THIRTY SEVEN

One year later

If someone were to ask me a year ago where I thought I would be now, my answer would have been curled up on the floor with Andrew playing with a pile of toys. Hell, I may have even said cooking and cleaning or doing some other job that fell under my duties as a nanny. Never in a million years did I think I would be sitting on a stage with six other graduates as my culinary mentor gives his speech about how far we’ve come.

Even more than that, I never considered I’ve have both. And standing here knowing what I have waiting for me after this ceremony is almost as exciting as what I’m achieving today.

Thankfully, I’m surrounded by a bunch of people who not only believed in my food, but also believed in me. Both Tanner and Ray have been instrumental to my growth and I certainly wouldn’t be here without the two of them.

I squirm around nervously as I look out at the crowd gathered in our honor. Rachel smiles and waves at me and I give her a small wave back. My parents are next to her, both of them beaming from ear to ear. I’ve accomplished quite a bit in my short years, but this is the moment I’m most proud of. My gaze finally lands on Jordan and I lose all sense of what’s going on around me. He flashes that boyish grin of his and winks at me as Andrew squirms in his arms, clapping his tiny hands as he watches on.

Jordan is the last person I would have expected to be present and accounted for, but here he is, holding his son who looks more and more like him every day. For a brief moment, I wasn’t sure where we stood in our relationship and after the whole issue with Romina I definitely had my doubts about staying together.

While I love Andrew, I never considered taking on the mother role. When Jordan explained how I’d already been fulfilling the role, I doubted him, only to later learn he was right. I stepped into the unknown and let the chips fall where they may, and luckily, they fell in great places. We made the decision to commit to a relationship, raising his son together, and here we are, still going strong a year later.

Jordan made it crystal clear to me and the world when he gave his statement to the press about me and Andrew. We were tired of being followed around, and the rumor mill didn’t help the situation, but after Jordan’s statement, everything died down a bit.

“We’re going to start the second part of the ceremony, so graduates, when you hear your name, come up and receive your official white chef’s coat,” says Ray.

This is the moment I’ve been waiting for and I’m nervous beyond all reason. I quickly wipe my hands on my pants, hoping to rid myself of some of the sweat coating my palms.

I can’t shake Ray’s hand with sweaty palms.

I’m in such a good place with everything in my life. I even reconciled with Romina. I remember the day she called to apologize like it was yesterday. She admitted to lying about the whole thing involving Jordan. She never even sought custody of Andrew, just the largest payday she could dream up. Little did she know, it was my convincing that spared her a legal battle with Jordan’s lawyers, instead rewarding her with every request in exchange for full custody.

“Aliyah Delos Santos.”

I rise to my feet and smooth away any possible wrinkles in my shirt before joining Ray at the podium. He helps me slip into the jacket and it melds to my body like a second layer of skin. The fit is perfect, and I doubt I will take it off anytime soon. This jacket makes me an official chef, with the culinary education to back up my talent.

Ray beams at me and shakes my hand as we turn to pose for photos. I’m the last graduate, so we all exit the stage and walk over to mingle with our loved ones while the room next door is being set up for our celebratory dinner. I’m really excited about that part, especially since the main course is an original recipe by yours truly.

Rachel makes it to me first and wraps her arms tightly around me. “You did it, Aliyah, you’re officially my personal chef!”

I lean back from the embrace and shake my head. “Good try,” I say. “There’s no way I’m going to be your personal anything. You’d talk me to death before I even get the chance to cook anything.”

She laughs and slaps my shoulder before handing me off to my parents.

“We’re so proud of you,” my dad says, enclosing me in one of his bear hugs. “I knew your constant tinkering around in the kitchen would lead to something amazing, and now here you are.”

Mom peels Dad off me so she can get her turn, and her hug is just as warm and comforting as it was when I was a little girl. Her Chanel perfume is subtle, and it brings back such fond memories of us cooking together when I was younger.

“You look like an angel,” she says. “I’m so happy we made it back in the country in time to see you graduate.”

“Me too,” I say. “I wasn’t so sure you two would make it based on all the travel delays.”

“There’s no way we were going to miss this,” says Dad.

Mom smiles and pushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “He’s right, you know. He even threatened to charter a plane and fly it himself if things didn’t start progressing.”

“Damn right,” says Dad. “Nothing was going to stand in the way of us seeing our baby girl crush another one of her goals.”

“Wow,” I say. “I’m just glad you didn’t have to dust off your pilot’s license, so you both made it here in one piece.”

I kiss Mom on the cheek and watch as she walks over with my Dad to join Rachel at the table I’ve reserved for my guests.

Last but certainly not least, Jordan stands there with his hands in his pockets as Andrew lays in his stroller beside him. I know in an instant Jordan’s playing with his lucky paperclip as Andrew finally crashes for his midday nap.

Jordan opens his arms and welcomes me with a warm embrace.

“Nervous?” I ask. “I know you were fiddling with that paperclip in your pocket.”

He laughs and plants a soft kiss on the crown of my head. “I’d be a fool to not be nervous. This is only my third time meeting your parents in person.”

I laugh and squeeze him tightly in my arms. “You’ve talked to them dozens of times,” I giggle. “They don’t bite. Well, my mom doesn’t. I can’t speak for my dad.”

Jordan chuckles again before leaning down to give me a kiss. His lips are just as soft and smooth as the first time we kissed. “I’m positive your dad will bite if necessary. It’s clear to me that you get your looks from your mom and that fiery attitude from your dad.”

I sigh and wrap my arm around his as we make our way to the table, the nanny we’ve hired following close behind with the stroller carrying Andrew. “I can’t argue with you there, but Dad is ten times worse than me.”

We stop at a narrow end table as I grab a menu for Jordan. “Everything is so good, but I’m especially proud of the recipe I created for the main course.”

“You should be,” he boasts. “You should definitely be proud of everything you’ve accomplished over this last year. You set a goal, and then you knocked it out of the water. I love watching you do what you enjoy the most.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” I say, turning to face him.

It’s true, Jordan has been a major part of my support team over the last year. He offered to take care of everything so I could focus solely on school, and that act of kindness has been a major help. While I couldn’t accept the offer outright, insisting on continuing my care for Andrew, I certainly couldn’t have made my dream come true without my full-time nanny, who puts me to shame with her extensive experience. She’s allowed me to focus on my schooling while enjoying my evenings with both of my men.

“Nonsense,” says Jordan. “I’ve spent enough time with you to know how strong, smart and resilient you are. Since I’ve met you, I’ve watched you excel at everything you put your mind to. Your cooking skills were already there long before we met, so you most certainly could have done it without me.”

I smile and kiss him again. “You’re not giving yourself enough credit,” I say. “All of those late-nights with Andrew mean the world to me. Plus, I basically made you my live-in guinea pig, forcing you to try all my new recipes.”

Jordan rolls his eyes and hands me a glass of Champagne off the tray of the passing waiter. “Yes, Aliyah, raising our son and tasting your delicious creations was so hard on me,” he responds with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

We laugh and I take a sip of the Champagne. It’s delicious, and I make a mental note to ask Ray where he got it from.

He definitely rolled out the red carpet for our graduation. Everything is so beautiful and all-round picture perfect.

“I know I keep saying it, but I can’t get over how proud I am of you,” says Jordan.

“Aww, thanks babe. I forgot to tell you that Tanner picked me to be his mentee. Monday is my first day officially working as a chef.”

“See,” says Jordan. “That’s exactly what I mean. Every time I blink, you do something amazing. Who would have ever thought our dinner date would lead here?”

I set my Champagne flute on the table and wrap my arms around Jordan’s waist. “I never would have thought that night would ultimately lead me here, but I’m glad it did. So, either way it goes, I owe you big time, Mr. Delgado.”

Jordan kisses my forehead and steps back from my embrace. “There’s that ‘Mr. Delgado’ thing again,” he says.

I giggle and fold my arms across my chest. “You know why I say it. I can’t help myself.”

“I know you can’t, but let’s try something a little different. Do you know what sounds better than hearing Mr. Delgado?”

“No, what?”

I suddenly wonder if he is playing with his paperclip. Why would he be nervous?

“Mrs. Delgado,” he says. Jordan takes another step back, reaches into his pocket to retrieve a tiny blue box, and drops down on one knee.