Chapter Thirty-One

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Three Years Later

Kieran

The December sunlight flashed off Lake Merritt like fistfuls of glitter. I still had to dodge a few cars on my bike, but most of my ride to work followed the path beside the lake. I said good morning in my head to the joggers with strollers, the people chilling on the benches, the birds pecking in the grass.

It hadn't taken much to convince Ellie to move to Oakland once we got back from New York, but after three years here, we both loved it more and more. We'd found an apartment to buy on the east side of the lake, with room for a big wooden table for making and eating big dinners, and plenty of sun for Floyd to bathe in. I'd used a chunk of my prize money from Fire on High for a wall of custom bookcases, much to my girlfriend's delight. Sexy, sexy delight.

We weren't a perfect match. I'd occasionally forget to do boring but necessary stuff like emptying the dishwasher or buying litter for Floyd, and she'd have to take a deep breath. And she'd never stop trying to plan everything down to the last detail, unless I reminded her that doing stuff on the fly was fun, too. But we'd learned to give each other space to be ourselves, my chaos and her order weaving in and out instead of clashing.

She was still more of a morning person than I was. Sometimes I got woken up by the click of our front door when she headed out to write, other times by soft kisses when she decided she'd rather start the day with slow, sleepy love, like this morning.

It had been so tempting to ask her to marry me when we were catching our breath. She'd nestled into my chest and I'd played with her silky curls, drawing them out and letting them spring back. I'd daydreamed about promising my forever to her in front of all our friends, throwing a massive party celebrating everything I loved about us together. But if I'd learned anything from being with Ellie, it was to trust I'd know when the time was right.

It didn't stop me from looking in jewelry store windows, though. I'd seen a stunning emerald ring two weeks ago and it'd taken everything I'd had to walk by.

I triple-locked my bike in front of Floyd's. I'd insisted on having both her books in the front window of my restaurant—the one we'd written together, reprinted with her name next to mine, and the one she'd done on her own, Nourish, that had come out last month. Priya, Ellie's editor, had suggested we write another book based on the weekly menus I created for the restaurant. I was excited to watch Ellie work, her forehead creased with concentration, biting her lip as she thought about how to tell someone to knead brioche dough or to describe how tangerine curd tasted.

I loved arguing with her about those things, too. Three years later, it was still quality foreplay.

But I didn't hear her fingers on her laptop keyboard or see her blond curly head over the back of her favorite corner booth, which Jay had marked with a little plaque that said ELLIE'S OFFICE .

The dining room was empty, and the only sound was the squeak of my Converse on the oak floors.

"Jay?" I called. She should have been here to meet me, with her to-do list and her spreadsheets. She'd happily left Qui behind to manage Floyd's. I called up my texts, but she hadn't said anything about a day off. Maybe her last date with her new woman had been so good that she was running late?

"Hello? Where is everyone?"

"Hi, honey." My love pushed open the kitchen door and walked up to me straight-backed and strong, with a smile playing on the lips I loved to kiss. "They'll all be here in a second. Things are running a little late."

I trailed my hands up her bare arms as I kissed her hello. She looked like spring had come early in her poppy-printed dress. "Lunch service starts in two hours, and no one's prepping? As talented as you are, I can't open a restaurant just with you and your lousy knife skills."

She grinned. "It'll be OK, I promise. I have a present for you."

I bounced on my toes. "An early birthday present? I'm already excited."

She reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a flash of metal.

My mouth opened, then shut. I'd gotten better about letting Ellie take her time, but that looked a hell of a lot like a ring.

"I love you, Kieran," she said. "You're an amazing partner, and we've built a great life together. I want to marry you. Do you want to marry me?"

A wave of happiness cascaded over me, and I wanted to get down on my knees even though she was the one who'd proposed. "Yes. Yes times a billion." The little rectangle of sapphire embedded in the band caught the light. "I like the blue."

"I thought you would. You've told me how beautiful my eyes are so many times I can't count. But look on the inside."

When I took the ring from her and tilted it, I saw an engraved E and K with something round in the middle. Not a heart or a plus sign, but a tiny circle with two leaves on top. "Jesus, is that an orange?"

"I thought it was right for us." She blushed. "Is that too weird?"

"No, love, it's perfect. Put it on me."

This was the reverse of how I'd thought this would play out, but it felt so right to have her take my hand and slide the ring on. I'd been so lost, and she'd found me.

We'd found each other.

I held my hand out. "I love it so much, baby. Does this mean I can buy you a ring, too?"

"If you want," she said, a small sweet tease in her voice.

"I definitely want. But you need to come with me to pick it out. I'll buy you something huge and ridiculously shiny if you don't."

She twined her arms around my neck, smiling. "Oh, all right, if only to prevent you buying something as big as a Jolly Rancher."

"Mmm, Jolly Ranchers. It's been years since I've had one of those. Fake watermelon is the best."

She grinned up at me. "How about you forget about them and get the other kind of sugar?"

"What other kind?" Then my fiancée kissed me.

Ellie

"I love you, wild thing," Kieran said when I let him go.

"I love you, too." My sweet, big-hearted, loyal Puck, who I'd thought would ruin my life for fun but actually made it infinitely better. Every day now held a lot more laughter, a lot more joy, a lot more delicious food that I didn't have to make myself. Sure, we disagreed and debated and sometimes threw up our hands at each other's stubbornness, but I knew that he'd never walk away if I argued back, and I'd always be on his side, even if he made me slap my forehead sometimes. Every time we worked things out, we added another brick to our foundations, and marrying him would make what we'd built even stronger.

I put my fingers to my mouth and whistled, and a cheer went up from behind the kitchen door. All of the chefs came out, then Jay and her deputy, Isaac, then Diane and Ben, Nicole, and Hank. Even Anh and Steve were here.

"Everyone was hiding?" Kieran said, astonished. "How were you all so quiet?"

Jay grinned. "Ellie threatened us. Your fianceé is a scary, scary woman."

"I know," Kieran said with a huge, proud smile. "Isn't it great ?"

Anh Hutton elbowed her way to the front and pulled us both down to kiss our cheeks. "Congratulations, both of you. My youngest executive chef getting engaged to the woman helping me write my memoir, what a treat. Now," she said, smoothing her pale-pink Chanel suit, "you must tell me where you'll register so I can get you the best present."

"Register?" we both squeaked.

"And of course you'll have the wedding at one of the restaurants. Steve?"

"Yes, Anh?" he said, ambling up next to her.

She tapped her chin with a neatly manicured finger. "These two should get married in the dining room at Qui. It'll be lovely to have a big celebration on a Monday night."

He raised his eyebrows at us. "A return to the scene of the crime. I like it."

"Thank you, Anh. We'll let you know," I said quickly and graciously.

"Are you cool with her straight-up planning our wedding?" Kieran whispered.

I watched her introduce herself to Ben and Diane, who nodded with dazed smiles. "You know what? I am. I think she'll terrify everyone into making it amazing."

Jay pulled Kieran away so that he could accept congratulations from all the Floyd's people, and Diane came up and hugged me tight. "It gives me such naches, this place. To see you so successful in this restaurant, with a good man who adores you."

I smiled at her. Her color was so much better now that she'd found the right meds for her depression and was genuinely enjoying food and life again. "Well, I adore him, so it all works out."

Despite what she'd said, Floyd's was Kieran's restaurant. He and Anh had asked if I wanted to be involved more closely, but other than making the occasional menu suggestion and befriending the regulars, I let Kieran take the lead. My writing and editing work kept me plenty busy these days. We'd be working together again anyway, if Priya liked our proposal for a Floyd's book.

I smiled as I looked around the lit-up restaurant. We'd made our own family here, people who loved us and whom we loved back.

"Now, is there any chance that I might get a grandchild to spoil?" Ben asked from behind Diane.

"Ben!" Diane smacked his arm.

He put his hands up. "No pressure, Ellie. Honestly."

"I don't know, Aba," I said, giving him honesty in return. "We're going to wait and see." I wanted to savor every day I had with Kieran, not plan the time away. When we decided to try, it would be because I wanted to have a baby with him, not because I had to make up for my childhood.

But I'd caught my new fiancé making heart eyes when Manny brought his baby daughter in to meet everyone, so maybe we wouldn't wait that long.

"Future wife!" Kieran called. "Can I get some more of that sugar?"

He was across the room, hand outstretched.

"Sugar?" Jay said. "Are we low? You need to get after the supplier…"

"Not that kind of sugar!" Steve said, and laughter filled every corner of this warm, light-filled place.

"Go get him, Ellie," Ben said. "It's all waiting for you."

I didn't hesitate.