He tipped his head. “I’ll make one up for you.”
As Torre walked to the bar, I quickly checked my phone to see Val had texted again.
Have your dinner.
Enjoy.
My eyes narrowed as I wondered why I felt like I was missing part of the equation. Something else was going on, other than what she and I had talked about.
Hmm…my gaze traveled over the restaurant space finding nothing amiss.
And yet…
Torre approached with my Negroni and a carafe of red wine. He set them on the table, poured the wine for himself, and sat opposite me.
“Shall we have a toast?”
I lifted my glass. “To…beginnings?” I said.
“And new chapters.” Torre clinked my tumbler and we drank.
“I’ll rewrite the whole damn book if it means you’re my ending.”
Torre rested his hands on the marble-topped table. “I have dinner coming.”
“Dinner? I thought we were meeting for dessert and drinks.” I had planned everything and even now, Val was supposed to be setting things up in Torre’s old apartment.
Mike walked out with a green salad topped with fresh pears, shaved parmesan, and a drizzle of balsamic reduction.
“Your salads.” He placed the two plates in front of myself and Torre.
“Youservingme? I like this.” I grinned up at my business partner, who raised a brow.
“Don’t get used to it, big shot.” He snickered and walked away.
“Good thing I didn’t have any dinner.” My stomach had been too tumbled with nerves to eat anything, and I’d spent the day alternating between fear, excitement, and wanting to run. But now that I was here, all my misgivings were washed away in the knowledge that there was no other person I wanted to sit across a table from and see every morning and night. Torre was my forever.
“I hope everything’s to your satisfaction so far.” Torre met my gaze over the flickering candle.
“You’ve always exceeded any expectations I’ve had. From that first night. Remember?”
His cheeks blazed, and I loved that I could still make him blush, considering everything we’d done together over the past year.
“I do. I couldn’t forget it or you. Everything about that night was unforgettable,” he said softly, sending a painful twist to my heart.
I didn’t want to think about where I would be now if I’d never met Torre, because I hoped that man was gone forever.
And now I was about to embark on a different type of forever. A forever I’d never dreamed of. One I’d never planned for or thought I’d wanted until the man across the table showed me what a gift life was when love was in it.
Torre and I ate for a few minutes. “Can I presume we’re going to have branzino and butternut squash ravioli with lobster sauce?”
“Presume nothing but expect everything.” Eyes twinkling, Torre licked his lips, and a surge of lust rocketed through me, causing me to rethink kitchen sex.
“I never expected anything but ended up with more than I ever dreamed possible.”
Torre’s eyes grew shiny, and he reached across the table. “You’re not the only one. The night we met I took a chance, and it turned out to be the first step on a journey I never anticipated. A crazy life, filled with the unexpected, the improbable, and the wonderful.”
Jasper appeared tableside, accompanied by the delicious-smelling branzino and ravioli in lobster sauce. With a Mona Lisa smile on his face, he served us.
