s ever expanding belly and the deep voice at her ear sent a shiver of desire down her spine, “Have I told you how sexy you are when you’re barking orders?”
She grinned and leaned back into the embrace, “You have but it never hurts to hear it again.”
Myles chuckled as he kissed her neck, “Here’s something you don’t want to hear again instead… get out of my kitchen.”
“It’s my kitchen too.” She whined even as she let him pull her a step back from the stove.
“Not when you’re nearly nine months pregnant it’s not.” He cradled her belly lovingly, “We’ve talked about this. The heat and being on your feet all the time isn’t good for you or the baby.”
“I’ve only been in here like five minutes.”
“Ten.” Jay chimed in and she shot him a scandalized look.
“Traitor.”
He grinned, “Sorry, boss. My man said he’d name the baby after me if I kept an eye on you.”
“Wait a second, he promised me the same thing!” Diego complained.
“Traitors and spies.” She hissed though she couldn’t stop grinning. “The whole lot of you.”
Her beloved staff only laughed and then turned back to their tasks as she let Myles spin her to face him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck as best as she could considering there was an equivalent to a basketball beneath her shirt.
His hands on her hips were firm but gentle, as was the look in his eyes.
“You have to take care of yourself, Lil.”
“You already take the best care of me.” She teased. “And what would you do if I was some easygoing, compliant fiance?”
“Not go gray in my twenties probably.” He smiled down at her before giving a shake of his head. “But I didn’t ask you to come down here to help out in the kitchen. I have a surprise for you out front.”
“A surprise?” Her eyebrows winged up.
“Yes. That’s where I was, out there waiting for you, right up to the point it occurred to me you must’ve snuck in the back door and taken over the kitchen in my absence.”
“Oh…”
“Oh.” He nodded, “Now, would you like to come out to the front of the house with me so I can give you your surprise?”
“Yes, please.” She let him take her hand and waved at Jay who winked as Myles led her past.
“You know what today is?” Myles asked as he held the swinging door for her.
“The day before Thanksgiving.”
He chuckled, “And just as importantly, one year to the day since you walked back into my life and made me whole again.”
Her heart melted for the five billionth time at the sweetness of this man who loved her so completely, “Our anniversary.”
Baby brain was clearly in full swing because she hadn’t realized the significance despite knowing full well that tomorrow was Thanksgiving.
The last year had been a whirlwind but the best of her life.
She’d left New Orleans behind for Compass Creek once and for all.
She’d moved in with Myles, and brought along Mango who had taken an instant liking to the new man in his life, And then Myles had proposed on their first Christmas together.
Compass Creek went all out for the holidays and Myles had surprised her by taking the stage at the gazebo in the middle of the park during karaoke hour, not to sing but to tell the entire town that she made him the happiest man in the world and to ask her to marry him.
Of course he had said yes and she’d been happily sharing duties at The Mont with him and planning their wedding when she’d discovered she was pregnant.
Her parents had been dismayed when she didn’t want to move the wedding up so that they’d be married before the baby came but she hadn’t seen the point.
Their child was going to grow up knowing his parents had loved one another for a lifetime.
What difference did the date on a marriage certificate make?
Besides, she wanted to wear her mother’s dress and she couldn’t do that when she was as big as a barn so the wedding was delayed until the baby arrived and she could fit into the gown again.
She didn’t care if that meant they got married next year or in fifteen years because she knew without a doubt that Myles was her forever either way.
“Well, as much as I’d love to take you out for our anniversary to wine and dine you, we both know I’ll be stuck here most of the night preparing for the feast tomorrow.”
“You wouldn’t be stuck half as long if you’d let me help.”
He chuckled, pulling her close in the dimly lit back hallway where they were shrouded from the view of the diners and the staff, “You mean like you helped last year? We’re still finding dried up old fruit bits under the appliances.”
She smiled against his lips when he bent down to brush another kiss across her mouth, “I could promise to behave.”
“We both know you’d break it and I’d end up feasting on you again instead of cooking and this time, there’ll be a full staff to witness it.” He winked as he pulled back, “Which is why I arranged something better for you to do tonight.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that? And do I get to…” She followed him into the main dining area, her words trailing off when she saw the surprise he’d arranged for her.
There were balloons and streamers. A big banner said Congratulations Lily. There were trays of food and cupcakes and pies. But best of all, everyone she loved was there, standing and smiling at her as they shouted surprise and everyone laughed.
Her mother had been straightening a table piled with gifts.
Her father was pouring tea into waiting glasses.
Her best friend Kayla was front and center and so were the other friends she’d made or reconnected with in the past year.
Kayla’s older sister, Kendra, sat at the table with one of her daughters on her lap and she was talking to her sister-in-law, Quinn, a gorgeous blonde who lived in Nashville but visited often enough with her husband Noah that Lily had gotten to know her well enough to call her a friend.
The tower of cupcakes made a lot of sense once she saw Quinn since the woman owned a bakery.
There were others too. Her mother’s friends and some regulars from the restaurant.
Even Kim had managed to sneak out of the back to come and join in on the fun.
Lily’s eyes welled with tears and she turned to face Myles, “You did this for me?”
“Of course.” He caught a tear that slipped free with his thumb, “You deserve to be celebrated and with everything going on we never got around to planning a baby shower or a wedding shower so I figured… let’s do both.”
“You are so sweet.” She leaned into his touch and then caught herself and narrowed her eyes, “Wait, are you just trying to keep me out of the kitchen tonight?”
“The timing certainly didn’t hurt.” He chuckled.
“How did you plan all of this without me knowing?”
“I didn’t. I just told Kayla what I wanted to do and she got with Kendra and they put it together.” He glanced around and smiled, “They did a great job, don’t you think?”
“I do, but so did you.” She leaned up and kissed him softly, “Thank you for loving me so much.”
“Thank you for giving me the life of my dreams.” He kissed her again and there were hoots of laughter and wolf whistles from the crowd of onlookers.
“Get a room!” someone shouted and someone else chimed in.
“They already did! That’s why this is a joint baby and wedding shower.”
More laughter filled the restaurant and Lily slowly let the kiss end, refusing to be teased for loving this man who took such good care of her and the child they’d created together.
“Have fun, but not too much fun.” Myles winked, “Kayla’s under strict orders to keep you seated as much as possible so you’re not on your feet and your mother will be watching too.”
“You’ll join us when you get a chance?” She held onto his hand as he started to step away.
“Every chance I get I’ll be back to check on you and on Little Jay.” He touched her belly and she snorted and smacked his hands away.
“We are not naming the baby after Jay.”
“We’ll see.” He grinned. “A promise is a promise.”
“I promise we’re not naming the baby Jay.” She smiled back at him. “And I’m used to getting my way.”
“Weird, I thought I was the one that usually got my way. I got you back after all and I’m still head chef.”
“Co-Head.” She rolled her eyes.
“We’ll make it work.” He winked. “We always do.”
She watched him retreat towards the kitchen, the ache in her heart growing just from that small distance between them.
She couldn’t believe she’d actually gone seven years without Myles Calhoun in her life.
But if it had taught her anything, it was to hold on to the people she loved and to fight for what she wanted.
She knew life wouldn’t always be easy but so long as she had her family, good friends and good food, she knew she could figure the rest out.