by Jade Kuzma
“So you’re the young lady in the kitchen,” the man said as he looked me up and down, his smile as kind as the rest of his face.
“When the restaurant opened, Ryan was the first man in Ivory I went to. Wanted to give him a change of pace from the usual at the shelter.”
“I do just fine with what they have at the shelter. But… It’s always nice to have something a little special every now and again.”
“I’m glad to have you,” I said.
Ryan and Ezra looked at one another like they knew each other well.
“I won’t be able to donate as much to the shelter as I intended,” Ezra said. “Business—”
“You don’t have to explain business to me. I’m sure Miss Jackie is just fine either way. You just keep doing what you’re doing… Devil.”
He gave Ezra a wink then bowed his head to me.
“Let’s let him enjoy his lunch,” Ezra said to me.
“Enjoy your meal,” I said.
“I’m sure I will,” Ryan replied.
The sight of him licking his lips and rubbing his hands together put a smile on my lips unlike anything else.
“There’s someone else who wants to talk to you,” Ezra said.
He put his hand on the small of my back and led me through the floor. I looked around but there were so many people that I almost got lost.
“Well?” I said as I put my hands on my hips. “Who else is there?”
“Over there. In the middle. You see them sitting there? That couple.”
“I… I see them.”
Is that…
I narrowed my eyes to get a look at them. I blinked my eyes and shook my head.
No… It can’t be…
I slowly inched closer to the table and saw them come into a view. A middle-aged couple who hadn’t changed one bit. They were both smiling at one another. Their expression didn’t change when they turned to me.
“Lacey,” the older man said.
“Dad? Mom?”
“It’s good to see you,” she said.
They both got up from the table and put their arms around me. I shut my eyes tight and squeezed them both tight in my arms.
This isn’t real… I’m… I’m dreaming…
I held onto them like they would slip out of my arms if I didn’t. My father kept me tight in his embrace and my mother did the same. When I pulled away, I looked at their faces to make sure that it was them. All the years hadn’t changed them.
I couldn’t hold back. I forced a hand over my mouth to stop myself from squealing. My cheeks were wet from a couple of tears pouring out of me.
“It’s all right,” my father said as he rubbed my arm. “You’re okay.”
“It’s been so long,” I said. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry I left and never got back to you.”
“You don’t have to apologize to us,” my mom said.
“College… It was just… I couldn’t… I couldn’t face you…”
“You’re our daughter,” my father said. “We’ll always be proud of you. No matter what.”
It didn’t matter that I was in some small town like Ivory. It didn’t matter that I was five months pregnant with a man I’d only just met. It didn’t matter that I dropped out of school. My parents were still beaming at me like I remember they did when I was younger.
My father brought me in and squeezed me tight.
They were real. They were really here. Right in front of me.
I turned toward Ezra. He smiled softly at me, his hands in his pockets as he observed us calmly. My mouth hung half-open as I searched for the words.
“How did you…”
“Sebastian knows people. I know people. These days, tracking someone down isn’t very difficult.”
I sighed a deep breath and laughed softly.
“At least I won’t have to worry about introducing you to them,” I said. “Ezra… You didn’t have to do this.”
“I know I didn’t. But I had to. You and I… We both made mistakes in the past. It’s the people around us that have to forgive us. Your parents love you. I love you.”
He kissed me softly. I could taste the salt from my tears streaking down on my lips. I wiped my eyes and gathered myself.
“Well,” I said as I cleared my throat. “I guess you two want to have some lunch.”
“That’d be nice,” my father said. “But first…”
My parents both smiled at Ezra. I turned to him and shrugged my shoulders.
“What?” I said.
“I wanted to meet your parents because I wanted to talk to them,” he said. “If I was gonna do this, I wanted to do it right. All the way through.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ll always be here for you. I want you and my child with me for the rest of my life.”
“Ezra, you know I—”
He cut me off by slowly moving down to his knee.
My heart skipped a beat. My jaw slowly lowered. My face was already red but I was sure I looked like even more of an idiot staring down at Ezra.
The rest of the restaurant fell silent suddenly.
“I love you,” he said. “I’ve loved you ever since the moment I first laid eyes on you. You helped me find who I am. I’m nothing without you.”
“Ezra…”
“Lacey Nolan… Will you marry me?”
I looked around and saw everybody in the place smiling at me. Even the Devils had shown up with their girlfriends by their sides. Everybody was in such a good mood, including my parents.
But Ezra… He was just staring up at me. His eyes were filled with the same hope I’d been looking for all my life but never knew existed. In his hand was a small band with a diamond shimmering on it.
I sighed deeply. If this was my last breath, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Yes. Yes…”
I nodded and the restaurant erupted in applause.
Ezra worked his way back up to his feet. I watched as he pushed the band onto my finger.
“The diamond’s not very big,” he said. “If you’re looking for a man with money…”
“It’s perfect.”
Ezra kissed me and sealed our moment together. I was standing in the middle of the restaurant with him. I was on a cloud, floating toward the heavens. A part of me didn’t believe it was real.
“We have a lot of catching up to do,” my father said.
“We do,” I said with a laugh.
I took a seat at the table with Ezra. The most important people in my life were here with me, surrounded by the customers I’d always dreamed of serving.
“So… You’re the executive chef at a restaurant,” my father said. “Where did you learn how to cook? I know it wasn’t your mother.”
“Dad!”
My mom rolled her eyes and giggled at him.
“Don’t mind your father,” she said. “You’re the best at everything you’ve ever done. I’m sure working in a kitchen isn’t any different.”
I looked down at the tattoo on my arm. The heart that covered the scars of my mistakes haunted me. But my parents smiled at me like none of it even mattered. Looking at the ink now filled me with a sense of pride I didn’t ever think I would get back.
“You’re really not mad I didn’t finish school?” I said.
“You got your own restaurant!” my dad replied. “How could we be mad at that?”
“It’s not my restaurant. It’s his.”
I looked at Ezra and he smiled back.
“It’s ours,” he said as he put his hand on top of mine.
“Dream,” my mother said. “Whose idea was it to name it that?”
“We came up with it together,” I said. “Didn’t think there was anything more appropriate.”
“Dream,” my dad said. “I like it. And I’m sure I’ll like the food even better.”
“Try the BLT. It’s the specialty here.”
“BLT? That’s not something I expected to eat at a place call
ed Dream.”
“I’ve worked in fine-dining for a long time,” I explained. “I worked at a small hole-in-the-wall. I wanted both. That’s what Dream is. Nothing fancy. Nothing ordinary. The kind of special place where everybody can come to.”
My parents both smiled at one another before turning back to me. They were just as proud as I remembered them. It was like all those years that went by without seeing them never happened.
And then there was Ezra, sitting calmly next to me. So proud. So confident. So sure of himself. But more than anything, a man I knew that I was in love with.
Knowing that he’d be with me for the rest of my life made my heart whole.
I came to Ivory but I didn’t know what I was looking for. Something exciting. Something different. A change of pace from the life I had in the city.
But the truth was that I was never meant to live in the city. It was just a detour toward my real destiny. I was back on the main road now. I knew where I was heading and I had the most important people in my life here with me.
The future had never looked so beautiful.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for reading about the newest member of the New Devils, SOUL!
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The New Devils
PART 1: ROCK
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FCFWXC2
PART 2: JOKER
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G74747H
PART 3: MERCY
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GTVRJ6D
The Black Reapers
PART 1: BRASH (A Bad Boy Biker Romance)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0795MH4LB
PART 2: NEEDLE (A Bad Boy Biker Romance)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079QKZMBC
PART 3: SULLY (A Bad Boy Firefighter Romance)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B7L1D2X
PART 4: CHAR (A Bad Boy Biker Romance)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BP7DLB4
PART 5: GHOST (A Bad Boy Second Chance Romance)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C6DK73M
PART 6: REAPER (A Bad Boy Biker Romance)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D21T4FD