Page 67 of Babydaddy To Go

I hand Alyssa the giant scissors.

“Do the honors, sweetheart,” I say.

Delighted, she cuts the ribbon to her restaurant. The entire crowd cheers as photos are taken of us in front of Alyssa’s new venture.

I immediately whisk Alyssa to the kitchen.

“It’s tradition for the chef to make the first meal,” I explain.

Her face pales.

“I don’t know if I can do this right now.”

“Hey,” I say, tilting her chin so she has to look at me. “I wouldn’t have given you the restaurant if I didn’t think you could handle it.”

She nods, looking slightly more confident, and gets to work preparing her signature dish, chicken alfredo. I offer a hand, but she insists on preparing the meal herself. I’m okay with that because I love watching her work in the kitchen.

Once our meal is ready, the hostess leads us to a balcony booth reserved for us. From this vantage point, we can see everything that’s happening in the restaurant. It’s perfect because I thought Alyssa might like to see her grand opening from above.

“This is the most beautiful restaurant,” she says with wonder in her voice. “I can’t believe it’s mine.”

“Believe it, baby, because it’s true.”

We enjoy some sparkling water and good conversation while we eat Alyssa’s masterpiece. The waitress comes by to offer wine, but interestingly, Alyssa declines. I chalk it up to the fact that she doesn’t want to lose her head on this special day.

“I already have so many ideas for the menu,” she rambles adorably with sparkles in her eyes. “I can’t wait to try out some of the new things I learned in class, and bring in some of the recipes I already know…” She flushes suddenly. “Sorry, I’m talking too much about the restaurant.”

“Don’t apologize, honey. I’m happy you’re excited.”

In fact, I’ve never been happier than I am in this moment. Who knew that bringing joy to someone else was like receiving a gift yourself? But it warms my heart to see my woman so happy.

We finish off the pasta slowly, enjoying every bite. A waiter comes and takes away our plates and offers us the dessert menu. We pick a slice of chocolate cake to share and he returns quickly with the decadent dessert. After we each take a bite, I can’t wait any longer. Heart pounding, I begin.

“Alyssa,” I begin. “From the moment I met you, wandering lost in Grand Central Station, I’ve known you were special. I tried so hard to fight my feelings, but it was no use. We were meant to be together, and I can’t imagine living with anyone but you by side. So, Alyssa Grace Hall, will you make me the luckiest man in the world and do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Tears stream down Alyssa’s smiling face.

“Oh my gosh, yes,” she breathes. “Of course, I will. Yes!”

I slip the large diamond ring, which matches her brand-new necklace, onto her finger. It’s a perfect fit, and I’ve never been happier in my life. But then Alyssa takes me by surprise. She gets a secret look in her eyes and her hand comes to rest gently over her tummy.

“The meal was good, wasn’t it?” I growl, looking at my beautiful fiancée. “I would never take you to a place with bad food.”

She nods, looking flushed and beautiful in the low light.

“It was good, Nate. Thank you for organizing such a wonderful meal, and I wanted to mention that both the baby and I are grateful.”

I stare at her, my mouth falling open with shock.

“What?” I ask, dumbfounded.

She giggles a little, her hand making little circles on her belly now.

“You know what I’m saying,” she purrs. “We’ve made love so many times, and you know that protection isn’t one hundred percent. Plus, you’re such a virile man, Nate, and you have such enormous loads too. It was bound to happen at some point.”

I still can’t speak even though my heart’s racing with joy.

“So I’m going to be a daddy?” I say in a low voice.