Chapter Thirty-Four

Eight months later…

P ierre tucked his phone away and smiled. "Drew said a line is already forming. Are you ready for this?"

Kendall looked around the pristine interior of the truck they'd worked so hard to get ready. He smiled at the two line cooks, then nodded at Pierre. Kendall's Kickin' Chicken was moments away from becoming a reality. "The question you should be asking is if Savannah is ready for us?"

"Give them hell, kid," Pierre said.

Kendall straightened the custom apron Cheryl had made for him and rolled the concession window shade up. He stared in awe at the nearly thirty people who stood in line. The paper had run an article about them in the arts and entertainment section a few weeks prior, and apparently, it had generated quite the buzz. At the back of the crowd, Kendall saw some of the faces he loved most in the world, and he was nearly moved to tears.

"Welcome to Kendall's Kickin' Chicken," he said. "Who's first?"

Their team worked seamlessly, serving up the best wings and fries the city would ever know. Kendall not only felt it in his heart but saw it in the faces of his customers as they took their first bites. He'd served nearly two dozen people before his fan club arrived at the window. His biggest fan was first in line.

"Quit pushing," Eddie grumbled.

"Save some wings for us," Zack chimed in.

"Hey, fellas," Kendall said without tearing his gaze away from Ridge's gorgeous brown eyes. "Hi, baby."

"I'll take a dozen boneless chicken wings in Heartbreaker sauce," Eddie said, muscling in.

Kendall leaned forward and kissed Ridge's smiling lips before taking the rest of their orders. "Your food will be right out."

"Ridge better not get extra," Zack said. "I'll be counting."

His mother and Adelaide were the next to step up to the window. "Thank you for coming," he said as he hugged both women. Kendall couldn't believe the changes he'd witnessed in his mom in just a few months. She'd interviewed for the receptionist position at the private detective agency and had landed the job the same day. It had boosted her confidence, which kept her going on the darkest days. She'd known all along she wouldn't escape media scrutiny, which would only get worse when the trials started. The court of public opinion seemed evenly divided between those who thought his mom was in on the scam and those who thought she was just another of Stanton's victims.

Kendall told her not to read the stuff written about her in the paper or on social media sites. None of them knew the truth and wouldn't until she testified on behalf of the government. Even then, Stan's high-powered attorneys would do their damnedest to pick her apart. Kendall hoped Stan would do the right thing and work out a plea bargain, but he doubted Stan would do anything that included an admission of guilt. Kendall would worry about the trial when the time came. For now, he was just so happy to see his mom thriving and grateful for the chance they'd been granted to repair their fractured relationship.

"There's no place we'd rather be, honey," his mother said.

Adelaide nodded and smiled through her tears. "We're so proud of you."

Kendall covered his heart with both hands. "What can I get for you lovely ladies?"

Adelaide ordered the mildest wings on the menu while his mom went for the hottest.

"Mom, are you sure?"

"Oh, I'm positive. Bring on the heat!"

Mitch, Cheryl, and Sierra were next. Kendall's eyes filled with grateful tears. "I can't believe you guys flew in for the grand opening. Ranch work waits for no one."

"Well, we're a tight-knit community and pitch in to help others when needed," Mitch said. "Right here is where we were needed, so our friends are running things while we're gone."

Cheryl rose on her tiptoes, and Kendall leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "Nice aprons."

"Thank you," he said. "An extraordinary lady made them for us."

"My boo!" Sierra said, pulling a happy squeal from Kendall. She made him model and pose for pictures before they placed their orders. The girls went easy on the sauce, and Mitch begrudgingly ordered a grilled chicken salad with vinaigrette dressing.

"Never thought I'd see the day," Ridge said as he joined them.

His dad clasped his shoulder and said, "I have too much to live for."

The line seemed to stretch on forever, not that Kendall was complaining. It just made it hard to enjoy the expressions on everyone's faces when they took their first bites.

Most of the waiters and bartenders from The Cockpit dropped by to order food and offer encouragement.

"How's my favorite earthling?" Emmett had asked.

Kendall had responded in a series of squeaks that made his friend howl with laughter.

"What the hell was that?" Chet asked as he approached the window.

"Secret language only Emmett and I know," Kendall told him, then made introductions.

The two men eye-fucked one another for a few seconds before Emmett took his food and joined the others from the club.

Chet turned and stared after him for so long Kendall had to tap his arm to get his attention.

"Sorry," Chet said. "Who is that guy?"

"Emmett. He tends bar at The Cockpit."

Chet winked. "Good to know." Then he tilted his head and studied Kendall closely. "You look ridiculously happy right now. Doesn't your face hurt from smiling so much?"

Kendall shook his head. "Nope. You can be just like me someday if you try really hard."

"Well, I took the first step toward happiness today," Chet said. "I dropped Bobby Jack Dennison as my client and tendered my resignation at Elderwood, Johnson, and McClary."

"Whoa. What's next for the Bull Shark?"

Chet cringed. "I'm going to champion the underdog."

Kendall nodded. "Nice. I'm proud of you."

"That means a lot," Chet said. He turned his head and scanned the menu before placing his order.

"Be out in just a few minutes."

Chet stepped aside so Jonah and Avery could approach the window. Kendall had been so busy with final preparations that he hadn't been able to spend much time with his friends. They agreed to a double date the following weekend.

Travis and Seth stopped by a little while later. Kendall was happy to see his stepbrother living his best life but wished he'd been a fly on the wall the day Stan found out Travis had eloped to Vegas with Seth.

"Hey, guys," Kendall said. "Good to see you." He smiled down at the grumpy-looking pug sitting by Travis's feet. They'd recently adopted the little gremlin. "Hello, Lulu." The old dog blinked once but otherwise didn't acknowledge him.

When Kendall handed them their food a few minutes later, he held tighter to Seth's tray. "Remember, I get the final say on any videos about me from now on."

Seth smiled sheepishly and blushed. "I shut the site down a long time ago."

Kendall knew he had but still teased him about it. Seth had felt horrible about causing trouble for Ridge and felt even worse when Drew fired him over it. Kendall had intervened to get Seth's job back, and the younger man had learned a valuable lesson.

Colt and Carey stepped up next, and Kendall was glad to see the two lovebirds looking happy and healthy. Drew claimed the club had become boring once they stopped fighting their feelings for one another, but Kendall doubted it.

And speaking of the club manager, Drew smiled when he stepped up to the window.

"Checking up on your investment?" Kendall teased.

Drew shook his head. "Supporting a friend."

Kendall served several more customers after Drew before he caught a quiet lull. He wanted to mingle among his customers and find out what everyone thought about the food but focused on tidying up the truck and restocking supplies for the next rush.

"Excuse me," Ridge said firmly.

Kendall whirled around to see what was wrong. "Babe?"

Ridge's eyes glittered with adoration and orneriness. "There's a problem with my order."

Kendall snorted and approached the window. "What's that? You ate it too fast? There are no free refills, sir. Not even for the man I adore."

"Nope. I found something in my food."

Kendall's eyes widened, and alarm screamed through him. "What?" he managed to croak out.

"This!" Ridge said, holding up a platinum ring. "It was in my food. Are you trying to tell me something?" It took Kendall's brain a second to catch up since his heart was still pounding from the scare. Now it sped up for an entirely different reason. He glanced around and saw almost everyone had their phones aimed in their direction.

"What are you doing?" Kendall whispered as he reached for his boyfriend.

Ridge grabbed his hand, then dropped to one knee. "Pretty sure it's obvious. I'm asking the man I love to marry me."

Kendall's mouth fell open, and he stared at the face he loved so damn much. "Am I dreaming?"

"No, baby. It's all real."

Kendall tore his gaze from Ridge long enough to scan the crowd, noting the smiles on everyone's faces. Their mothers held hands while they waited for Kendall to respond. He imagined they were holding their breaths too.

"So, will you?"

Kendall met Ridge's warm, hopeful gaze again. "There's nothing in the world that would make me happier."

The crowd cheered as Ridge slipped the thin band onto his finger. Kendall dashed out the door of the truck and leaped into Ridge's arms.

"I called it," Zack said.

" We called it," Eddie countered.

"Idiots," Jess and Emma said.

"What are they talking about?" Kendall asked Ridge.

"After Zack and Eddie met you at Asher's barbecue, they wouldn't shut up about how perfect you were for me."

Kendall smiled up at him. "Well, they're not wrong. Now kiss me. Let's seal this deal."

And Ridge did.

Sometime later, it could've been five minutes or fifty, Eddie said, "Your boyfriend sure can cook chicken."

Ridge smiled. " Fiancé , Eddie."

The End!

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