A kaleidoscope of butterflies flitted in anticipation in my belly. The honeymoon period of a new relationship was meant to last at least a year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it lasted much longer. This man had my hormones on a short leash.
I dressed, put on some makeup, and let my hair flow in loose waves. When I was done, I stepped into the bedroom. Curtis was sitting on the bed. He looked up at me, and his eyes widened. He swallowed, and his expression said I was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen. He stood. “I have something for you.”
“Something else? You’ve already spoiled me enough. We’re in this house. You’ve given me a trip to Italy and a dress. I don’t need anything else.” As long as I had him, I had everything I needed. Telling him that might be overkill, so I kept it to myself. Sometimes I worried that I was overly gushy. Not that he didn’t smile when I was, but… well. He could have anyone, and I still sometimes wondered when he’d realize he could do better.
Ugh, I was overthinking… again. I guessed I wasn’t totally healed from my mother’s years of criticisms. But Curtis was helping me work on it.
He opened a navy-blue box he’d been holding and pulled out a sparkly necklace. It was a gold choker made of a row of what looked like round diamonds with one larger, blue, oval-shaped stone in the middle. My mouth dried. “They’re crystals, right?”
He laughed and shook his head. “As if. Only precious gems formy precious lady. You’re worth it.” He held it up to my décolletage. “Mind if I do the honors?”
I nodded. I didn’t want to think how much it cost, or I’d feel guilty. We could be donating that money to some cause or other. Maybe I’d make up for it by donating more of my income than I otherwise would have this year. I finally had healthy savings, because not only was I earning more than ever before, Curtis wouldn’t let me contribute financially to the household. As horrible as my mother had been, I’d sent her money for a secondhand car as her old one was constantly breaking down. She’d been shocked into silence with nothing negative to say. If she thought she didn’t deserve it, she kept it to herself. Amy said I was too nice, but my mother had been getting counselling, and she was trying. I lived in hope that our relationship would continue to improve.
Curtis’s fingers feathered across my nape, distracting me and making me shiver as he secured the clasp. He came around to the front and stared at me in awe. “You are spectacular.” He held out his arm for me to link mine through. “Shall we?”
“We shall.” As we descended the staircase, voices and delightful aromas came from the kitchen. My stomach rumbled. I looked toward the kitchen as we crossed the terracotta tiles of the downstairs hallway.
“Every meal will be catered by an award-winning chef. I don’t want you to ever forget this week”
I chuckled. “That’s unlikely. This is the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me. Well, except everything else that’s happened in the past year.”
How was this my life? Half the time, I felt like I was wandering around in a dream that might end at any moment, so I was making the most of it. I traced the necklace with my fingertips and marveled at the house as we made our way outside, to the garden where we’d come in.
It was still light out, but it had faded enough for the fairy lightsin the trees to shimmer. Across the level grassed area was a rectangular pool and beyond that, a U-shaped table set with white linens and many place settings, and beyond that a view of the Tuscan hills. Elegant candles burned in candelabrums along the expanse of table. Two waiters moved around, offering champagne on trays to the guests. I stopped walking. “I thought we had the place to ourselves. Have we crashed someone’s party?”
“Look closer.”
I craned my neck forward. “Oh my God. You didn’t!”
He grinned. “I did. And my father and your mother have promised to behave. Your stepfather and Brandy aren’t here, though. He’s scared of flying, and she wouldn’t promise to play nicely.” A couple of months after outing Queen B, Curtis’s father had finally come to terms with the truth, and he’d actually apologized to me and Curtis. Not that he was all warm and fuzzy now, but he was accepting, and he had begrudgingly admitted only a few weeks ago that Curtis was an intelligent asset to any business—the growth DGMP had experienced and our reputation as an industry leader were the undeniable proof.
I laughed. “And I won’t miss them. But I have to ask: Why is everyone here?”
“Going through everything has made me realize that all work and no play is stupid. I haven’t spent nearly enough time with the people I care about, and we aren’t guaranteed the extra time later. I didn’t want to wait till I retired to enjoy moments like this.” He stared into my eyes. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“I was looking forward to skinny dipping with you in that pool, but I guess that’s a no-no now.”
His wolfish grin and gravelly tone hit me down low. “They’re only staying with us for four days. We’ll have a few days to ourselves at the end of the week.”
Before I could tell Curtis how much I approved of that, a familiar voice called out, “Hey, you two, get over here!”
I looked up. Trust Jack to be the loudest. He was waving his arms like one of those wacky, flailing, inflatable-man things outside stores, just in case we didn’t hear him. Everyone stopped chatting and stared our way.
We walked around the pool and into the crowd of our loved ones. My mother was the first to greet me. She looked happier than I’d ever seen her, dressed in an elegant forest-green pantsuit. She gave me a kiss on the cheek. “You look stunning!” I waited for the negative comment to balance it out, but it never came.
“Th-thank you. You look gorgeous yourself. That color really suits you.”
She smiled wide. “Thank you. I decided to spoil myself, and I spent a bit more than I usually would. Maybe we both deserve better things.” She lowered her voice. “As you know, I’m still seeing a therapist, thanks to the generosity of you and Curtis. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve behaved terribly toward you. All these years I’ve tried to live small because I’ve been hurt by so much, and I didn’t want you to go through what I did. But I think I just made things worse. I’m sorry. I really am. I think you’re amazing, and you do deserve everything good in the world.” Her eyes glistened. Was she actually getting emotional and trying to connect with me?
As much as she’d hurt me over the years, she was my mother, and I loved her, would always love her. It was why her behavior had always crushed me. But we were both healing. Slowly building the relationship I deserved. “I’ll be honest—you’ve hurt me many times, and I’ve had to fight to feel worthy, but I know you’ve suffered too. You saying this now, it’s appreciated. Thank you. I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too.” She gave me a big hug. Maybe there was something in the Italian air. Or were we at a ridiculously high altitude and she was lacking oxygen to her brain? Whatever it was, I’d take it and hope it was a sign of things to come.
She stepped away and smiled. “I’ll let you say hello to everyone else now.”
Curtis’s mother, Aunt Stephanie, and his sister hugged me and told me how gorgeous I was. Jack stepped in and said, “Well, it’s because she’s wearing my design.” Everyone laughed, and Ally rolled her eyes. A photographer hovered around in the background, taking pics.
Curtis’s older brother was there, and he greeted us but without a hug—he was a quiet guy who wore a stern expression most of the time. He definitely wasn’t into PDA. Curtis’s father shook our hands, which had me biting the inside of my mouth to keep from smiling. I guessed that’s where his brother inherited his lack of affection. Amy and Kayley were here—Kayley and I had become close after that night—how could I not like her after what she’d done for me? The three of us often went to dinner together. Destiny and her partner were here, as were a couple of Curtis’s good friends, together with Marvin Black and his wife. While older, they’d become good friends and had signed over all of Ranger Foods’ advertising to us. It was a small but jovial crowd, and they were here to enjoy time with me and Curtis. A rising tide of elation forced tears to my eyes. My life was fuller than I could’ve ever dreamed.
