Chapter 13 #2
“I can’t believe you did that. Thank you so very much!” Giada said as he placed the creme’ brulee’ in front of her, then placed the second in front of Ronan.
“Thank you for making tonight a little more special,” Ronan said.
“It’s no trouble at all. I’m glad to have known how to make it.”
Giada had already cracked the sugar on top and taken a bite. “It’s divine.”
“And that made my night,” the chef said. “We hope to be able to serve you again soon,” he said before walking away.
“This is amazing,” Ronan said.
“Mmhmm,” Giada agreed, as she quickly worked her way through her serving.
Ronan pushed his unfinished dish toward her.
“I can’t eat yours. You said it was amazing.”
“You can eat it. I still have cheesecake.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Giada grinned at him as she quickly downed his creme’ brulee’, too.
Only a few minutes later and he was pushing his empty cheesecake plate toward the middle of the table. He picked up his glass of wine and drank down the last sip before refilling it. “Have you tried the wine?”
“Not yet.”
“Try it. It’s my favorite.”
Giada picked up her glass and took a little experimental sip. “Oh, my God. I think I need a case of this.”
“Isn’t it great? And it’s only got like a six percent alcohol.”
“I could have that instead of dessert,” Giada said.
“Unless it’s creme’ brulee’, of course.”
“Of course,” she agreed.
Fifteen minutes later, they asked for the check.
Five minutes after that, the waiter brought them not only the check, but two large bags with multiple containers inside.
“What is this?” she asked.
“A Porterhouse steak topped with crab meat sauce, and a plastic container of their butter and garlic. The other two… one is the creamed spinach, and the other is four cannolis.”
“When did you do this?” she asked.
“I have my secrets,” he said.
“You did say you might get one to take home. But a Porterhouse? That’s a big steak.
“It is. But I don’t feel bad about it at all.”
“I think I might need to be carried out to the truck. I ate so much.”
“I ate most of it. It was nice to have somebody at least try to keep up.”
She smiled at him. “It was nice to be able to just let down my walls and be me for a change.”
“I like you.”
“I like you, too.”
“You ready?”
“Let’s go,” she said, waiting to stand when she realized he was coming around the table to pull her chair out.
As she stood and gathered her purse, he left cash on the table for the bill. He looked over at her to make sure she was ready, then placed his hand at her back again and escorted her from the room.
“Y’all have a great night, and thank you!” Ronan called out.
The waiter watched as they went through the front door, then went to collect the bill from the table. He turned around and looked at the chef, who’d just finished waving at Ronan and Giada. “What’s the problem?” the chef asked.
The waiter hurried into the kitchen and handed him the bill and the cash.
The chef counted it out. “That’s a good man,” he said.
“I’ve never gotten a two hundred dollar tip.”
“Now you have.”
“I hope he becomes a regular.”
“He’ll be back. His lady likes my creme’ brulee’.”
~~~
“So, what now?” Ronan asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe some Tums.”
Ronan laughed. “Come on, I ate most of it.”
“Do you eat like that all the time?”
“Not that level of richness. But that much, pretty much.”
“How do you not weigh four hundred pounds?”
“I told you,” he said.
“Oh, yeah. The shifter thing. I guess you have a fast metabolism.”
“Exactly.”
“Are you tired?”
“Not really, but I’m lazy. I had a heavy meal,” she said, as though he didn’t know.
“How about we go back to my place and just watch some television?”
She gave him some side eye, then gave him a little more side eye.
“No funny business. Just hanging out and watching T.V.”
“Under one condition.”
“Alright.”
“You don’t even know what it is.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m just not ready to say good night.”
“I’d like to go to my house and pick up Matteo’s favorite stuffed animal. I’m honestly surprised he went to sleep without it.”
“Done. And does Leo have one?”
“Yes, but he’s not dependent on it to sleep.”
“Let’s go get them,” he said, pulling out of the parking lot and heading toward the shelter.
A short while later they pulled into the parking lot and made their way over to the area the tiny houses were in.
Giada led the way to the one she and her boys lived in.
She paused and listened closely, her ear against the door before she finally slipped the key into the lock and unlocked the door.
“It’s okay, Giada. I’m here,” Ronan said when he realized she was battling the fear that someone might already be inside.
Giada blew out a breath, then opened the door carefully, flipping the lights on before she even stepped inside. “Come on in,” she said.
Ronan followed her in, glancing around the tiny home appreciatively. “This is a really nice place.”
“It really is. We all sleep on the roll out bed, which is right there,” she said, pointing to the sofa.
There’s a bathroom through there on the other side of the little kitchen.
It’s not huge but it suits our needs. There’s a large cabinet in the kitchen that we keep a skillet and couple of pots in, and another that we keep some food in, but not much.
We eat at the cafeteria mostly. Our clothes are in the closet in the bathroom.
And the few toys the boys have are in the storage area under the bench the little table sits next to.
Actually, if we needed another bed, the table can be dropped down and pushed against the bench, and there’s a pad that goes across them to make another bed. ”
“Pretty handy.”
“It really is. And it’s leaps and bounds above freezing in a tent.”
“If I wasn’t already planning on building a house, I might consider one of these. It’s cozy, warm, you have everything you need.”
“It does have everything you need, but it’s hard to keep two rambunctious kids in such a small space. I’m not at all complaining, though. Just stating a fact. For someone single, though, you can’t beat it. And it can’t be very expensive to build.”
“No, I wouldn’t think so.”
He watched as she opened the lid on the bench and took out two stuffed animals. One was a rabbit, the other was a puppy.
“Ready when you are,” she said, hugging the two animals to her chest.
“Let’s go,” he said, stepping outside first and looking around before he moved out of the doorway and allowed her to follow him.
They got in the truck and went straight to Havoc’s house.
Ronan led the way up the steps to their front door, but it opened before they got to it.
Havoc stepped out. “Well, well, well. Did you bring me a steak?”
“No. I brought me one.”
“That ain’t nice,” Havoc said.
“But it is. I was thoughtful enough to get one big enough that I could share it with Giada if we stay up late enough binge watching what it is we’re going to watch.”
Havoc looked at Giada. “Next time, make sure he brings me one.”
Giada smiled at him. “I will.”
“I’m guessing you want to see your babies before you follow this selfish male home,” Havoc said.
“Please.”
“Here’s the thing, Giada. Your babies are in my house. You don’t have to ask, you don’t even have to knock. Just come on in and see your babies,” Havoc said.
“Thank you,” Giada said, walking past him to open the door. She looked back at him once more just to be sure.
“Go on in there, your kids are there, you have every right.”
She nodded and smiled at Havoc, then disappeared inside, softly closing the door behind her.
“You don’t wrap that woman up, somebody else will.”
“Like who?” Ronan asked.
“I don’t know. But she’s all kinds of right for you.”
“I know. And I’m not planning on letting go. But if she refuses me, I won’t force her. She hasn’t had many choices in her life.”
“I understand that. Come on in,” Havoc said.
“So, she can walk in and I have to be invited in.”
“Pretty much,” Havoc said, ducking the slap to the back of his head that he knew was coming.