Page 48 of The New York Nighthawks, Vol. 2

SKYE

Igot so much joy from teaching my twin boys how to cook, but I never expected anything more to come from those lessons than that they’d know how to feed themselves.

Even when they were tweens, they’d still required constant supervision or else the kitchen ended up a total wreck by the time they were done.

But when they turned sixteen, it was as though something clicked inside both of them, and they turned into amazing cooks.

Now they were chefs opening their own restaurant.

Sniffling, I blinked up at my husband, trying to keep my tears from streaming down my cheeks. “How did this happen?”

“Our boys needed an investor and used the biggest weapon in their arsenal—you.” Dempsey wrapped his arm around my waist and brushed a kiss against the top of my head. “No way in hell could I resist when you worked your wiles on me for them.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.” I leaned against his side with a sigh.

“I just don’t know how they grew up so quickly.

It feels as though only a few years have passed since I was teaching them how to use the toaster.

Now they’ve graduated culinary school and are opening a restaurant.

It’s so much responsibility, but here they are, taking it on. ”

“I know Caden and Cameron are still young, but I have no doubt that they’ve got this, baby,” he reassured me, jerking his chin toward our two eldest children. “Hell, I only had a couple years on them when I was drafted, and look how that turned out for me.”

“And it’s not as though they don’t have tons of experience in a commercial kitchen.” We’d combined Dempsey’s dream for our community centers with my love of cooking early on, and each location had a top-of-the-line kitchen so we could serve delicious but healthy food to the kids we helped.

With all of the funding that had poured in, we’d been able to move beyond the nutrition classes he’d originally planned to offer.

Every child got at least one meal when they were at one of our centers—breakfast, lunch, or dinner—depending on how long they were on site.

We had also added food pantries their parents could visit.

And backpacks with nutritious snacks that the kids could take home with them as needed, which had been Caden’s idea after Cameron had been upset because one of the boys he’d been playing with mentioned how much he looked forward to his time at the center since he never got to eat fun stuff at home like he did when he was there.

Both of my boys were big teddy bears, just like their dad.

As though he could sense my thoughts, Cameron glanced toward us and flashed me a big grin while Caden continued to charm a reporter who was here to cover their grand opening. Smiling back at my son, I murmured, “I’m so freaking proud of them.”

Dempsey’s hold on me tightened. “This never would’ve happened without you, baby. Caden and Cameron might look like younger versions of me, but they got all of their cooking skills from you.”

“But they got their business minds from you. And their drive to succeed.” I shook my head with a soft laugh. “Even in my wildest dreams, I couldn’t imagine opening a restaurant when I was only twenty.”

“Don’t diminish what you’ve accomplished, baby.” Dempsey shifted us so I was staring up at him. “The centers wouldn’t be half as successful as they are if it weren’t for you.”

Winking up at him, I teased, “Because you wouldn’t have landed that endorsement way back when we first met if I hadn’t agreed to your marriage of convenience proposal?”

“You were never going to be simply a convenience for me,” he growled, dipping his head to capture my mouth in a deep kiss. When he finally tore his lips from mine, his eyes blazed with heat. “I knew you were meant to be mine from the moment I first laid eyes on you.”

I wasn’t surprised by his reaction since it was always the same whenever I reminded him of how we’d started.

Our children were used to it too, but that didn’t stop Candace from making a gagging noise as she joined us.

At thirteen years old, she tended to be melodramatic.

“Ugh, can you please not embarrass me by getting all smoochy face in public like this all the time?”

“That’s never gonna happen, kiddo.” Dempsey reached out and snagged her wrist, gently tugging our daughter toward us. “I love your mom too much to keep my hands off her, and I don’t care who sees.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve lived with it like my entire life.” Candace pressed her lips together in a flat line as she rolled her eyes. “But maybe dial it back a notch so you don’t ruin Caden and Cameron’s big day?”

“We’re not ruining anything for the boys, sweetie.

I promise.” I tilted my head toward the photographer who was snapping pictures of us.

Dempsey had retired from the NFL, but that hadn’t stopped the press from being interested in him or our family.

“If anything, we’re helping them get even more free word of mouth because I bet there will be photos of that kiss all over the place by tomorrow morning. ”

“You’re probably right,” she muttered with a deep sigh. “Which is why I’m never gonna end up with a guy in the limelight like Dad. It’s too much hassle.”

Dempsey narrowed his eyes at our daughter. “There’s an even better solution—just stay away from all boys since each and every one of them is a hassle in their own way.”

Candace laughed off his warning, but I knew the day would eventually come when I’d be the one comforting Dempsey because the little girl who’d had him wrapped around her finger since before she was born had given her heart away to a man who’d better be deserving of the gift she’d given him.

Or else he wouldn’t just need to contend with her father and older brothers. He’d have to watch out for me, too.

Curious about grumpy Rigby? He gets his story in Change of Possession!

In the mood for another read with an age gap? Jump into the Silver Saints MC series with Mac!