“We’re having a party tonight!” Emily exclaims, throwing her tiny fists out.
They look adorable in their matching grey and salmon-pink tracksuits. Max had them custom made at one of his favorite sports apparel shops, complete with logos of his favorite football team. Asher’s too young to understand the game, and Emily doesn’t care that much for football, but they both love new outfits, especially when they match.
Five years old already. And getting brighter and smarter with each passing day. My heart swells with pride when I look at them. I can see Alex’s bluish-green gaze in theirs, as well as in the dark curls framing their cute faces.
“We’re definitely having a party tonight,” Vincent says to Emily. “Momma’s opening her new restaurant.”
“And Uncle Matty?” Asher asks, rushing to high-five his grown-up bestie and my kitchen partner for all these years.
“Uncle Matty’s going to be head chef here with your momma in equal partnership,” Matty replies, then smiles at me. “Which still surprises me. I thought you were going to let me take over The Black Swan.”
“You did take over,” I say with a shrug.
“But you want me to run The Velvet Dream’s kitchen with you, fifty-fifty, too.”
“Yup.”
“Why?”
Alex laughs. “How are you still surprised by every promotion you get, buddy? My mind boggles.”
“If Raina thinks you’re solid, then you’re solid,” Vincent adds.
“My taste buds can definitely confirm,” Max chimes in with a smirk.
Asher pats Matty on the shoulder. “You make the best eggs.”
We all laugh while tears fill Matty’s eyes. “That’s the sign of high quality, right there. Asher’s appreciation of my eggs.”
“I like your pancakes more,” Emily admits.
“Matty, you’re an excellent chef,” I tell him with a warm smile. “And you deserve every chance to grow and learn and become a star in your own right. Alex, Max, and Vincent helped me rise. It’s my duty to do the same for somebody else, and I can’t think of any other chef I’d want to boost besides you.”
“I still can’t thank you enough,” Matty sighs, then gets up and comes in for a hug. “We’re going to knock them dead tonight, right?”
My nerves are a little wracked, and it’s not just because of the opening tonight. Frankly, it’s the least of my worries, because I’ve got Matty and endless support from my loving, doting, sinfully delicious husbands. It’s been smooth sailing up tothis point—and I thought I might have a hard time raising the twins…
It hasn’t been easy, but we managed to pull through, to bypass every challenge. We’ve stuck together, and it shows. It shows in how we live, in how we lift the people around us, in how we thrive and evolve, even in the hospitality industry.
Something else has me on edge, though. And I need to summon the courage to say it now while they’re all here.
“So we’re pretty much set for tonight,” I say. Asher and Emily hover around Matty, Kaleb, and Vivian at the table, while Alex, Max, and Vincent stay closer to me. “The staff will come in around one. The suppliers have already delivered everything we need for the opening-night menu. We’ve got confirmation for about 80 percent of the invitations we sent out.”
“Bill Bancroft will be attending, too,” Vivian says.
“Yes, along with a few other Haus of Sin regulars, who have been nothing but supportive of this endeavor,” I reply. “We’ve been lucky, haven’t we?”
“Lucky?” Alex asks.
“To attract such incredible people in our lives.”
“I don’t know if luck would describe it. Hard work, perhaps. Networking. Being a good judge of character, especially with regards to who we let in,” Alex replies.
Max speaks up. “Speaking of Haus, this winter will be our ten-year anniversary. We’ll need to do something special.”
“I stick to my winter wonderland proposal,” Vincent says.
“It’ll be a challenge with another bun in the oven,” I blurt out, but nobody seems to catch it right away.
