In Front of Me

by Dana LeCheminant

  He stared at me as if he couldn’t remember the last time he had heard those words directed at him, his eyes wide and a glimmer of hope playing at the corners of his mouth. I nearly had him convinced. Or at least I thought I did, until his shoulders fell and he pulled his hand away from mine. “This is ridiculous,” he muttered, and he stood and started pacing, somehow managing to avoid the coffee table without even looking where he was going. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I have a feeling you’re not exactly rolling in riches.”

  “Guilty,” I admitted happily.

  “And the only reason I’m not completely broke is because Brennon not so secretly adds to my bank account every month and pretends he managed to sell my house for more than it was worth.”

  “What’s your point?” I asked, even though I knew exactly what his point was. I just wanted to hear his argument before I offered mine.

  He sighed, pausing just in front of the couch and stuffing his hands into the pocket of his sweatshirt. “Lissa, you can’t start a restaurant with no money. And no one in their right mind is going to invest in a blind chef.”

  “Valid point,” I said and got up to join him. “But lucky for us, I happen to have an obscenely wealthy father who’s both a little insane and determined to be invested in my life. And I think I just found a way for him to prove that.”

  Opening his mouth a couple of times, he tried to debate my reasoning but couldn’t seem to find anything to say. “Lissa, this is crazy,” he muttered. “Why would you choose to bank your future on someone like me?”

  Because apparently I knew less about love than a man who didn’t even believe it existed. Taking Steve’s hand, I shifted a little closer and searched for the right way to explain the warmth in my chest, even if I didn’t understand it myself. “For most of my life,” I said quietly, “I’ve been focused on the future. Making a plan and following it to the letter. I have spent so long looking at the destination down the road that I forgot how important it is to pay attention to what is right in front of me.” Taking a deep breath, I lifted his hand up to my chest and held it tight against my heart. “I’m willing to take a risk,” I said. “Are you?”

  Steve frowned, his eyes locked on mine as my heart sank low. But it wasn’t an absolute no, and I clung to the hope that there was still a chance I could convince him. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second, and when he looked back at me, his gaze was the most focused I’d ever seen it. Like he saw right into my soul with those ridiculously warm brown eyes.

  And then he kissed me.

  Well, almost. He got the corner of my mouth, and he breathed a curse and took a step back in embarrassment. I didn’t let him get far, grabbing him again and pulling him in for a real kiss. And, oh boy, was it a kiss. Steve didn’t need to be able to see to know exactly how to kiss me in a way that left me weak in his arms, hopelessly lost in the best kiss I’d ever had. I closed my eyes and just let myself revel in how perfectly I fit in his arms and how much he managed to say without saying a word. How easily he told me how much he cared for me. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to kiss anyone else.

  Not that I wanted to.

  I could have stood there forever, but apparently the dog didn’t appreciate Steve’s attention to me as much as I did, and he jumped up, nearly shoving the pair of us onto the couch.

  “Stupid dog,” Steve growled and tried to push Captain away so he could keep making me dizzy with happiness.

  But the dog was relentless, and I couldn’t help but laugh and pull away to get some air. “I have a phone call to make anyway,” I said, a little breathless.

  Steve managed an impressive glare as he kept trying to stop Captain from knocking him over. “Right this second?” he grumbled.

  Maybe I had a couple minutes to spare…

  Chapter Seventeen

  A crash hit my ears, followed by a curse, and I grinned as I pulled picture frames out of a box on the bed. I knew what would come next, and sure enough, an endless stream of expletives slowly grew louder as Steve made his way down the hallway toward my bedroom.

  “Remind me why I can’t move that coffee table before I no longer have any shins,” he said as soon as he was safely inside the room. It took him a second, but he found me on the far side of the bed and immediately wrapped his arms around me from behind.

  Given how well I fit in his hold from the start, I hadn’t been sure how I would feel about him gaining weight. But three months of hearty meals and even some time at the gym had definitely added to his bulk in a good way, and I had yet to find a downside to the change. “Feng shui,” I said and burrowed myself a little deeper into his arms. Now I understood how Catherine felt every time she got lost in Seth’s embrace, and I couldn’t blame her for doing it as often as possible.

  “You don’t believe in feng shui,” he replied and pulled a frame out of my hand to hold it closer to his face. “Okay, please tell me this is a picture of you as an awkward teenager and not a photo of a llama.”

  “Ouch.” I twisted around and tried to grab the picture out of his hand, but he easily held it up and just out of reach. Though he definitely couldn’t see my high school graduation photo from that high up, he still pretended to examine it carefully as he ignored my attempts to pull his arm down to retrieve the picture. So there was one downside to him doubling his muscle weight…

  “Perm was a good look for you,” he said.

  “You don’t even know what a perm is,” I argued and jumped, barely managing to grasp the picture and tear it out of his hand.

  “I’m pretty sure any look is a good look for you, Liss.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Says the guy who couldn’t tell if that was a picture of me or a llama.”

  “If it helps,” he said with a grin, “you don’t look like a llama now.”

  I thought about scowling at him, but judging by the way he was focusing more on my nose than my eyes, I figured he couldn’t really see my expression. “That’s not as flattering as you seem to think it is,” I told him and slipped out from under his arm. “Where are Seth and Catherine?”

  Steve grabbed my elbow before I could get out the door. “Where do you think you’re going?” he growled, and then he pulled me back into his arms and kissed me quite thoroughly.

  It took me a second to remember what I’d asked him, and if he hadn’t kept his arm around my waist, I probably would have fallen over. “That…” Focus, Lissa. He already suspected he could disarm me with one of his kisses, and I didn’t need him to know it was absolutely true. “That wasn’t an answer.”

  He smirked, a little too self-aware. “They’re on their way up,” he said.

  As if on cue, my front door opened and a shout echoed through my new apartment: “Lissa! The menus look amazing! You have to come see.”

  My stomach dropped, and before I could even start hyperventilating, Steve took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Try not to freak out,” he said then headed out to greet my brother and sister-in-law.

  I took a steadying breath. I hadn’t had a lot of free time the last few months, busy planning my restaurant and getting everything ready, but things were happening too fast. If the menus were ready, it meant we only had to finish the remodel of the venue. And then it was make or break time, and I had no idea if this would even succeed. What did I know about running a restaurant?

  I needed one more minute to ground myself in the reality that was my life. Something to give me the strength to go out there and face such a big unknown.

  My fingers shaking a little, I pulled one more photo from the box and smiled at it. It was my absolute favorite picture, even if it was a little out of focus and my right ear was cut out of the shot. Steve had insisted on taking it himself. It was Christmas at Lanna and Adam’s house, just a couple of weeks after that first time he kissed me. He took the photo of us two seconds before he told me he loved me.

  “You happen to like that picture, don’t you?”

  I turned, grinning
at Steve where he leaned against the door frame with his hands in his pockets. He probably hadn’t even made it two steps before turning around and coming back to watch me. Setting the photo next to my bed, I crossed the room slowly and took his hand before kissing his cheek. “I happen to like it very much,” I told him, my voice wavering against my will.

  His eyes searched my face, a little wrinkle appearing between his eyebrows as his frustration grew because he couldn’t see my expression. “Are you happy?” he asked.

  What kind of a bone-headed question was that? “Of course I’m happy,” I said. “I have a new apartment, a perfect family, a father who amazingly has yet to let me down. And I have you.” I slid my hands up to his neck, rising up on my toes and touching my lips to his.

  “Do you happen to like me too?” he whispered, the line in his forehead growing.

  I smiled and deepened my kiss. “I happen to love you,” I said.

  “Good, because I happen to love you too. Everything’s going to work out.” He grabbed my hand, kissing my palm before threading our fingers together. “I promise.”

  The second we stepped into the living room, Seth coughed and muttered, “Remember what I told you, Evans.”

  I turned to Steve in alarm, wondering what Seth could have possibly told him without me knowing about it, but Steve put on an impressively smug expression. “I’m not afraid of you, Hastings,” he said.

  Seth narrowed his eyes. “Maybe if you could actually see me you would be.”

  “Will you two idiots stop so Lissa can look at these?” Catherine said, strategically stepping in between the two of them and holding out a laminated sheet of paper to me. “Lanna did an incredible job on these,” she told me with a grin.

  As I’d quickly discovered, Catherine’s cousin had an impressively artistic eye, and without her, my menus would have been plain black text on white background. Instead, she’d created something both functional and beautiful, adding influences from every country the dishes came from.

  “They’re perfect,” I breathed. “Steve, I wish you could see these.”

  He was still in a bit of a stare-down with Seth, but he smiled and replied, “I’ll trust your judgment, my love, as long as your brother doesn’t kill me first.”

  “Seth,” Catherine warned.

  My brother slowly unclenched his fists and gave me a pained look. He’d definitely gotten better over the last couple of months, but Seth wasn’t fully okay with the idea of me dating someone, particularly an “imbecile” like Steve. He told me so often. After getting the full story of my little relationship with Brennon and learning about Steve’s fiancée and her possible connection to us, he’d gotten even more protective, no matter how many times I told him he didn’t have a say in my relationships. I hadn’t thought that was possible until Catherine told me about the moment she had to drag Seth into their apartment after he cornered Steve in the hallway. Apparently, Steve had made it a habit to annoy my brother as often as he possibly could and was particularly good at playing the fool, something Seth didn’t much appreciate.

  Eventually Seth would figure out what I had, and he would realize there were few men better than Steve Evans. I was most definitely becoming convinced there was no one better for me in particular.

  He makes me happy, I tried to tell Seth with my gaze. Honestly, what more could he want for me?

  “And now that you’ve seen the menus,” Catherine said, taking Seth’s hand and practically forcing him to relax a little, “am I allowed to know what’s in the Tupperware? I could smell it the whole drive over from Steve’s place.”

  “It’s food,” Steve said without looking away from Seth.

  “You’re an idiot,” Seth muttered and pinched the bridge of his nose, as if Steve’s very presence was giving him a migraine. Either Steve had been hard at work during the drive over, or Seth’s tolerance was incredibly low today.

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s sampling for Matthew and Indie,” I explained, meeting Catherine’s eye and sharing a grin. At least she agreed with me—our men were a little ridiculous. “They’re considering Steve to cater their wedding and are coming over for a taste testing.”

  “Good,” Catherine said. “I know Lanna loves her little caterer, Josh, but the guy’s food hasn’t changed in half a decade. He needs to spice it up a bit. What country are they thinking?” she asked Steve.

  “Italy,” he replied. “Or Greece.”

  I had no idea why Seth smirked about Greece or why Indie and Matthew were considering Greek in the first place, but the Italian made sense. Indie’s first husband was Italian, and Matthew was impressively thoughtful and made sure she didn’t have to forget her first love.

  Just as I was about to ask Seth why he thought Greek was funny, Indie herself opened the door with a knock and grinned. “I could smell it from the hallway,” she said eagerly, stepping over to Steve. “I’m not sure I even have to taste it to know you’re hired.”

  Matthew was just behind her, and it only took him a second to take in the scene before he started laughing. “Relax, Seth,” he said, joining his fiancée. He, at least, had taken a liking to Steve even before I had, and the pair of them had become quick friends. Leaning close to Steve, Matthew muttered something then grinned.

  Steve immediately wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close and touching his lips to my neck. “Can’t help it,” he whispered into my ear as I shivered.

  Seth growled from the other side of our little circle.

  Though I was tempted to join in on Steve’s fun, I figured I probably shouldn’t push my brother to his limit. At least not tonight. “Be nice,” I told Steve just as my phone started buzzing. I glanced at the ID for only a second before I answered: “Hi, Dad.”

  “Did the menus come?”

  I smiled and pulled away from Steve’s hold so I could hear Gordon over the chatter of my family. “They came,” I confirmed, “and they look amazing.”

  “I was worried about that Munroe girl, but after that first sample she sent me, I knew you’d found someone worthy of the job. How’s the space looking?” He sounded both excited and nervous, and I knew it was hard for him to be so far away while everything was happening. His work with the Department of Homeland Security had kept him on the East Coast for the last two months, but that hadn’t stopped him from helping wherever he could with the restaurant.

  “They were putting in the floors this morning,” I said, and my heart started racing again. Opening day was rapidly approaching.

  “I ordered some higher quality chairs,” Gordon said. “Same style, better manufacturer. They should be there next week.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” It still felt weird calling him that, but he had been adamant that I say nothing else. “You’ve been amazing through all of this.”

  He was quiet for a moment, and when he spoke again, I could hear the emotion in his voice. “I told you,” he said. “I really mean to be a part of your life. I’m glad you let me in.”

  Surprisingly, “Me too,” I said.

  “Send me pictures tomorrow. I want to make sure they’re not cutting any corners with that tile work.”

  “Sure thing.”

  “I…” He paused. “Thanks, Lissa.” He hung up the phone, but I kept it pressed to my ear for a moment. He was close. For a man who had spent so long denying my existence, it was a miracle he could even try to say how much he cared.

  In a matter of a few months, I had gone from almost alone to having a family. A huge family. My mom was planning on coming out with her husband for the restaurant’s opening day, and Gordon—Dad—had been monumentally essential in getting me to this point with the restaurant. Without him, I couldn’t have even considered the idea. Though Lanna was pregnant enough with her second child that she was trying to take it easy, she had put so much time and effort into the designing of the menus and the restaurant’s decor that I had considered naming a dish after her. Seth and Catherine had found me a place to stay until I could find an apartme
nt near the restaurant, and though Seth wasn’t the biggest fan of Steve as my boyfriend, he’d still supported the idea of him being my head chef and was always willing to taste test food if Brennon wasn’t around. Matthew had been Steve’s personal chauffeur for weeks and helped him practice cooking without seeing, while Indie had spent hours every evening walking me through the process of owning and running a business.

  And as I stood there in my little apartment, I could hardly choke back tears as I watched them all gathered around the table. Catherine smiled as she scooped out portions of everything Steve had made that afternoon. Seth—bless his heart—couldn’t help but match her expression no matter how much he wanted to keep glaring at Steve. Matthew talked with Steve about where he should take Indie on their honeymoon, while Indie kept glancing at her engagement ring in between bites of food and smiling to herself.

  I’d honestly never thought I would have something like this. My whole life it had been Mom and me, and I knew I wasn’t destined for love. Of any kind. And yet…

  Steve turned, searching me out as if he knew something was wrong. He always knew. Muttering something to Matthew, he got to his feet and came to my side, the crease between his eyebrows deep. “Tell me,” he said, worry in his low voice.

  But I smiled, brushing away my tears and falling into his hold. The future was so uncertain, and there were so many things I didn’t have an answer to. I was glad I didn’t have to be uncertain about him. “Sometimes I wonder when I’m going to wake up and realize all of this is a dream,” I admitted.

  His arms pulled me tighter. “Good dream or bad dream?” he asked.

  “Good,” I said and rested my head on his shoulder, wishing I could stay there forever instead of facing the unpredictable future. But I meant what I said. Everything about my life was incredible, particularly when it came to Steve. “Definitely good.”