Page 65 of My Heart Belongs to You

“What do I control?”

“How much of the night can they film? Give them a window. They get thirty minutes or an hour, but nothing more than you’re comfortable with. Make sure your parents are seated somewhere that won't cause a distraction to those who won’t want to be filmed.”

“We talked about seating arrangements today. I didn’t even think about giving them a designated time to film. That’s a good idea.”

I switched the call to speakerphone and began texting my parents.

“You would’ve come up with the same idea after you calmed down,” he assured me.

“My mind has been going nonstop.”

He chuckled. “I’m already knowing. What else is on your mind?”

I sank deeper into my couch as if it were his arms. “Relinquishing control.”

Nadir’s deep hum gave me goosebumps. “I agree that you should.”

“I want to, it’s just that I wasted so much time letting things happen to me. Brie & Bordeaux should be celebrating one year in business. I can’t help but think about what I wanted this year to look like.”

“Last year wasn't the best for you, but that doesn’t mean you let things happen to you. I don’t like when you get caught up in what went wrong. Goldie, you’ve accomplished so much in a short span of time. You are about to open your first restaurant. You are the executive chef and master sommelier. Your resume is nothing to sneeze at. This is a moment to be proud, not regretful.”

Tears filled my eyes as I nodded. “You’re right.”

My voice cracked and I held my breath. After a moment, I exhaled slowly, hoping to regain my composure. I wasn’t sure where this bout of doubt came from. Thinking about my opening, my parents' filming said opening, and how much Nadir and I had evolved had me in an emotional whirlwind.

“You gotta stop being so hard on yourself.”

“I know.”

There was a beat of silence, then he said, “Hey, remember the plans I had? I’m supposed to be engaged and living in Harmony on Main. I don’t know why things panned out how they did. And it hurts like a mothafucka, but I'm good now. Better even. Sometimes it’s best to let things play out how they’re supposed to.”

I nodded, deciding I needed to take a page from his book. If Nadir was the one for me, our relationship would continue progressing, whether I wanted it to or not. Fighting against the force between us was useless if we’d end up together anyway. And something told me no matter how hard I fought, my heart would choose Nadir every time.

CHAPTER

FOURTEEN

NADIR:

On a scale from 1-10 how bad is it to tell a pregnant woman no?

ROBYN:

100! What is Sunny craving today?

“Ordering to-go?” the cashier asked.

I nodded then rattled off Summer’s usual from Over Easy Diner. Whatever Mirian put in her pancakes had Summer hooked. She called first thing this morning, asking me to bring her a platter. Normally, Ryder would’ve gotten it, but he was down a man at AutoHaven and had to go in earlier than usual. Summer explained this to me during the call.

“Anything else?” he asked.

“Nah, that’ll be all,” I replied, then peeled off a twenty to hand to him. I paused and smiled at my dad’s money clip holding my cash and ID together. He wasn’t a wallet man, preferring to carry his necessities in a custom clip. I guess it rubbed off on me because I couldn’t remember the last time I carried a wallet.

After getting a copy of my receipt, I stepped aside and went back to texting Robyn.

NADIR:

A short stack, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and beef bacon.