Page 200

“From what my son tells me, you have the gift of a true restaurateur. I think this couldn’t go to anyone more perfect.”

Amy carefully put the cookbook back in the box, then stood up, and so did Debra. She gave her future mother-in-law a heartfelt hug.

“Thank you for this, I love it.” Amy pulled back so she could look Debra in the eye. “But more than anything, thank you for your son.”

Ryker spread one of the two blankets down over the top of the picnic table, then helped Amy up so she could sit down on it with her feet on the bench seats. Then he handed her a thermal mug of hot chocolate.

“It’s kind of weird being at an ocean at dawn and not seeing the sun come up.”

“Yeah, but a Pacific Ocean sunset will knock your socks off,” Ryker said as he sat down beside her and wrapped them both up in the other blanket and took a sip of his own mug of hot chocolate.

“Is this where it happened?”

“No. That’s about twenty miles north of here. I like this beach because it’s not so crowded, and I figured we could just spend some quiet time together before another day with the McQueen menagerie.”

“Do you keep in touch with Eddie’s family?”

“I’ll see them if I’m in town for midnight mass or something like that, but no, I don’t go over and say hello. They live their own lives, we live ours. It’d be something else again if Eddie had been an only child.”

Amy nodded. “I get that.”

They sat there quietly for long minutes. “Amy, are you sure you want to move to Virginia? You’ve built a life in D.C. Carla’s there.”

“Ryker, I knew when I agreed to marry you, I would be moving to Virginia to be close to you, I just can’t believe how fast the new restaurant is coming together.”

Ryker looked at her. She seemed sincere…

“Honey, we’ve discussed this a hundred times. Lawrence is coming with me. I have two chefs in mind. I get to keep a forty-nine percent share of Midnight while Charlie keeps the other fifty-one. It’s all good.”

“But—”

She placed her fingers over his mouth and smiled. “No buts. We’re enjoying the sunrise without the sun, remember?”

He sighed, then smiled. “I remember.” He kissed her temple and hugged her closer as he pulled the blanket tighter around them.

“Besides spending time on a beautiful beach at dawn, is there another reason we’re here?” Amy asked quietly.

Ryker didn’t answer.

“Was it just the restaurant you were worried about?”

He twisted around so he could get a better look at her. “No.”

“So spill.”

“I know you were worried about meeting my family. But instead of just meeting them, I brought you in as my fiancée, basically as ‘one of them.’ Are you surviving?”

She set down her mug and cupped his face with her warm palms. “I’m not just surviving. I’m thriving.” She leaned forward and landed a gentle kiss on his lips.

“When you talked about kids, is this the kind of family you were thinking of creating?”

“Yes,” he admitted. “I’m thinking of cutting it off at maybe just three kids, though.”

“What happens if the first three are boys, can we try again for a girl?”

“Have you already been taking lessons from my mom?” Ryker asked.

“No, Honey, I just know what’s in your heart.”