"I love you too," I whisper. "I think I have since that night with the flour."
His laugh is relieved and joyful, and then he's kissing me. When we finally break apart, we're both grinning like idiots.
"So, what now?" I ask.
"Now we clean up this mess. And then I'm taking you home—my home—and we're going to celebrate properly."
"I like the sound of that."
"Thought you might."
We clean up together, washing dishes and wiping tables, and it feels like the most natural thing in the world. This is my life now: working alongside the man I love, building something beautiful together, surrounded by people who've become family.
A month ago, I was just hoping to prove myself.
Now I have everything I never knew I needed.
And it's only the beginning.
Epilogue - Levi
Three years later
The view from the balcony of our Cedar Falls hotel room overlooks Main Street, where a newly painted sign reads "Juniper's—Cedar Falls" in the same elegant script as the original. The grand opening was yesterday, and it went even better than I dared hope: packed house, rave reviews, locals already talking about coming back.
But right now, all I can focus on is the woman standing beside me with our daughter on her hip.
Maya's wearing a simple sundress, her hair loose around her shoulders, and she's pointing out something on the street below to June, who's babbling enthusiastically in response. Our daughter has her mother's green eyes and my dark hair, and at one year old, she's already showing signs of inheriting both our stubborn streaks.
"Dada!" June squeals when she spots me, reaching out her chubby arms.
I take her from Maya, settling her against my chest, and she immediately grabs my nose. It's her favorite game lately, grabbing my nose and laugh hysterically when I pretend it hurts.
"Got me again," I tell her solemnly. "How will I ever cook without my nose?"
She giggles, the sound pure joy, and my heart swells so much it physically hurts.
Three years. So much has changed in three years.
Juniper's in Blackwater Falls became more than successful. It became an institution. Within six months, we were booked solid every weekend. Within a year, we'd expanded the menu, hiredmore staff, and Maya had officially become my co-chef, her name right next to mine on all the press.
We got married two years ago in a small ceremony at the original Juniper's, with Granddad Jim officiating and half the town in attendance. Maya wore a simple white dress and carried wildflowers from the farmer's market, and when I saw her walking toward me, I'd cried like a baby.
Owen had been my best man, naturally. Ivy had been Maya's maid of honor. And during the reception, Granddad Jim had pulled me aside and told me he'd never seen me happier.
He was right. I'd never been happier.
June came along a year ago, a surprise pregnancy that terrified and thrilled us in equal measure. We'd converted the office at Juniper's into a small nursery so we could keep her close during prep work, and our staff had collectively become the most dedicated group of babysitters in existence.
Jenny insisted she was "Auntie Jenny" and bought June more stuffed animals than one child could ever need. Tommy and Marcus taught her to clap along to music in the kitchen. Even the Savage Riders who'd become regulars treated her like a tiny princess, lowering their voices when she napped in her carrier during slow afternoons.
And six months ago, when a struggling restaurant in Cedar Falls, a town about two hours from Blackwater Falls, went up for sale, Maya had been the one to suggest we consider it.
"Think about it," she'd said, sketching ideas on a napkin during a rare quiet moment. "We could do the same thing we did in Blackwater Falls. Bring good food to a small town that needs it. Keep the same philosophy. Elevated comfort, local sourcing, affordable prices."
"That's a lot of work," I'd pointed out. "We'd have to split our time between two locations."
"We'd hire strong managers for each. Train them the way you trained me." She'd looked up at me with those green eyes that still make my heart stutter. "We could build something bigger, Levi. Not for ego or expansion just to expand, but to bring what we've created to more people."