Chapter 116
Ryan waited until he was out of sight and his footsteps had faded away before turning to Chris. “Damon told me he was here.”
“I figured.”
“Wasn’t sure what he was planning.”
Chris smiled and grabbed Ryan’s hand. “Were you going to act like my bodyguard?”
“Maybe. If needed.” Ryan shrugged. “Were you tempted?”
“Tempted?”
“To, you know, maybe take him back. Try again.” Ryan looked very unsure of himself, which was pretty unlike him and Chris didn’t like it.
“Not even a little.” Chris put his arms around Ryan’s neck and drew him closer. “I’m not looking to my past with him, I’m looking to my future.”
“Yeah?”
“With you, in case that wasn’t clear.” Chris kissed him.
Ryan smiled. “Well, he was sort of hot in a smarmy kind of way.”
“You’re way hotter. In a sexy bad boy chef kind of way.”
“I love that.” Ryan nibbled on Chris’s lips. “I know we haven’t really been seeing each other that long. A couple of months. And I also know we didn’t really start off well.”
“You mean because I fired you?” Chris asked, amused.
“Yeah and then you were forced to beg me to come back.”
“I didn’t beg,” Chris said.
“You totally begged.”
“Well, not exactly. Anyway, thanks to your culinary skills, Mabry’s is a success.”
“It’s not just my culinary skills. You know exactly what you’re doing running this restaurant. Everyone loves you.”
Chris quirked a brow. “Everyone, huh?”
Ryan kissed the side of his mouth. “Yeah, everyone.”
“Mm. Gotta get back inside and finish up,” Chris said reluctantly, though he would really like to be doing some begging right then. He didn’t think Sutter’s Bay was ready to see him and Ryan fucking outside anyway.
“Yeah, the perils of being the owner. Have fun with that, see you tomorrow.”
Chris playfully tapped the side of Ryan’s head. “Get back in there, chef. That’s the perils of being the head chef and the boyfriend of the owner.”
“I can live with that.”
They walked back into Mabry’s to finish closing and Chris thought maybe he didn’t really have much to worry about with seeing Ryan after all.Epilogue
Ryan met Chris on the beach just before sunset on a Monday evening. His lover was sitting in the sand, legs bent, his arms leaning against his knees.
He dropped down beside Chris in the sand. “Why are we meeting here?” he asked, giving Chris a quick kiss
Chris smiled. “Someone told me this spot was especially romantic as the sun goes down. See the sun on the water? Pretty, huh?”
Ryan glanced briefly at the water and then returned to looking at Chris. “Yeah. Very pretty.”
They fell silent for a while just watching the sun going down over the sea. Watching the sea used to make him a little sad, really, thinking about his parents and their ill-fated boat trip out there. Whatever happened between them, the end result was the same. But now, watching the calm water glistening with the last remnants of sunlight over Sutter’s Bay, Ryan felt peace.
“I’ve been thinking,” Chris finally said.
“About?”
“The restaurant. Some changes I want to make.”
“Hmm.” Ryan leaned back and looked at the sky. “Like what?”
“Giving you half ownership of Mabry’s.”
Ryan blinked, stared at Chris. “Seriously?”
The smile his lover gave him was what Ryan had decided was his gentle smile. “Yeah. You’re as much a part of its success as I am. People come to eat your dishes.”
“Babe, I don’t want your restaurant.”
“But—”
“Chris, the restaurant is yours. It’s your dream. I’m completely satisfied with being the head chef. I don’t want your money, Christopher. I want you.”
He frowned. “Are you sure?”
Ryan framed Chris’s jaw with his hand and kissed him deep. “I’m very sure. I absolutely love you for the gesture, but it’s not needed.”
“Okay.”
Ryan leaned back to study the sky again. “But while we’re talking about such important things as the future between us, I have a proposal of my own.”
“Oh?”
“I’d like you to consider moving into the house with me,” Ryan said. His stomach fluttered. He wasn’t sure what Chris’s reaction would be. He knew his lover liked to be almost freakishly close to his restaurant. “Your apartment is great and all, but it’s not really big enough to keep Jonesy there and half the time we end up at the house anyway. Plus it’s a little farther away from Mabry’s. I know you like to be close, but I like the idea of you relaxing just a bit sometimes. Damon’s a good manager.”
“I see.”
Ryan bit his lip. “You hate the idea?”
“It has merit.”
“But?”
Chris laughed. “There’s no but. All right.”
“All right, you agree?”
“Yep.” Chris leaned over to kiss him. “I love your house.”
“If you’re living there, it’s our house.”
“Just like it’s our restaurant.”
“Sort of.”
“God, you’re stubborn.” Chris sighed. “I don’t have much so I guess I can move in any time.”
“Now would be good.”
“A little anxious?”
“Yep,” Ryan said, suddenly moving on top of Chris, crushing him under him. “I’ve waited my whole life for someone like you.”
“Your whole life?” Chris looked skeptical.
“Pretty much.” He stared at Chris’s lips and then nipped them.
“Hey, ouch. What was that?”
Ryan grinned. “Just me being tempted to taste. You’re delicious, by the way.”
Chris laughed his rich, warm laugh and for the first time Ryan could probably remember, he was happy.