Should’ve Known It’s You (Not You Again #7)

Chapter 63

CHAPTER 63

AUSTIN

I had a surprise in store for Kennedy tonight. She didn’t know it yet, but after what we’d been through the last couple of weeks, I’d figured it was time to spoil her. It had taken some help from an unlikely source, but Tate had assured me that he was happy to do it.

As I pulled up outside the heritage row mansion that was becoming Kennedy’s hotel, I knew my old colleague had pulled it off perfectly, and I grinned. Who thought I’d ever think of Tate as a friend?

Ever since that day he’d helped me remove Danny from this very house, that was what he had been becoming. He and I had finally grabbed that beer after Thanksgiving. Then I’d run into him before I was arrested, and he’d dropped me off at the lawyer’s that next morning.

Outside of that, we’d gotten together a handful of times and I had to admit, the guy was definitely growing on me. Whoever he was seeing as a therapist was a true master because the dude really was changing his ways.

As I internally marveled at how different he was now from the guy I’d first gotten to know, Kennedy glanced at the house and groaned. “What on earth are we doing here? What are you up to, Austin Merrick?”

Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I shrugged, climbing out of the car. She followed me out and I took her hand to lead her to the front steps. “I thought you’d be happy to be getting back to this.”

“I’m too tired to work and look at floorplans for the hotel right now,” she said on a quiet sigh. “Can’t it wait until after the holidays? You literally just found out this morning that you’re not going to prison. Would it kill you to take a night off and celebrate?”

“Kill me? Probably not, but your work waits for no man. Or woman. If you want your dream hotel to open on time and take off, you need to grind even when you’re tired.”

She let out another loud groan, her nose crinkling as she looked up at me. “I love you, but you’re killing me right now.”

“You’re going to love me all the more for it when you open these doors to your first guests.” I slid the key into the lock, twisting until I heard it click and then pushing it open. I held it for her, waving her through ahead of me. “Ladies first.”

She sighed and stepped inside, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw the scene Tate had set up for us. He’d really knocked it out of the park, with a table set for two at the bottom of the grand staircase in the foyer. It looked even better in person than it did in the pictures he’d sent.

Every surface was blanketed in lit candles, hundreds of little flames casting a warm glow over the space. Soft rock music flowed from a small speaker on the mantel, playing a playlist I’d spent hours curating over the last week or so.

I smiled as I wrapped my arms around her hips and pulled her into me. A bottle of champagne sat on ice on one side of the table and I walked her forward, pulling out a chair for her before I reached for the champagne.

“What is this?” she breathed as she looked around, drinking it all in as I popped the cork. “How on earth did you have time to do all this with everything else we’ve had going on?”

“With a little help from a friend.” I picked up a crystal champagne flute and tipped it, carefully pouring the bubbly in. “You wanted a celebration, so here it is.”

Her blue eyes finally came back to mine, a soft smile on her lips as she accepted her champagne. “I really can’t believe you did all this. It’s amazing. And here I was nagging you about taking a night off.”

“You weren’t nagging. You were absolutely right. I just couldn’t ruin the surprise.”

I could tell I’d done a good job planning this when she started looking around again, complete awe softening her features. Taking a seat across from her, I finally took a moment to really let it sink in myself. Soon, this would be Kennedy’s hotel and restaurant, the place she’d been dreaming about all her life.

Seeing it done up this way was different from having seen how it could function as an events’ venue. This was far more intimate and beautiful, the candlelight accentuating the warm, rich colors of the wood and giving the space a much vaster feel.

Finally, I looked back at her from across the table, loving how light and shadow played across her features. “The only thing I can’t believe is that it took me this long. I should’ve done something like this weeks ago. I guess I need to up my romantic boyfriend game.”

“Your romantic boyfriend game is perfect,” she said, those eyes sparkling as they landed back on mine, but she stiffened when she heard a soft noise coming from the kitchen. “What was that?”

“The caterers,” I said. “At least, I hope that’s Giacomo’s team back there.”

A moment later, a server came out carrying our meals on silver platters and Kennedy exhaled a breath of relief. “I should’ve known you would even get a caterer. How was that the first sound we heard from them?”

“Upon request, they promise their clients won’t even know they’re there.” I chuckled, leaning back as the guy set a platter down in front of me. “It’s the privacy package.”

“That’s really cool.” She smiled at the guy as he lifted the cloche off her platter. “Thank you. Are you guys available for regular gigs?”

The server’s lips popped open but not a sound came out, like he was surprised someone was speaking directly to him. “I don’t know, ma’am. I’ll have to ask my supervisor.”

I smiled. “Let me talk to Giacomo. He likes his freedom but we go way back.”

The guy nodded, spun around, and took off like a bat out of hell.

“Please see what he says,” she said to me. “It would be great if we could add his team to the list of vendors we’ll be using.”

I arched an eyebrow at her. “Don’t you think you should taste the food before you start making offers?”

“I’ve already tasted his food.” She shrugged, glancing at the deconstructed beef wellington on her plate. “And that looks divine. I’m sure it’s going to taste just as amazing, but for the record, I would’ve been happy with grilled cheese.”

“So would I, but that’s something we can make ourselves. I’m not sure about you, but I definitely don’t have something like this in me. It only seemed fitting to choose something I knew I couldn’t make at home when I decided to hire caterers.”

Kennedy laughed. “That’s actually a really good point. It smells magnificent too.”

I inhaled deeply, my mouth watering as I picked up my cutlery. While we ate, we drank and laughed. Kennedy quickly relaxed now that the surprises for the evening were over.

“So, I, uh, spoke to Winrey about Christmas,” she said, and my heart skipped a beat.

When my mom had invited her for the holidays, she’d asked if she could let us know and neither of us had brought it up again since. I desperately wanted her to come to Merrick Meadows, though. Even if I could understand why she would rather be with her sister.

This was going to be their first Christmas after officially cutting ties with their parents and I knew it had been tough on both of them. I forced a smile, ready to accept whatever they’d decided but selfishly hoping she would be coming to spend it with my family.

“Yeah?” I said casually. “What did she say?”

“It turns out that she and Benji are pretty excited to be able to spend Christmas on their own without the expectation of having to visit our parents.”

My smile grew wider. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “It sounds like they were prepared for me to go back to Firefly Grove with you, and they’ve already gone ahead and made plans.”

“Wow.” I paused for a beat, searching her face for any sign of anger or sadness. “Are you okay with that?”

“Surprisingly, yes,” she said, flashing me a coy, playful smile. “I really did have a blast at the farm and I’m really looking forward to sleeping in the hayloft with you again.”

“Excellent. Let’s leave right now.”

She laughed. “I would love to if we could. Maybe we should plan a longer break for next year?”

“Next year, huh?” A grin curved my lips. “I like the sound of that. I’m definitely in, but do you think Winrey would be alright with not seeing you for the holidays two years in a row?”

Kenny inhaled so deeply that I saw her chest rise, but then she nodded. “They’re starting their own family with their own traditions. I’m sure they’d love to join us at Merrick Meadows at some point if your family would be okay with that, but they really didn’t seem too put out by my absence this year.”

As I stared back at her, it really looked like she was alright with this, which was awesome as far as I was concerned, but I didn’t just want to blow right past it. I really wanted her to know that I cared and that I was interested in the family she had left. “What are the plans they’re so excited about? Do you know what traditions they’re starting?”

“They’re spending Christmas Eve with Benji’s grandmother in her care home. She’s his only living relative and he adores her. Then it sounds like they’ll have a leisurely Christmas Day. Winrey has ordered matching pajamas and they’re planning a festive maternity photo shoot in front of their Christmas tree. Apparently, every year they’re going to do the same poses in front of the same tree.”

“They’re going to be great parents,” I said as I thought about their plans and realized how jealous I was. “That little baby doesn’t know how lucky they are yet, but they really hit the parent jackpot.”

Kenny chuckled. “Agreed. Gosh, I can’t believe how soon we’ll be meeting him or her. I even asked if they’d like to stay at your place again for the holidays, but on account of how close her due date is, they decided to stay at home.”

“She’s due… was it mid-January?”

“Yep,” Kenny said. “Right around the corner. The doctor has warned them to take it easy and to be ready any day. Since it’s their first child, apparently it’s unlikely they’ll make their appearance early, but it could happen.”

“They’re ready,” I said confidently, finally tucking into my food. After swallowing my first bite, I glanced at her. “Chef Giacomo always delivers. This steak melts in your mouth.”

Kenny dug in too, moaning softly as she chewed her first bite, and then nodding her agreement. “I still need to work out how we’ll handle romantic dinners and that kind of thing. I’m obviously going to have to have a chef on staff for the restaurant, but I think it could be nice to have the option of a caterer available to us for people who want a more exclusive experience.”

“True. Your chef might also not always be able to keep up with the demand of the restaurant and the hotel guests while also trying to prepare fine-dining meals for engagement dinners.”

She chuckled. “I love how you think we’re going to be so busy that the chef won’t be able to keep up, but let’s just hope that putting it out into the universe brings us luck.”

“We don’t need luck, baby. We’ve got you.” I lifted my glass for a toast, waiting until she’d raised hers before I smiled. “To having it all.”

“Having it all,” she echoed after me, clinking her glass against mine before taking a sip. Our conversation petered out while we vacuumed in our food. Then we ate dessert in front of a roaring fire and I let the caterers go for the evening.

After that, I went back to her, holding out my hand as my gaze met hers. “That stateroom we got ready in before the dinner has been cleaned and I took the liberty of bringing some of our things over.”

Heat flickered in her eyes as she placed her palm into mine, letting me pull her to her feet before she slid her arms around my neck. “I love it when you take liberties. Let’s go, then, Merrick. We’ve got a lot of celebrating to do and only one night off to do it.”