Epilogue
KAI
* Eight Years Later *
It’s my turn to let Leah eat while her food is still hot, and I help Theo by cutting his meal into toddler-size bites.
He gazes around the room at the brightly painted murals, then grins up at me. "Daddy, are we in Greek now?"
"No, buddy. We're in Toronto, Canada. But this neighborhood is full of people that came over from Greece. That’s the country. The food and the people and the language are called Greek."
He takes a small bite of chicken souvlaki, now safely removed from the skewer, and his eyes light up.
"How do you like the food?"
"I think it's amazing," Leah says, her smile and nod encouraging Theo to speak up. He grins from ear to ear.
"This chicken slow Vicky is way better than the nuggets in…” His nose crinkles. "What was the place with the red tablecloths?"
"That was Rome, buddy."
Trust our son to be in Rome and have a hankering for chicken nuggets. Though to be fair, he did try a lot of the pasta dishes, cheeses, and cured meats. And pizza, of course.
"This chicken is called souvlaki. Try saying it: soo-vlah-key.”
Theo carefully repeats that twice, and a waiter walking by gives him an enthusiastic thumbs up.
We’ve learned that servers around the world are very forgiving of a child’s table manners as long as you go during non-busy hours and teach them how to say please and thank you in the local language.
We’ve also learned that Toronto is a great place to try new foods, since it has Greektown, Chinatown, Little Italy, Little India, and Portugal Village.
Plus a funky neighborhood called Kensington Market, which Theo refers to as “the fruit place” thanks to all the greengrocers there.
We still travel a lot, but not every city is easy with a five-year-old. Leah still travels with me as often as possible – sometimes with Theo, or sometimes we leave him with Mom for a few days.
"Wow!" We follow Theo’s excited gaze as the server at a nearby table sets the saganaki aflame with a flourish, then douses it with a spritz of lemon juice. "Daddy, can he please set my chicken on fire?"
"Oh…that's a very…special dish," I stammer, looking to Leah for help.
"I think you have to be over sixteen years old to order the flaming cheese," she says smoothly. "Are you sixteen yet?"
Theo laughs. "Y-yes?" He's getting a little tired of being told he's too young for things. Then he shakes his head. “Okay…not yet.”
"Hey, buddy – can you be a big boy and eat dinner by yourself for a minute?"
"Sure." He stares intently at his plate, scooping up chicken chunks and spoonfuls of rice with surprising accuracy.
I lean close to Leah, nuzzling the side of her neck. "Have I mentioned yet today that you look gorgeous?"
"Maybe once or twice." She smiles, her fingertips dancing up the inside of my knee. "Have I mentioned yet that my stunningly handsome husband was fantastic during his presentation today?"
"How would you know? You were at the park with Theo."
"I might have watched a video clip online." Her eyebrow arches. "Taken by a woman who mentioned to her friend how hot you were."
I slip my hand around her waist, tickling her ribs. "Jealous much, Mrs. Wolfe?"
"Not in the least." Her fingers slide another inch up my leg, then stop. "But I am going to show you exactly how hot you are when we get home tomorrow night."
The server comes over and addresses Theo seriously. "How are we enjoying dinner tonight, sir?"
"I like the… um…soo-vlak-keys. It's like really soft chicken nuggets with rice instead of crumbles."
"Thank you, sir. I'll be sure to tell the chef." He catches my eye, winks, then heads to the back of the restaurant.
Theo turns to us with an exasperated scowl. "He would've asked you but you're being all…kissy kissy."
We burst into laughter, and I reach out to ruffle his hair. "You're right, buddy. We’ll behave."
Leah grabs my knee, murmuring, “Well, we’ll try.”
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Want more hot mountain men? You’ll meet Kai’s cousins Jace, Jonah and Josh in the series Wolfe Mountain Men.
Keep reading for a taste of Winter Heat at Wolfe Mountain Chalet.
*Maya*
"Hang on, let me help you."
The deep voice makes me jump, and I spin to stare into warm brown eyes that…oh my…
My breath and heart begin to sputter. He's…gorgeous.
"Damn, I'm sorry." He takes my elbow and sits me in the chair. "I think I scared you half to death."
I feel even smaller next to him now that I'm sitting.
The man is huge. Not like a bodybuilder; like a man who spends a lot of time swinging an axe.
His dark green flannel shirt is just snug enough to show off his wide chest, and the sleeves are rolled up, showing off thick, tanned forearms and a bit of a dark, swirling tattoo.
Focus. You're here to serve him, and make his stay special.
"You're up early." I manage a soft laugh. "I heard you gentlemen got in quite late."
He chuckles, easily moving the other two chairs into place. I laugh as he lifts the last one with me still in it, setting it in position. "Nothing keeps me from good coffee."
I stand slowly, noticing the top of my head is barely at his shoulder. Looking up at his sculpted jawline and ruggedly handsome features, I can already tell it's going to be challenging to keep my focus.
"I'm Maya. I'll be your server this week."
His hand darts out to shake mine rather formally. "Nice to meet you, Maya. I'm Dylan. I'll be your guest who will be asking for too much coffee at an early hour."
"I'll bear that in mind. Would you like an espresso, or is regular drip fine to get started?"
"This is great, thanks."
Before I can reach for the coffee to pour, he serves himself. Then he notices my look of confusion. "Sorry. We're do-it-yourselfer types. Not used to being waited on. Hope that isn't annoying to you."
How could I be annoyed with a man like this looking so deeply into my eyes?
"I'm here to make you comfortable. Just let me know anything I can do." A bell rings faintly from the kitchen. "I'm guessing that fresh fruit and muffins with the coffee will be a good start before the full breakfast?"
Dylan sinks into a chair, his inviting lips pulled into a saucy grin. "I will eat everything you tell me to, Maya."
With a quick nod, I dash to the kitchen, replaying what he just said. Oh my… Was he flirting? Did he mean for that to sound so racy?
My cheeks flame as I gather the trays. Luckily I hear the other two men coming into the dining room.
I'm going to have to be very careful that Dylan and I are never alone again.
I don't think my heart can take it.
Don’t worry, Maya’s heart will be just fine in Winter Heat at Wolfe Mountain Chalet.