Page 17 of vKissed By the Bartender

Joseph shakes his head. “Nothing, never mind.”

I lace my fingers through his and frown. “Tell me.”

“What were you going to say to me earlier?” He asks. “On the couch. When I stopped you.”

“I just wanted to let you know that I’ve made a decision,” I say.

“A little too soon isn’t it,” he asks before scooting to the end of the bed.

I sit next to him as he puts his head in his hands, rubbing his temples. I can’t tell if he’s upset or tired.

“What’s wrong Joe?” I ask, rubbing his back.

“Candice,” he says. “I don’t want to be a factor in your decision. You are a talented musician, and I don’t want to be the reason that changes.”

“Why don’t you just listen to me before you go worrying your handsome head over me making a decision based on you,” I blurt out more forcefully than I intended. “For your information, my decision is based on me, not you.”

“Really?” he asks, looking into my eyes.

“Yes. Joseph Lyons, you can’t be so stuck up to think that I can’t make my choices and still consider how I feel about you at the same time,” I say as I nudge him in the ribs with my elbow.

“No, in all honesty…” I decide to be brutally vulnerable with him. “Listen, while you are a factor in my decision, you are only a little part of it. I love singing and I love my music, but I can do that from here.”

I continue before he cuts in, “I can start recording from home if I want, or I can play at venues around here. I want to settle down. I’m not a world-tour kind of person. I want normal and stable, and I want you. I want Wildvale and the bar. I want this for the rest of my life.”

“I love that,” he confesses. “But I don’t want you to resent me for being the reason that you gave it all up.”

“That’s why I’m not giving it up for you,” I smile at him. “I’m giving it up for me.”

EPILOGUE

joseph

Two Years Later

We’re sitting in the small restaurant of the Wildvale Inn. The owner David Roe is walking around making sure that everyone has enough to eat. He has quickly become one of my best friends, besides Candice that is.

We’re there to celebrate our son, Brawley’s first birthday.

His name means “meadow on the hill” in honour of the place where his mother and I were engaged and the place we now call home. The cabin in the mountains has become our favourite place to live, though we still stay in town during the week.

We both work so much during the week now, so the cabin was a much-needed break. Last year, the owners of the bar offered it to Candice and me for a low price. We thought it was a steal, and today, The Lyons’s Den is thriving.

Though it’s been a challenge to run one of the most popular places in Wildvale while raising a baby, it was a challenge that we accepted and excelled in.

“Happy birthday little man,” David says as he brings out the cake that matched the bear-themed party.

“Yes, happy birthday,” Candice’s friend Lana O’Mark said as she walks in. “Sorry I’m late, it’s snowing a lot out there.”

“Yep, our little man had to be born in the middle of December,” Candice says, kissing Brawley on the top of the head. “And well, Wildvale is known for its snowstorms.”

I watch Candice steps back. The fact that she’s expecting our second child is already showing on her, even though she’s only three months along.

“Thanks for coming.” Candice kisses Lana on the cheek and then takes her coat.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Lana smiles. “Though I can’t say I missed the cold.”

Candice and I wink at each other as we notice a long glance between David and Lana.

---