Epilogue
Two Months Later
Walker
My team had built hundreds of restaurants across the country, but there was something extra special about what they’d done with the construction of Alivia’s.
The detail that went into every element of the interior, the emerald green she had chosen as the main color scheme, the way the space had been conceived to be so inviting.
I’d studied the renderings prior to the build-out, I’d gone over the plans, and even with the amount of experience I had, I’d had no idea it would transform into this.
A space that welcomed all.
But a space that was everything she’d dreamed of.
Even a bastard like me could feel the love pouring out of these walls. Feel the comfort. The warmth. And it was everywhere—in the flooring, the ceiling, the tables, chairs, cushions, especially the decor.
Alivia hadn’t just manufactured a restaurant. She’d created a home.
Tonight was the soft opening—an evening for friends and family, social workers, and directors of local nonprofits and outreach programs, charities, and organizations.
There was a red carpet and paparazzi and an overflowing of press.
We wanted all of LA and beyond to know about Alivia’s, so we could reach the demographic this restaurant would be serving.
In five minutes, the dining room would be completely full.
And I was on a fucking ladder, hanging a sign above the door.
“A little to the left,” Lex said from beneath me.
Several minutes ago, while Alivia had been in the kitchen, Lex had pulled me aside and begged me to hang it—a gift to her best friend—and Lex wanted it to be a surprise. The wooden plaque had the words This Is Happily Ever After, This Isn’t a Happy for Now engraved in it.
I had no idea what it meant. At some point this evening, I’d ask Alivia, but I couldn’t even catch her long enough to give her a kiss. Since before the sunrise, my girl hadn’t stopped moving for a second, trying her damnedest to make sure everything was perfect.
“Now a little to the right,” Lex said.
I glared down at her. “What is it? More right? More left? I’m getting fucking dizzy up here.”
She whipped her long hair off her shoulder. “Shut it. The sign can’t be off-center, or it’ll throw everything out of whack.” She waved her hand to the left. “Now, that way just a smidgen.”
My cheeks puffed out as I exhaled. “You know, you’re just as mouthy as my fiancée.”
Our long weekend in Montana had concluded after I asked Alivia a very important question and slipped a diamond on her finger.
“And do you know what that means?” Lex smiled. “We’re going to be in each other’s lives forever. Now move it, mister.” Her hand was waving in the air again. “Right there—freeze. Don’t even breathe until you put that nail in the wall.”
Jesus fucking Christ.
Once the nail was in, I hung the plaque and quickly climbed down the ladder, bringing it outside to the back of the restaurant since there was no space to store it inside.
On my way through the kitchen, I saw Alivia at the counter, talking to the two line cooks we’d hired, along with the five servers who would share the weekly shifts.
With Alivia wanting to be on the floor to mingle with her guests, I assumed she was setting the expectations of what needed to go down in the kitchen and how she wanted the front staff to handle tonight’s operations.
My baby was laying down the law in her calm, relaxed manner. It was hot as fuck to witness her being a boss.
As soon as the crew left her to rush around the kitchen, Alivia leaned her elbows onto the counter, holding the sides of her face.
She was fucking stressed. I could feel it even more than I could see it.
I needed to get her to relax.
I needed her to take a breath.
An idea came to me, and I reached into my pocket and took out my phone, finding the app that I swore I’d uninstalled, but for some reason, it was still there. I didn’t know if she had it on her phone or if she’d deleted it, but this plan was worth an attempt.
Me
Did you ever think Whiskey35 was going to be your husband?
Smile, baby. Happiness looks so gorgeous on you.
I watched her reach into the top of her dress and pull out her cell, her face instantly grinning as she read the message.
“You’re cute,” she said as we connected eyes. “I love you.” She returned her phone as I made my way over to her. “I really need to delete this app, and so do you.”
“I was just thinking that, and I love you too.” I clasped her waist and turned toward the line cooks. “Two-minute warning. Do what you need to do to get ready, but the countdown is on, and the door will be opening in one hundred twenty seconds. We don’t run late. No exceptions.”
Alivia’s back went straight the moment the announcement left me. Her throat was moving an excessive amount, like she was swallowing every few seconds. She was rubbing her lips together nonstop.
“Are you all right?” The thin, soft material of her dress felt like silk, and it hugged every inch of her, making me want to shred it from her body so I could bury my tongue in those sexy curves.
My assistant, who was proving to be one hell of a stylist, had brought over multiple dresses.
A necessity, given that, within the last two weeks, Alivia barely had time to sleep, never mind shop for tonight’s important outfit.
This dress had immediately stood out on the rack.
Not just because it was emerald, but because it was simple enough that it wouldn’t compete with her beauty.
“I’m trying not to throw up.” Her hand went to her chest as her breathing turned labored. “But I might.”
Since my initial attempt didn’t last long enough, I needed another plan. Something that would get her mind focused on something other than the overwhelmingness of this evening.
I pulled her against me, my lips going to her neck. “If you can believe this, Lex is bossier than you, and I didn’t think anyone could outdo you.”
She let out a tiny laugh. “Is she giving you shit?”
“All the fucking shit.”
“Good. I told her to.” Her laugh came out a little stronger.
But it was enough.
I held her tighter, kissing the spot just below her earlobe before I moved my face in front of hers. “That’s the sound I wanted to hear.”
“Walker …” She let out a breath, taking in and releasing several more. “I’m trying not to lose it, but I’m failing.”
“Failing? Fuck no, you’re not. You’re thriving.”
“How can you even say that?”
My hands went to her face. “Because you haven’t screamed at anyone. You haven’t cried, not even once. You’re still able to laugh and smile. Baby, take a look around. This place is incredible. No one is going to believe their eyes when they walk in the door.”
She sucked her lips inward, her eyes closing as her chest rose. “But everyone is here. Or supposed to be here. Who knows if they showed up?”
“Oh, they showed up.”
Her eyes flicked open. “They did?”
“I took a look outside several minutes ago. The red carpet is on fucking fire.”
She groaned, “I’m really going to throw up.”
“No, you’re not.” I stroked her cheeks. “Listen to me. Tonight is going to be everything you want it to be. I promise. And once that door opens, your nerves are going to slip away, and you’re going to do what you do best, and that’s show them why Alivia’s is a home, not just a restaurant.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
I chuckled. “Is that an okay, I believe you? Or an okay, Walker, now shut the fuck up?”
She lifted her shoulders. “I’m going to keep that answer to myself.” She smiled.
“Fair.” I linked our fingers. “Let’s go open the door and welcome in your guests.”
As I turned around and took a step, she stopped me by squeezing my fingers.
I glanced over my shoulder to see what was wrong, and she said, “I heard from her today.”
It took me a second, but it hit me. “Your mom?”
“She said Dean was in the hospital. He has a kidney stone or something. Who even knows if that’s the truth? She was so drunk, she wasn’t making much sense.” I could tell every word she’d voiced cut in even deeper. “She asked if I’d bring her a bottle of rum since he wasn’t around to do it.”
The anger was bubbling so fucking hard in my chest; I was on the verge of exploding. But I wouldn’t let Alivia see that. Not here. Not in this setting. Not being one of the biggest moments of her life.
“What did you say to her?”
She was fighting back tears. “I told her if she was only reaching out to ask me for things, then to stop reaching out at all. But if she ever gets to the point where she’s sober and she wants to be my mom again, then she’ll always have a place in my life.”
I dropped her hand and wrapped my arms around her, speaking into the top of her head when I said, “Baby, I’m so fucking proud of you.”
“Now let’s go make my dreams come true.”
I put my arm around her shoulders, and I brought her out of the kitchen and into the dining room.
She halted about halfway to the entrance, her hand going over her mouth as she saw the sign above the door and whispered, “This is happily ever after. This isn’t a happy for now.
” She searched the space until she found Lex, who was in the corner, nursing a glass of wine. “Lex, did you have that made?”
Lex smiled. “I sure did.”
“I … know those words,” Alivia voiced. “I said them to you. Or I should say, I typed them to you in a text when I was in my hotel room after hooking up with Walker.”
Lex came over to us. “You’re right, but those aren’t the exact words you said that night. What you typed instead was that this wasn’t a happily ever after. But, babe, you were so wrong. Because look at you guys. You’re going to be a wife.”
Alivia threw her arms around Lex. “I can’t believe you remembered that conversation.”