He jerks his head back, and again, he looks at me for help. “Really?”
“She will stab you with her fork if you try to take a bite of her cake. You’re safer if you buy the whole damn thing,” I tell him, giving him a warning because my girl is off the charts crazy about her sweets.
He gawks at her. “We gotta talk about your eating habits, kid.”
She pulls at his hand and moves toward the doorway, barely looking at me. “Bye, Daddy.”
I grab Brax, giving him a giant hug before he latches on to Lucio’s other hand. “Be a good little man.”
“I got this,” Lucio tells me, but he looks more like they’ve got him than the other way around.
I watch through the window as Lucio piles the kids into his new extended cab pickup. That was the closest thing he’d get to a family car, but it’s an improvement over his old motorcycle.
I have exactly one hour until Tilly arrives. That’s just enough time to finish tidying up, shower, and get my shit under control before she walks through the door.
I feel like we had a breakthrough the other day after our talk in her kitchen and dinner at my parents’. She fit right in, and in true Gallo fashion, they welcomed her into the fold.
Now it’s my turn to make sure she knows for sure that I want more than friendship. There’s more between us than attraction. We’re separate halves of the same broken heart, searching for peace in a world that no longer seems to make sense.
Tilly kicks off her shoes, making herself more comfortable on the couch next to me. She turns, one arm propped up on the cushion and the other hand holding a glass of white wine. “I needed an evening like this.”
I face her, letting my knee touch hers. It’s so high school, but I’m trying to find my single guy groove again. I knew dating would be hard. Marissa and I had been together for so long, I was really clueless when it came to anything besides what she liked. Even then, my moves weren’t entirely smooth, but none of that mattered.
I rub my hand down my leg, trying to remain calm for the big talk I know needs to happen. “You’re going to be so busy once the shop opens.”
I sound like an idiot. Like an insecure moron, already justifying why she may not call again after tonight. All the vibes are there. We click. There’s chemistry. We share a disconnected yet similar past. But what if… What if I ask her to be mine, and she runs the other way, scared as fuck to move on and unable to let go of her husband?
She touches my knee. “It’ll be crazy, but I won’t let it rule my life. There are other things that are much more important.” She’s staring at me as she says those words. “I’ve learned that time is the most precious thing we have, and although the cupcake shop has been my dream for so long, I realize I want more out of life.”
“Tilly.” I move closer, placing my hand over hers. “I want to talk to you about something important.”
She leans over and places her wine on the coffee table. “Of course. What’s wrong?”
Reaching up, I tuck a lock of hair behind her ear and leave my hand on her cheek instead of pulling away. “We have a connection, yeah?”
She nods, tilting her head and moving into my touch.
“I truly feel like we were meant to be here, in this moment, at this time in our lives. You came into my world for a reason, and I’m undeniably and inextricably drawn to you. When you’re near, I feel at peace for the first time in longer than I can remember.”
“Me too,” she whispers, gazing at me in the dim candlelight.
“I want no one else in this world as much as I want you. We can move slow, but I want there to be no doubt about my intentions. I want you as my own. Only mine and no one else’s.”
The corner of her mouth touches my thumb. “Are you mine, then?”
“No one else’s.”
She slides her leg away and moves her body within inches of mine. “I’m falling for you, Angelo. Falling hard and fast.”
My heart sputters at her confession. “I know it’s crazy, but I feel the same way. The moment I laid eyes on you and heard you tell off that mixer, I knew I wanted you.”
She leans forward, taking me by surprise when she climbs into my lap. My hands are on her back in an instant, holding her tightly. “Say you’re mine.”
She presses her chest flush against me, bringing her lips close to mine. In the faint light, her eyes are dark, but the fire within burns brightly. “I want to be yours, Angelo.”
I lean forward, tightening my grip on her body, and press my mouth to hers. She tastes of the sweetest white wine as my tongue brushes against her bottom lip. She’s intoxicating. Pure and simple.
She slides her hands up my arms, settling them around my neck as I deepen the kiss. The need to explore her body almost overwhelms my restraint for the slow, controlled pace I’d promised. The fact that she’s moving around on top of my cock doesn’t make anything easier.
