I curve my palm around the back of his neck, determined not to put a damper on his win. “Don’t apologize. If I was going to lose to anyone, I’m glad it’s you.”

He drops his head, his lips finding mine. He tastes like tequila. “I wouldn’t have won if it wasn’t for you. Without the cohosted events, I wouldn’t have stood a chance. I wish there could be two winners.”

“Well, that would cheapen the award.” I smooth my palms over his chest. “Does Gramps know yet?” I’ve taken to calling Henry that all the time now. He pops by the bakery quite regularly to say hello, and also for cupcakes. He makes me promise not to tell Ronan about his little addiction.

“I haven’t. Should I call him? Or maybe I should tell him in person? Probably in person, right?”

“Definitely in person.” I smile at his excitement.

“Yes. Good call. You’ll come with me? I want you to come with me. Can you leave Callie in charge for an hour?” He kisses me again, making it impossible for me to answer.

When he finally pulls back, I assure him that I can most definitely come with him if that’s what he wants. I pop back over to B&B to let Callie know she’s in charge for a bit.

Ronan meets me out back and holds out his keys. “I’m too amped to drive.”

I chuckle and get behind the wheel, marveling at how smooth the ride is compared to my SUV. It takes twenty minutes to get to Gramps’s place, and Ronan talks a mile a minute, his excitement infectious and adorable. “We should have a big party to celebrate, shouldn’t we? Do you think tonight is too soon? Can we get something out on social media that quick, or should it be tomorrow? Is that too close to the street party?” He taps the armrest, pausing only long enough to suck in a breath. “Maybe it should just be a staff thing, you know, to show my appreciation for all their hard work in helping make this happen? Oh! I should call the band and tell them. If they’re not busy, they could play a set tonight!”

“I think we can totally get a party together tonight as long as you’re not looking to have it catered, and we can keep it going through the weekend as a celebration of the win.”

“Do you think Daphne would be interested in taking pictures?” Ronan asks. “I’d be happy to pay her.”

“As soon as we get to Gramps’s I’ll message her and see if she’s available. And I think you can have a separate staff party to acknowledge how much you appreciate them after the event this weekend. You could even close the bar to the public one evening and have the entire thing catered. And yes, definitely call the band and see if they’re available.”

“I really don’t know how I would’ve done all of this without you.” He squeezes my hand and brings his phone to his ear.

By the time we get to Gramps’s house, Ronan has secured the band for tonight. It’s not a stretch since they were already booked for the entire weekend event. I fire off a message to Daphne and before we even get to the front door she’s already agreed to take pictures, but she’s adamant that she doesn’t need to be paid. I’m not sure Ronan will let her get away with that, but Daphne has always been exceedingly generous, so he might have to find another way to compensate her, like free beer and food. He knocks before he lets himself in with the key. The low drone of the TV filters through to the foyer.

“Gramps?”

“Ronan? What’re ya doin’ here at this time in the morning?”

“I have some exciting news,” he calls out.

“I’m in the living room watching The Price Is Right!”

Ronan holds up a finger and drops his voice. “Give me a sec. Sometimes he likes to lounge around in his underpants and it’s not a pretty sight.”

“Standing by.”

He peeks around the corner and then gives me a thumbs-up so I follow him into the living room.

Gramps’s gaze bounces from Ronan to me and back again. “Oh, praise the lord!” He makes the sign of the cross. “Ya heard me prayers, Dottie. It’s finally happening.” A massive grin breaks across his face. “Yer gettin’ married!”

“Uh.” Ronan and I exchange questioning glances. “No, Gramps, we’re not getting married.”

Gramps’s face falls. “Yer not?”

“We’ve only been dating for a couple of months.”

“When ya know, ya know, though.” Gramps’s eyes round again and then narrow. “Ya better not have knocked Blaire up or I’ll whup yer ass, boy.”

“Okay, first of all, you will not whup anyone’s ass, let alone mine, and secondly, no, I did not knock Blaire up.”

“Oh.” He slumps back in his chair. “Well, whatever the news is, it can’t be that great, now can it?”

“You were ready to give me an ass whupping for knocking Blaire up two seconds ago and now you’re disappointed I didn’t?” Ronan sounds amused.

“I figure if you knocked her up, then you’d have to do the noble thing and marry her.”

“Well, I might if it wasn’t the twenty-first century. People have kids without getting married all the time.” He turns to me. “Not that I don’t want to get married or have kids. I just wouldn’t expect you to suddenly want to tie the knot should I happen to knock you up accidentally.”

“That’s reasonable.”

“Do you want to get married and have kids?”

“Now? No. But down the line I wouldn’t be opposed, when the timing feels right. We can talk about this later, though. Like months from now, even.” I put a hand on his arm and incline my head toward Henry, who is smiling gleefully.

“Oh, right, yeah.” Ronan clears his throat. “Remember that YouTuber I was telling you about?”

“The lady with the really long eyelashes who makes all the videos that aren’t the dirty kind?”

I fight a laugh.

“That’s the one,” Ronan confirms. “So she came through Seattle a couple of weeks back.”

“That’s right, I remember.”

“And she stopped by The Knight Cap.”

“She’s not using my bar to make dirty videos.”

“Gramps, we already established she doesn’t make dirty videos. She named The Knight Cap the Best Bar in the Pacific Northwest. It’s going to be featured on her YouTube channel, and she’s partnered with Food and Drink and The Seattle Morning Show, so they’ll be featuring us, too. We did it, Gramps! We got the bar back on its feet, and this is going to keep it standing.”

Henry folds down the footrest on his La-Z-Boy and slowly pushes to a standing position. He hobbles over and pulls Ronan into a hug. “I’m so proud of ya.” He smacks him on the back a couple of times before he grabs him by the arms, eyes watery, smile wavering. “Dottie would be too if she was here. I know she’s looking down on you from heaven with a big smile on her face. She always believed in you.”

“I know she did.”

He pats Ronan’s chest and turns to me, pulling me in for a hug. “You’re the one who lit a fire under his ass, so I hope he’s told you how much he appreciates you.”

I hug him back, choked up about the whole thing, especially since I know Ronan’s story and Henry’s, and how much this bar means to him and this family.