Seriously, I was done with this story, and then I got bored at work one day and came up with this chapter. This is a wholly unnecessary chapter written entirely for fun because I just love Tess and Griff.

But this really is the final chapter. For real this time. I mean it. Seriously.

Enjoy,

Falte

"Did you know the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock because they ran out of beer?"

"What?"

"The pilgrims had beer on their ship, it wasn't the same as the beer we drink now, it had very low alcohol content, but it was more pure than water at the time."

Griff shifted his gaze from his computer screen to the old sofa across the office. A few months earlier, he had splurged on a new sofa for his apartment and brought his old one to the new office he had finished redoing in the stone house.

At the moment, Tess was lying on her stomach on the sofa, her legs bent at the knees and her feet in the air like a child. Resting on the arm of the sofa in front of her was an open book. Technically, she had the day off, but she was too excited to just stay home, so she had come in to see if she could help out.

"What are you reading?" He asked.

"A Practical History of Beer."

"Are you serious?" He laughed. "You are such a nerd."

Tess shut the book and rolled onto her side to look at him. "There is nothing wrong with being a nerd, nerds get stuff done."

"Yeah, you do. What time are you leaving?"

She looked at her watch. "In a few minutes."

Tess' mother and sisters were coming for four days to go over the last of the wedding plans and help her decide on her dress. She and Paige had narrowed it down to three choices and she had promised to wait for her mother and Cady before she made her final decision.

The past ten months had been very busy for Tess and Griff. They not only operated Flynn's, but they were also preparing Griffin's Irish Rose Brewery while planning their wedding. They were a month away from their wedding in June. Griff was able to take a week off and they were going to marry on and honeymoon at a resort on Arus. They were going to have a reception for their friends on Terra at the brewpub in August where they would serve from the new menu and serve Griff's beer.

"Kevin and I have some work to do in the brewing room, but I'll meet you guys at Flynn's at 6:00."

Tess sat up. "I'm just going to show them around this afternoon, we're going to the dress shop tomorrow."

"I'm covering the bar tomorrow night."

"That's all right, we have plenty to do, you don't need to worry about entertaining us."

"I know." He sat back in his chair. "Just let them know I'm not ignoring them."

"Oh, don't worry, they know. Your work ethic and ambition are two of my parents' favorite things about you."

"And my beer is your brothers' favorite thing about me."

"You know what my favorite thing about you is?"

"My accent?"

"Your butt."

Griff laughed. "Glad to see it's nothing shallow."

Tess stood and stretched before grabbing her book. "I'm going to head out, just in case there's traffic."

"Hey," he called out as she crossed the threshold into the hall.

Tess stopped and leaned back into the room. "What?"

"Drive safe, Lead Foot, you don't need any more points on your license."

"Stupid slow Terran speed limits."

Griff grinned and winked at her. "Love you."

"Love you too!" She called over her shoulder as she left his office.

Tess still felt a surge of pride when she entered her office. Her office. It was something she had made for herself and where she worked for her fiancé, helping him grow his businesses. She had designed it all herself, taken down the wallpaper and one weekend Griff had painted three of the walls a pale gray while she had taped off and painted a chevron designed accent wall in white, pale gray, and slightly darker gray. The door, baseboards, moldings, and windowsills were all white. Her desk was antique and white with gracefully curving legs that matched the bookshelf with curved edges. Hanging on the wall were the framed sketch she had done of Griff when they had visited Arus the previous summer and a framed picture of her entire family at Declan and Brina's wedding five months earlier. On her desk, next to her computer monitor, was the framed picture she and Griff had taken the previous fall to officially announce their engagement. It was taken on the wide stone steps of the brewpub. Griff was sitting on the middle step and Tess was sitting one step below him, between his legs, leaning back against his chest. His left hand rested on her shoulder and she reached up to lace her fingers through his, her ring visible as the sunlight reflected off the diamond. Baskets of orange and yellow mums lined the steps, creating an autumnal frame around them.

Griff had finished his office, taken down the wallpaper, ripped up the carpet, brought in a desk, and hung shelves. The two of them had been working out of their new offices since the previous October. Brewing had started in November and they were on track to open the brewpub at the beginning of this coming September.

Tess slipped The Practical History of Beer on the second shelf among her drink mixing guides, beer brewing manuals, and textbooks. In order to help even more, she started taking business classes at the local community college.

Tess grabbed her purse and dug her car keys out. It was an hour and a half drive to the Philadelphia spaceport her mother and sisters were flying in to.

"Tess!"

Tess looked around, searching the crowd, until she saw her mother waving her arm above her head as she moved through the crowd.

"Mom!" Tess greeted her with an enthusiastic hug. "It's so good to see you! How was the flight?"

"Oh, it was fine, I'm glad to be on solid ground. Once we get our bags and get to the car, I'll call your father and let him know we arrived."

"Can we go straight to the bar?" Cady asked, hugging her sister. "That is just too long of a trip."

"We're going there this evening for dinner," Tess told her. "Char, how are you?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "I'd be better if Cady would stop whining."

"Watch it, knave, you're addressing your future queen," Cady warned her.

Tess laughed. "Come on, let's get out of here."

The ride back to Houten was filled with gossip and Allura gushing over the newest family members, Sky and Erik's six month old daughter, Daphne, and Gideon and Lynnai's four month old daughter, Collette.

"I've learned that the best part of having had so many kids is that you seem to have an endless supply of grandchildren to spoil," Allura said.

"And buying baby girl stuff is so much fun," Cady added.

Tess looked at her sister in the rear view mirror. "Are you and Tristan going to try for a girl?"

Cady shrugged. "If it happens, it happens. If we're meant to just have boys, then we'll have the handsomest, smartest, best behaved…"

"Ha!" Charlotte interrupted. "Best behaved?"

"Be nice, Charlotte," her mother warned. "And besides, they're called the terrible twos for a reason."

"Uh oh, is Jake being a handful?" Tess asked.

"He's just very…determined," Cady said.

"You would not believe how girly Sky is being," Allura said, changing the discussion from criticizing her beloved grandson.

Tess glanced at her. "What do you mean? Sky is the biggest tomboy I've ever known."

"She was, until she had a little girl. So many dresses! Ruffles and ribbons and bows."

"Seriously?"

Cady leaned over the front seat. "We went shopping the day before yesterday and Sky found the cutest pair of white Mary Jane shoes with little yellow bows on them and so, of course, Daphne needed those and a new dress to go with them so we found this adorable yellow dress with a white sash and puffed sleeves! I told her she had to save it after Daphne outgrew it, you know, in case I have a little girl."

Tess shook her head. "I just can't picture it."

Cady shrugged. "Parenthood changes you."

"Has Lynnai decided if she's going back to teaching in the fall or is she going to stay home with Collette?"

"Well, she said she's going to think about it over the summer," Allura said. "But she's having trouble with the idea of leaving Collette with someone else. I think she's going to give up teaching, but just for a little while, she loves it too much. I can see her going back to it when the baby's older."

Tess turned the car into her aunt and uncle's driveway. Since she was sharing a two bedroom apartment with Paige, her mother and sisters would be staying in the much roomier home of Keith's sister and her husband. They unloaded the car and spent a couple of hours chatting with Dana and just relaxing before heading out again. Tess took them on a tour of the town and stopped at the apartment she shared with Paige. Charlotte and Cady were fascinated with the idea of Tess living completely on her own as they explored the two bedroom apartment that took up the second floor of an old Victorian house. Keith and Allura had visited the previous fall, so her mother settled on the couch and made herself at home.

Since they still had time before meeting Griff and her aunt and uncle at Flynn's for dinner, Tess took them down to Main Street. She parked by the bar and they walked through the early evening crowd, checking out stores and ending up at Page Turners.

They were greeted by the sound of the bell hanging on the door and barking.

"No, Quimby, no! No bark." Paige tried sounding stern as she scolded the puppy before turning to her guests. "Hi guys. Should I curtsy or something?"

"Or something," Tess responded. "Jerk."

"Hi, Paige, how are you?" Allura asked.

"I'm fine, thanks. And you? How was your trip?"

Allura bent down to pet the puppy behind the baby gate that kept him behind the counter. "Oh, it was fine. I'm looking forward to a little girl time this week. Will you be able to come to the dress shop with us tomorrow?"

"I'm planning on it. I heard there might be lunch included."

Allura laughed. "Yes, indeed."

"Who is this?" Charlotte asked, scooping up the puppy.

"That's Quimby. Our guard dog at the apartment and mascot at the store."

"Quimby?"

"His name comes from a series of books I loved when I was a kid. And he looks like a Quimby."

Charlotte held him at arm's length. His whip like tail never stopped wagging, he was scruffy and brown with black spots, his left ear was straight up and his right ear was bent down. "Yeah, he does, doesn't he?"

Tess leaned against the counter. "You gonna join us for dinner tonight?"

Paige shook her head. "Nah, thanks though, I have plans and I figured you needed some family time."

"Plans?"

"Yes, plans."

"Like, Kevin plans?"

"Don't you have to go to the bar?"

"Oh, we have time."

The bell jangled and two young boys barreled through the front door.

"Paige! Can we play with the puppy!"

"You can do better than play," she said reaching under the counter for his leash. "You can walk him down to the corner and pick up his poop! Yay!"

"I'll want details later," Tess told her before turning to her mother and sisters. "Come on, let's head down to Flynn's."

Dana and Harry were already waiting for them when they entered the bar. Tess led them to the large table she had reserved near the back.

"Order a fun drink," Tess said as she handed them drink menus. "And I'll make it for you."

"Really?" Cady asked, scanning the list.

"Tess has become quite the bartender," Dana said. "I'll have a Pirate Punch."

"What's that?" Allura asked.

"It has coconut rum, spiced rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, and grenadine." Tess explained.

"I want to try the appletini," Cady said.

Harry set his menu down. "Sorry, Tess, but I'll just have a lager."

"You're no fun, Uncle Harry," she teased.

"I'll have a pina colada," Charlotte said.

"Think again, missy," Allura said.

Tess winked at her sister. "I'll make you a virgin pina colada. And when you're 21, you'll have to plan a trip here."

"What do you suggest?" Allura asked her daughter.

"For you? How about a mojito?"

"All right, I'll give it a try."

Tess made her way back behind the bar to mix the drinks.

"Need help?" Maggie, the bartender on duty, asked.

"I hope not, I want to try and make these myself. They're for my family, so if they're bad they still have to be nice about it."

Maggie laughed. "Just let me know if you need anything."

"Have you seen Griff?"

"He was in here a few minutes ago. I think Iona lured him into the kitchen."

"Could you pour a lager for me, please? I don't have anything to prove to Uncle Harry. Is everything all right?"

"I think so. Iona is just working on some ideas for the brewpub, she wants a hand in planning the menu."

"Hey there, sexy, what're you making?"

Tess looked up to see Griff leaning over the bar, grinning at her. "What are you smiling at?"

"You're so serious when you mix drinks. It's cute."

"Here, take these over to the table. The beer is Harry's, pirate punch is Dana's, and the pina colada is Charlotte's."

"Am I about to lose my license?"

"Yes, I'm that stupid. It's a virgin."

"Just checking." He picked up the tray. "Almost done?"

"Just need a mojito and an appletini." A few minutes later, Tess carried another tray to the table with her mother and sister's drinks on it along with a beer for Griff and a soda for herself.

"Mm, Tess, I'm so glad you spent all that time studying art history so you could make this for me," Cady said after sipping her drink.

"Glad you're enjoying it Cady, I mean, we can't all spend our lives sitting around doing nothing while waiting to be called up to work."

"Girls," Allura interrupted. "You're sisters, let's be nice to each other."

"Why would Cady start being nice now?" Tess asked.

Cady laughed. "I had to toughen you up."

"Well, whatever you did, she turned out all right," Griff said.

"Aww, you're so sweet." Tess leaned over to kiss him.

"Ugh, no one wants to see that," Jenna, their waitress, said as she handed out menus. "That's unprofessional."

"Hey, I'm not your boss right now, I'm your customer, be nice to me," Griff told her.

"I expect a good tip."

"I expect you to earn it."

After they placed their orders, Allura reached into the large tote bag she had been carrying in place of her purse and pulled out a flat wrapped package. "Since I have the two of you here together I figure this is the best time to give you this."

Tess smiled at her mother. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Four of our six children have needed this, I guess it's a good thing your father and I wrote it up."

"What is it?" Griff asked.

"Remember when I told you the story of how my parents had to change Arusian law so they could marry?" Tess asked him.

"Uh, yeah, because your father was a commoner."

"Well, so are you, sweetheart." Tess slipped her finger under the tape and ripped the wrapping paper off.

A copy of the law that allowed Arusian royalty to marry a commoner without having to give up their birthright to the throne was copied down, by hand, in old style Arusian calligraphy on a piece of aged papyrus, matted above a copy of their engagement photo. The entire thing was framed with dark wood that had Love Knots engraved around it.

"It's beautiful," Tess whispered, tracing a Love Knot with her fingertip.

Allura smiled at her. "The Love Knots were your father's idea. He found an artist in Alforia who did woodwork and commissioned him to make the frame."

"Well, I feel like I should thank you for writing this," Griff said.

"We're all thankful they wrote that," Cady added.

Tess handed it to Griff. "We'll hang it upstairs until we get our house."

"Let's hang it here."

"Where? In the bar?"

He nodded. "On the family wall. I think it's time we start the next generation."

The tears that started welling up when she opened the gift, threatened to fall when he said that. "Really?"

"What's the family wall?" Cady asked.

Griff nodded toward the space between two windows that held several photographs under an Irish flag. "It was Flynn's idea. There's a photo of me and Flynn right after I arrived in the states, my mum and me when I was four, Flynn and my mum with their parents when they were kids, my grandparents on their wedding day, and my great grandparents. He wanted to keep the family feel. I think it's time Tess and I added to it."

"Okay, I'm getting all emotional," Tess said, dabbing her eye with her napkin. "Let's change the subject."

"Actually, there should be something else," Griff said, looking expectantly at Allura.

She reached into her tote bag again and dug around, pulling out a package and handing it to him.

"What did you do?" Tess asked.

"I called your mother a couple weeks ago and asked if she could get something for me," he explained, opening the package that was wrapped in plain brown paper. "I figured we should add a touch of Arus to Flynn's," Griff said as he unfolded the Arusian flag. "I thought we'd hang it with the Irish flag over the family wall."

"That is the sweetest damn thing I've ever heard," Tess said, leaning over to kiss him again. "Thank you."

"Tess, don't swear," Allura said as Jenna approached with their meals.

Griff carefully folded the flag and set it with the framed law on a nearby table. "We'll hang them tomorrow."

Tess leaned over and whispered to him, "I would have totally broken the law to marry you."

He grinned. "Yeah, I'm irresistible like that."

"So, Tess, what's the best part of working in a bar?" Allura asked.

She cleared her throat, trying to dislodge the lump that had grown there. "Besides the food? I would have to go with football season."

Cady snorted. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. It is so much fun! Griff gets all the NFL games and this place is packed every Sunday, it's loud and crazy. People cheering and smack talking each other, it's like a big party every Sunday."

"And people love her," Griff added. "She's becoming quite popular in Houten."

Allura smiled at her middle daughter. "I'm so glad you found this place, Tess, you've really found your happiness, haven't you?"

"Yeah, I have."

"I am so glad I didn't put mascara on this morning," Tess said as she stood in front of her mother and sisters, modeling the second of the three dresses she had chosen. Her emotions were running high and she felt all morning as though she was on the verge of tears.

Cady circled her sister, her finger against her lips as she studied the dress. "I like the bodice on this dress more than the last one, but I don't understand why you're going with short dresses."

"They're not short," Allura corrected. "They're tea length and you look so beautiful, Tessy."

"I don't like floor length dresses," Tess said, twirling from side to side in front of the mirror.

The current dress was her favorite. It was white and fell to mid-calf. The neckline ended just above her breasts, but a beaded lace overlay started at her throat, made up the cap sleeves, and covered the bodice. The lace design dispersed over the skirt, spreading down and disappearing before reaching the hemline.

"I like this one better than the first one," Charlotte said. "I love the lace."

Cady stopped in front of her sister and studied her. "You've already decided on this one, haven't you?"

"I want your guys' opinions," Tess said weakly.

"Mm hm. You've already decided."

"I love this dress."

"She knew as soon as she tried it on the first time," Paige said.

"It suits you," Allura said. "What about a veil?"

"That I haven't decided on," Tess admitted. "All I know is I don't want it too long or too fussy. Did you bring the tiara?"

Allura nodded, pulling a large square velvet box out of her tote bag. The tiara inside was studded with diamonds and had been worn by Cady on her wedding day and would also be worn by Charlotte when she married.

With the help of the owner of the small dress shop, they tried on several veils with the tiara before settling on a single layer veil edged with a subtle lace pattern that fell just past her shoulders.

As Tess stood in front of the mirror in her dress, tiara, and veil, barefoot, she felt herself so overwhelmed with emotions.

Allura wrapped her arm around her shoulders and met here eyes in the mirror. "It's all just perfect, Tessy. The dress, the veil, the bride, just perfect."

"And the groom," Tess said, her voice trembling.

"You got yourself a good man."

"I did, I really did."

"We'll take it," Allura declared. "We'll take the dress and the veil and we'll get Tess changed before we both turn the dress into a very expensive tissue."

Tess, her sisters, her mother, and Paige sat at a round table at a Thai restaurant for lunch. Tess' binder was on the table as they discussed the final preparations for the wedding. Her binder was much thinner than Cady's. Tess and Griff wanted a small wedding. They weren't going to have any attendants, just the two of them by the lake on the castle grounds. They convinced her parents to keep the reception small, no media. They would choose pictures from their professional photographer to sell to any magazine or paper who wanted it with all the proceeds being donated to the orphanage in Alforia.

The cake was going to be a three tier chocolate stout cake with vanilla buttercream icing and chocolate ganache poured over the top and down the sides. Their colors were going to be pale green and cream and the flowers were all coming from her mother's rose garden.

"And where are you on the wedding rings?" Cady asked.

"They've been ordered and should be ready to be picked up in two weeks." Tess said, glancing at her phone.

"Waiting for a call?" Allura asked.

"I've texted Griff twice and he hasn't responded. He's working tonight, so he should be off right now."

Paige rolled her eyes. "He probably left his phone in his apartment again."

Allura took a sip of her tea. "How are your plans for the party when you get to Terra going?"

Tess slipped her phone in her pocket and looked up at her mother. "Great. It's going to be our intro to the brewpub for our friends. Griff and Iona are hiring a chef, they have it narrowed down to two people and once they're hired, the new chef is going to work with Iona to put together the menu. We're going to have samples of as many of the foods as we can that will be served at Irish Rose's."

"Sounds wonderful."

"You guys are invited if you want to come back out here."

Allura smiled at her. "I know, sweetie, and thank you, but I don't think we'll be able to. So, take lots of pictures and send them to us."

"We will."

"Are you looking for a house?" Charlotte asked. "You need a place for me to stay so I can visit."

"Griff really wants to stay in the apartment above the bar for a while. He wants to stay as close to the bar and brewpub as he can while we're getting the brewpub off the ground. I told him he has a year. I love the apartment, but come on, it's so small. We'll find a place in town. And you can sleep on the couch when you come visit."

"I'll stay with Aunt Dana."

"Fine, but Aunt Dana doesn't have a fully stocked bar."

"By the time Charlotte is old enough to partake in the fully stocked bar I'm sure you'll be settled into your home," Allura said.

"What're the plans for today?" Cady asked.

Tess shrugged. "What did you want to do?"

"Do you have to work?"

"Nope, I'm off while you're here. Unless I get called in."

"Want to go shopping?" Paige asked.

"Always." Cady replied.

"Let's hit the outlets."

Tess nodded. "Sounds good."

That evening, Tess dropped her mother and sisters off at her aunt and uncle's house before taking Paige home. She was going back to her aunt's house for dinner, but she wanted to stop in at Flynn's first. Tess had texted Griff several times before he finally responded half an hour ago, apologizing for being busy. Something was up.

She parked behind the bar and slipped in through the kitchen. It was still early enough that the kitchen wasn't too busy.

"Hey, Iona!" Tess greeted the chef and waved to the rest of the crew. "How's it going?"

"Good. Why are you here? Aren't you off?" Iona asked.

"Technically, but I wanted to see Griff. Is he here?"

"He's out there somewhere. He was gone most of the day, just got in an hour ago."

"Where was he?"

Iona shrugged. "He came in this morning and hung your stuff on the wall, then he left and was gone all day."

"My stuff?"

"The picture and the flag."

"Already? Oh! I have to see this!" Tess hurried out of the kitchen and crossed over to the family wall.

Griff had shifted a few pictures, moving the photo of him and Flynn down a little and his grandparents up to make room for the framed law and their engagement photo. He had also moved the Irish flag to the left and hung the Arusian flag to the right so they met in the middle above all the photos.

"What do you think?"

Tess glanced over her shoulder to see Griff standing beside her. "It's perfect. I wanted to help."

"Eh." He shrugged. "I was up early this morning, I thought I'd do it before we opened."

"Thank you." She leaned over and kissed him.

"It's our place now."

"Just wait until we can put our kids' pictures up there."

Griff grinned at her. "Ah yes, the free labor."

"You're gonna replace us with your kids?" Kevin asked as he walked past.

Griff slid is arm around Tess' shoulders. "That's the plan. I've already had people asking about the law. Jenna thinks it's the most romantic thing she's ever seen."

Tess wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged him, noticing when he flinched. "What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing."

She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "You disappeared for most of the day, you just flinched when I hugged you, something is going on."

Griff took a deep breath and slid his hand off her shoulder and down her arm to take her hand. "Come with me." He walked past the bar, calling out, "Maggie, I'll be back in ten minutes to relieve you."

"Okay, boss," she called back. "But I start collecting overtime in eleven minutes."

"You're worrying me." Tess said as he pulled her up the back stairs to his apartment.

"There's nothing to worry about." He dropped her hand to unlock the door.

"Babe, are you okay? Between the wedding and opening the brewpub and running the bar, are you overdoing it?"

"No, I'm not overdoing it." Griff stopped in the kitchen and tossed his keys on the counter before running his hand through his hair. "I did something today and I'm worried it was a mistake."

"What did you do?"

"I, uh, I thought it would be a grand romantic gesture, but I'm afraid it's going to backfire."

Tess couldn't help but smile at the nervous expression he wore. "Griffin, what did you do?"

"I came up with this idea and looked into it and just did it. Then I got to thinking...you don't like tattoos, do you?"

"Griff, what did you do?"

He unbuttoned the light blue shirt he was wearing, exposing a white bandage on the left side of his chest. "It doesn't look too good right now, it's still healing." Sucking in a sharp breath as he peeled the gauze aside, Griff looked up at her, a worried look on his face. "Do you hate it?"

Right over his heart was a Love Knot. It was about three inches tall and wide, done in all black. Just above it, in small script, was her name.

Tess went to touch it, but he grabbed her wrist. "It's still healing."

"I can't believe you did this," she whispered, her hand hovering over his heart.

"You have a Love Knot on your wrist and, well, I wanted one. I thought over my heart was the best place to put it. Then I remembered that time you said you hated tattoos."

"I, uh, I do, I mean I did. Wow, Griff, this is so sweet."

"You…you don't hate it?"

Tess smiled up at him. "Honey, I never thought I liked tattoos, but I love this and I love that you did it."

"Really?"

She took his face in her hands. "Really." Tess pressed her lips to his in a sweet kiss. "But if you come home one day with a full sleeve, I'm kicking you to the curb."

Griff pressed the gauze over the tattoo. "I did some research and found out that when you get a tattoo it is more susceptible to the sun. Of course I would do something that makes me more sensitive to the sun. This will be my last tattoo."

Tess buttoned his shirt for him and slid her hands around his neck. "It was a very sweet surprise."

"I'm glad you like it," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I spent most of this afternoon worried you would hate it."

"There is nothing about you I could hate."

"I'm going to remind you of that in ten years. How'd the shopping go?"

"Perfectly. I have my dress."

He lowered his forehead to hers. "I can't wait to see you in it."

"I can't wait for you to see me in it. I can't wait to be your wife."

"Wanna fool around?"

"I would love to." Tess said, stepping out of his embrace. "But I need to get to my aunt's house and you need to get downstairs, we're heading into overtime with Maggie."

Griff sighed dramatically. "After we're married you're going to have to fool around with me more often, it'll be your wifely duty."

"Well, if I have to. I guess it's a good thing you're so cute."

He grabbed his keys off the counter and followed her out the door. "You already told me you liked my butt."

"I do. Thank you for not putting the tattoo there."

"I thought about it, but I didn't want to mess with perfection."

Tess stopped at the bottom of the steps and waited for him to join her. "Stop worrying, I love it and I love you."

"See you tomorrow?"

"Yup."

Griff leaned down and kissed her. "Love you too."

Tess sat behind the wheel of her car and stared at the backdoor of the bar long after Griff had gone inside. He was working so hard, doing so much, and he still went in early to hang the law and the Arusian flag and then he got a tattoo of the Love Knot because he wanted one too.

"How did I find you?" She whispered, still staring at the back of the bar.

Tess looked down when she felt a tingling on the inside of left wrist. "Okay, I know how I found you. It was meant to be. "

A sudden idea struck and she turned the key in the ignition. That evening, after saying good night to her family, Tess went home and started gathering her supplies. She spent most of the next two days with her mother and sisters, talking about the wedding, gossiping, and shopping, but at night, she stayed up late working hard.

By the time her mother and sisters were on their way back to Arus, Tess was nearly done. This was something she and Griff had discussed at length and he still had yet to make a decision. Taking all that she knew about him and what he wanted, Tess created what she hoped he was looking for.

It took her nearly a week and when it was time to give him his gift, Tess found herself feeling incredibly nervous. It was Thursday, one of their evenings off together, and Tess was meeting him at his apartment.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," Griff said as she opened the door.

"My boss is a real hardass, I couldn't get away," she teased.

"I think it's time you quit that job, it seems like all you do is complain about what a jerk he is."

Tess fell onto the couch next to him and greeted him properly with a kiss. "Well, the benefits outweigh the negatives."

"Hi." He tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Hi."

"I was going to make something for dinner, then I sat down and I really don't want to get up again. Let's order in."

"I can make something."

"Unless you want to go to the store, I only have the makings for grilled cheese or eggs."

"Chinese?"

"Sounds good." Griff leaned over to open the drawer in the end table and pulled out the menu.

After they placed their order, Griff picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels as he talked about amber ale he hoped would be ready to sample this weekend.

Tess clutched her bag on her lap and tried to figure out how to bring up her gift for him.

"Tess?"

She looked up at him. "What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, I have something for you."

"You do?"

Turning to face him, Tess reached into her bag and pulled out her sketchbook. "I've been thinking. I wanted to do something for you. You've done so much for me and you're so sweet. This is something we've talked about and I, well, I wanted to surprise you with these. If you don't like 'em, that's fine, you won't hurt my feelings. I just…I figured it would be a jumping off point and you tell me what you like and what you don't like and I'll tweak them. And if you don't like them at all, I can do them again…"

"Tess," he interrupted. "What is it?"

Feeling heat rush to her cheeks, she held her sketchbook out to him. "Labels."

"You designed the labels?"

She shrugged, looking down at her bag. "They're just some ideas I came up with, you don't have to use them if you don't like them."

Without saying a word, Griff opened the sketchbook. The first was a label for his IPA, the beer he had been brewing the longest and the local favorite. Within the oval was a silhouette of his mother in the background, two roses curving along the edge of the label, and the text "Griffin's Irish Rose IPA" in script, and the entire image was framed with a Celtic knot border.

He turned to the next page. This label had the same Celtic knot border but inside were the words "Blooming Rose Wheat" in block letters and three interlocking shamrocks beneath the text. On the next page he found the label for his amber ale, "Titian Amber Ale". A woman, her face hidden behind a curtain of red hair, leaned over an old Irish harp. As with the other two labels, this one also had the Celtic knot border.

The next label was for "Love, Friendship, Loyalty Pale Ale". Two hands came in from both sides of the label, meeting in the middle holding a heart with a crown on top. And the last sketch was for the newest beer he brewed, a coffee stout, "Celtic Coffee Stout." This label had a coffee cup at the bottom and the steam rising out of it formed an elaborate trinity Celtic knot. These two labels were also framed with a Celtic knot border and they were all colored in and shaded beautifully.

Tess chewed on her cuticle as she watched him carefully study every image. He didn't say a word, but he would make little noises but she couldn't tell if they were noises of approval or disapproval.

After several long minutes, Griff slowly closed the sketchbook and looked up at her. "I, honestly, don't know what to say."

"Is that good or bad?" She whispered.

"Tess, I could've spent days trying to tell to you what I wanted for the labels and I don't think I could've described the images as perfectly as you have drawn them. It's like you can actually see inside my head for what I wanted. How did you come up with these?"

"I just drew what I thought you'd like."

"They're perfect."

"Really?"

He smiled at her. "Yes. Really. You are officially in charge of all graphic designs needed for the brewpub."

Tess smiled as the pressure she had put on herself lifted. "I was so nervous I thought I'd throw up."

"Really? Why? You're so talented, Tess."

"I…I guess I was more worried about disappointing you. If you didn't like them, I'd feel like I let you down." She blushed and looked down.

Griffl laid his hand on her cheek and forced her to look at him. "You could never let me down. We're a good team, you and me. The bar and brewpub are as much yours as they are mine, that's why I wanted the Arusian flag and why I wanted to hang the law in the bar. You need to stop thinking of it as my bar or my brewpub. They're ours."

Tess gently laid her hand on his chest, over his heart, over his tattoo. "We're a great team."