Along with all their friends and family. The idea was too big to contemplate.
“Oh, I’m having a realtor look around for suitable houses. If you have anything in mind, please let me know.”
“You want my input on your house?”
“Of course. It's not just about me anymore.”
My face went white-hot. He wanted me to help pickourfuture house. Was I the only one who thought we were moving too fast?
“Okay,” I managed to squeak.
After we finished and he dropped me off at the hospital, all I could think about was the idea that Noah wanted me to be part of his family. The ring, the dress, the cake, the house, those things had never been in my long-term plans. All I concentrated on was work and what promotions I might get down the line.
He hadn't proposed, but it was probably a heads-up that one was coming. The mere idea made my heart throb heavily in my throat. I wanted everything with him, but I was equally scared to have it.
I didn't mention Noah to his father when I saw him later, but I was a bit disappointed not to see him in Benito’s suite.
“Feeling good?” I asked him after he hugged me.
“Fit as a fiddle,cara mio.”
“Perfect.”
I’d barely gotten his vitals charted when he pulled me onto a chair. “I hear you and Noah are together.”
“Was there a town crier I missed?” I asked irritably. “Or a neon sign blinking above my head?”
“I can’t help noticing how happy he is. It makes a father proud.”
Jesus Christ. “It’s, uh, very new.”
“One thing you should know about the Costas: when we pick someone, they're the one for life.”
I tugged at my collar, suddenly feeling like I was suffocating. “We’ve only been on a few dates—”
“He loves you,” Benito interrupted before I could properly flip out.
“So he told me,” I murmured, trying not to hyperventilate.
“And you?”
Looking into his kind eyes, I found I couldn't be annoyed with him. “I love him, too, Benito, but I don’t know what that means for me. I’ve never had a romantic relationship before. I could easily hurt him.”
“You’ll figure it out as you go, I have no doubt.”
“You seem so positive about the unknown.”
“That just means I have faith in you. I want you in my family, sweetheart. The same as I felt for Gio when my Vittoria chose him.”
Tears pricked my eyelids. What had I done to deserve these people? “Thank you.”
Long after I left the Ritz, I thought about their words. What if I messed it up for all of us? I couldn't bear the thought of givingup Noah and Benito, but they might give up on me if I couldn't live up to their expectations.
Chapter Twenty
Noah
When Sailor first stayed with us at the hotel, I’d planned on pampering her until she would never want to leave. Part of me hoped it would resolve my guilty feelings, and part of me thought she deserved it for all she’d been through. Her leaving early had ruined those plans.
