Chapter 10 - The Vow in Plain Sight
Six months later, Portside Kitchen didn't look like a greasy diner anymore.
It had been completely renovated into a sun-drenched bistro with polished oak tables, fresh flowers on every sill, and an open kitchen where Dennis commanded a line of four young chefs with gleaming new cutlery. Outside, the rain was falling gently against Clement Street, but inside, the air was warm, smelling of roasted garlic, rosemary, and fresh bread.
In the corner booth—the very booth where Eli used to hide with his origami napkins—a massive spread of food covered the table.
Eli was sitting proudly in the center, wearing a tiny tailored blazer with his hair slicked neatly to the side. Across from him, Marco was wearing a bespoke suit that strained against his massive shoulders, happily devouring a towering slice of strawberry shortcake while Eli instructed him on the proper folding technique for a paper dragon.
""The wings must be symmetrical, Marco,"" Eli scolded playfully. ""Otherwise, it can't fly over the castle.""
""Yes, boss,"" Marco grumbled obediently, his giant fingers delicately creasing the pink paper. ""Symmetrical.""
At the front of the restaurant, the front door chimed.
Nolan walked in. He wore a dark wool overcoat over an open-collared dress shirt, his hair damp from the light rain. The scar through his eyebrow gave him that permanent, dangerous edge, but the moment his eyes found me behind the mahogany counter, the coldness vanished entirely.
I wiped my hands on an apron and walked around the counter to meet him.
""You're late,"" I said, crossing my arms. ""The mayor’s delegation left twenty minutes ago.""
""I was delayed at the docks,"" Nolan said smoothly, slipping his arms around my waist and pulling me effortlessly against his chest. ""Sal’s old warehouse was demolished today. We broke ground on the David Miller Youth Center.""
My heart swelled. I reached up, smoothing his damp hair away from his forehead. ""David would have loved that.""
""Eli designed the playground blueprints,"" Nolan added, a rare, genuine smile curving his lips. ""He insisted on two trampolines and a moat.""
""Of course he did.""
Nolan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box. He didn't drop to one knee—that wasn't his style. Instead, he opened it right there in the middle of Clement Street's favorite diner, revealing a flawless, emerald-cut diamond ring that caught the warm restaurant light like captured starlight.
""The press conference six months ago was a lie,"" Nolan whispered, his dark eyes fierce with devotion. ""The contract was a business arrangement. But this... this is me asking for real.""
The entire restaurant went quiet. Dennis peeked through the kitchen window with a wooden spoon in hand, grinning from ear to ear. Marco stopped folding his paper dragon, and Eli watched with wide, excited eyes.
""Nora Vance,"" Nolan said, his voice carrying the weight of a sacred vow. ""Will you marry me? For real this time. No press releases. No leverage. Just you, me, and our boy.""
Tears spilled over my cheeks, but this time, they were tears of pure, unadulterated joy. I threw my arms around his neck, burying my face in the crook of his shoulder, smelling the rain and the cedar that had become my home.
""Yes,"" I whispered against his skin. ""A thousand times, yes.""
Nolan slid the ring onto my finger—a perfect fit—before lifting me off my feet and kissing me deeply, right in the center of the restaurant, while Eli cheered and banged his spoon against his water glass.
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I had been dragged into a dark alley, beaten, broken, and ready to die to protect the only family I had left. But in the darkest corner of this city, I hadn't found an end.
I had found my protector. My partner. And the king who built an empire just to keep us safe."
