Epilogue
One year later
Amber
Someone crawled up on the bed, jostling me awake. I had a pretty good idea who it was.
It was pretty common for me to be woken up like this these days. I’d almost come to expect it. Emery had gotten into the habit of waking up early and sneaking into bed with us. It was almost like she couldn’t get that last hour of sleep unless we were all together in our bed.
Our bed.
That’s how I thought of it now. Not Luke’s bed, but ours. It was crazy to think there’d been a time when I refused to sleep here. Back when I let my fears prevent me from getting too close to Luke and Emery. That felt like a lifetime ago.
Now this felt like home to me. I couldn’t imagine waking up in someone else’s bed, next to somebody new ever again. I knew that I belonged here and that this was exactly where I was meant to be.
It was an unfamiliar feeling for me, being so sure about my place in the world. So much of my life had been plagued with uncertainty, especially after I lost my parents. I’d always felt like a visitor wherever I ended up. Like I was just passing through. Like everything was fleeting and temporary.
Those feelings persisted through high school, then culinary school, and even when I first started working for Luke. I traveled through my days as a tourist, experiencing other people’s lives for brief moments before I moved on to the next thing.
Now, I no longer felt like there would be a next thing. Being here with Luke and Emery, it was the only thing. It was real. It was permanent. Or at least I hoped it would be. The future was impossible to predict, but every time I imagined what the coming years would bring, Luke and Emery were right there with me.
Speaking of Emery, I pretended to be asleep while she crawled toward me from the other side of the bed. She must have been crawling over her father at that point, but I didn’t hear him stir.
I wasn’t surprised. We’d both had a late night at the restaurant. We had so much business, we could barely handle it. Ever since I’d given up running my own kitchen to work with Luke again, people had been flocking to Emery in droves.
People in the industry had been surprised when a cook my age had been given the head chef position at a top tier restaurant. But they’d been shocked when I left that job. It was a bit of a scandal in the culinary world. I’d gone from rock star to rebel overnight.
It didn’t hurt my career, not that I would have cared if it did. If anything, people were talking about me more. I guess it was a better story. The young, upstart chef who preferred working for Chef Harrison, the bad boy of cooking, over running her own place. Everyone assumed there was something special about the team of Luke and me.
They weren’t wrong.
All the buzz about Luke and me made Emery the hottest ticket in town. We’d actually expanded the dining room and the kitchen to try and meet demand. No matter how big we made the restaurant, it was impossible to accommodate everyone who wanted to dine with us.
It was a great problem to have.
Spending so much time in the kitchen wasn’t an issue since Luke and I worked together. Our relationship was no longer a secret from the rest of the staff so now I didn’t have to pretend I wasn’t in love. Luke and I were able to have way more fun together at the restaurant. Whenever we managed to get a break, we spent it in his office with the door locked.
As much as I loved my work, it was really these moments I spent my day waiting for. The times when I was at home with Luke and Emery. It was nice to just spend time with them, even if we weren’t really doing anything. It felt like being part of a family again and filled my soul with warmth.
Even our little impromptu wake up calls by Emery made me happy. Sure, I lost some sleep, but I’d rather be tired with Emery and Luke than well-rested and alone.
I could hear Emery’s breathing as she edged closer to me. My eyes were still closed, and I kept my own breathing even. She had no idea I was awake, and no idea what I was about to do to her.
When I felt like she was close enough, I pounced on her with a playful monster growl. She screeched with laughter as I grabbed her and tickled her sides. I couldn’t help but laugh, too. She squirmed beneath me, giggling like a madwoman.
I didn’t think I would ever get tired of waking up to her happy little face.
“Stop!” she screamed. “I’m gonna pee.”
I was having so much fun, it took me a second to realize that Luke’s side of the bed was empty. He must have gotten up early for some reason. I felt a warm gratitude that he’d let me sleep in.
Then I noticed something else. Emery wasn’t wearing her pajamas like normal. She wore a pretty white dress and had a red bow in her hair. And she was holding something in her hands.
I let up on the tickling and looked down at what she was holding.
“Is that a flower?”
She nodded and held it out to me. It was a single, pink tulip. My favorite. “It’s for you.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “For me? That’s so sweet. But where did you find it? We don’t have anything like this in the garden.”
“Daddy asked me to give it to you.”
A wave of joy washed over me. How did I ever get so lucky to find a man like Luke? I took the flower from Emery and inhaled the sweet, floral scent of it.
“It’s lovely. I’ll have to thank him for the nice present later.”
“Say thank you now,” she said, grabbing my hand. “Come with me.”
I let her lead me out of bed. When my foot hit the floor, I felt something weird. Looking down, I saw flower petals scattered over the floor.
“What’s this, Emery? What’s going on?”
She smiled at me, still yanking my hand. “It’s a secret. You have to come with me. Come on.”
“All right,” I said, bewildered by whatever was happening.
I wasn’t totally awake yet, and all of this felt like a strange dream. The single tulip, the flower petals, the mystery. It was definitely bizarre, but I’d be lying if I said my curiosity wasn’t piqued.
I had to hand it to Luke. He managed to keep surprising me, even after being together for almost two years. The man knew how to keep the spark alive.
Emery led me out of the bedroom and into the hall, where I found more flower petals. They weren’t as scattered here as they were in the bedroom. Out here, they were clearly laid out in a trail, leading to the stairs.
I walked over the silky petals, feeling like a princess. I had no idea where Luke had even gotten this many flower petals, but he’d clearly gone through a great deal of trouble. I felt an intense desire to find out where all this was heading.
Part of me wanted to run along the trail to see what was at the end, but I let Emery set the pace as she pulled me along. It was probably better to take it slow. It was probably the only time in my life I’d wake up to a surprise like this. I wanted to savor the moment and let it play out naturally.
The trail continued down the stairs and into the living room. I looked around, but I didn’t see Luke anywhere.
“Are you excited?” Emery asked me.
“Super excited. I’m dying to know what your crazy father has in store for me.”
“You’ll see,” she said in a sing-song voice.
We followed the trail into the kitchen where it led out the back door, which was wedged open. I’d kind of thought it would end in the kitchen where Luke would have prepared me some sort of fancy breakfast. Obviously, Luke was more creative than me.
I stepped outside and looked around in wonder. The backyard had been transformed into something magical.
The old, majestic oak tree that shaded the backyard had thousands of lights strung between its branches. They twinkled like fireflies in the muted light. The trail of petals continued along the stone walkway that cut through the grass. Colorful sprays of flowers had been arranged on stands that lined the petal trail on either side. Hundreds of candles were lit along the walkway, as well, shining brightly, even in the morning light.
And there, at the end of the trail, stood Luke. The sight of him took my breath away. He wore a perfectly tailored dark suit that accentuated his athletic form. I’d never seen him dressed up like that before. I’d been missing out. He looked amazing, sexy, delicious.
My body ached as it always did for him.
I walked slowly toward him, feeling overwhelmed by the majesty of everything around me. Everything was so beautiful. It must have taken him all night. And here I was in my pajamas with my hair mussed from sleep.
Luke didn’t seem bothered by my appearance. He gazed at me like I was the most gorgeous woman in the world. It was impossible not to feel special when he looked at me like that.
He held out another tulip to me as I approached. I took it and held it next to the other one, feeling like the set was complete now that we were together.
“Good morning, baby” he said, grinning at me.
“Uh, yeah, it’s a really good morning. What’s going on?”
Luke took my hand and stared deep into my eyes. “Amber, I love you.”
“I love you, too.” I gave him a funny look. We’d been loving each other for a long time.
He gestured at the scene around us. “I wanted to show you just how much I love you by doing all this.”
“Thank you, it’s beautiful.”
“And yet, it pales in comparison to your beauty. From the moment I first saw you, I thought you were the most alluring woman I’d ever seen. I know I didn’t show it. In fact, I went out of my way to hide how I felt.”
I smiled at him. “You did a good job.”
He chuckled. “I know. I made a lot of mistakes. I wasn’t ready for someone like you to show up in my life. Someone kind and beautiful. Someone so talented and sweet. I’d gotten so used to people letting me down that I couldn’t believe that someone as perfect as you could even exist.”
“Luke, I’m not perfect.”
“You are to me. And no matter how much I tried to fight it, I couldn’t help but fall madly and deeply in love with you. Everything changed for me the moment we met. You turned my whole world upside down, and I can’t thank you enough.” He paused. “I hadn’t realized how dark my life was until you showed up. You’re my sun, chasing away the darkness and casting your warmth over me. Over everything.”
“Oh, Luke—”
“I know I’m babbling. Maybe I should have written something down, but that felt fake. I wanted this to be real. I wanted to speak from my heart when I told you just how much you mean to me. Every single day you’ve been in my life has been a blessing.”
“I feel the same way.” My knees were weak. How incredibly loving of him.
Luke’s words were like sweet summer wine, making me feel warm inside. Intoxicating me. I didn’t know he was capable of expressing himself like this. Even when he was open and honest with me, he’d never shown this kind of raw vulnerability.
He really had changed since we met. He could still be a gruff asshole sometimes, mostly at work, but even then, he’d become a lovable sort of jerk. It was a stark contrast to the man who’d yelled at me for sitting in my car in his parking lot. The man who’d brought me to tears the first day we met.
I loved this new Luke with all of my heart. I never really understood how much I could love a person until I felt it for him. It was deeper than anything I’d ever experienced before. And it filled me with joy to hear him tell me that he felt the same way.
“Amber, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me, aside from the little one over there. But you’re the best thing that ever happened to Emery, too. She loves you just as much as I do. And you mean the world to both of us.”
Emery walked over to stand beside her father. She looked up at me, her face solemn. “I love you too, Amber.”
Tears stung my eyes. “I love you, too, Emery.”
I dropped to my knees and hugged her. Her little arms squeezed me so tight I thought she’d never let go, which was fine by me.
Finally, she released me and she retreated behind her father’s leg, like she felt shy after expressing her emotions. I stood up and looked at Luke, trying to blink away my unshed tears.
“Amber, we’re already a family, you, Emery, and I, but now I want to make it official.”
Luke dropped to one knee in front of me.
Emery stood behind him watching with wide eyes and a smile from ear to ear.
Luke pulled a ring from his pocket and held it out to me. “Amber Foster, I love you. I want you to be my forever. Would you make me the happiest man in the world by marrying me?”
“Yes, Luke. Of course, I’ll marry you.”
He slid the ring onto my finger. It was beautiful, and it had the biggest damn diamond I’d ever seen. Then Luke stood up and kissed me, passionately.
The smirk on his handsome face was almost too much as he moved back. “Now listen. Make sure you take that thing off in the kitchen. I don’t want you accidently-”
Emery and I groaned together.
He’d almost made it through the event without acting like the boss.
Almost.
But, I loved this man with all of me.
Every damn fiber, grit, and morsel of him.
The End