Chapter Twenty One
Carly
It was late afternoon and I stood in front of my closet in dismay. There wasn’t a single thing in there that I felt was good enough for a date with a man like Gio. Every time I saw him, he was dressed impeccably. There was no doubt in my mind that his suits were expensive, and those shoes? If they weren’t Gucci I’d eat my leather bustier. What do you do when you have a date and have nothing to wear? You call in reinforcements.
“Never fear, I have arrived! And I come bearing gifts.”
“Risa, you’re a lifesaver.”
“Don’t mention it, Carly. I’m happy to help you. Don’t give me that look, girl. You deserve a night out.”
“What am I doing, Risa? He’s my boss. What am I going to do when he decides he doesn’t really want a ready made family?”
“Carly. He knows about Eli already. If he had a problem with you being a single mom, don’t you think he would have already walked away? You’re worrying over nothing. The man is obviously in to you. So give yourself this chance,chica..”
“I don’t know how.” Admitting it was scary. “It’s been just me and Eli since before he was born. I don’t know how to let Gio in. I’m scared, okay? I’m scared of letting him close and getting my heart broken.”
“I know you are, Carly. But girl, you can’t live like that forever. Give him a chance to prove he’s not a bastard, and if he breaks your heart, I’ll break his neck.”
That made me laugh and eased the tension. “This is why I love you, Risa. You know just what to say to make me feel better. Okay, let’s see what you brought.”
After going through everything she’d brought with her, I chose a black ankle length skirt made from crushed velvet. It flowed around me when I moved and felt delicious against my skin. I paired it with a deep red corset and a black jacket. A dark red belt was added to the ensemble, gold hoop earrings, a simple choker, and my red heels, and I was dressed. I decided to leave my hair loose and just added a little serum and mousse to keep the curls under control. A little eyeliner and some red lipstick and I was done.
“What do you think?” I did a little turn for Risa and waited for her verdict.
“You’re going to knock his socks off, girl. You are smokin’ hot. I can’t wait to see his face when he gets here.”
I rolled my eyes and went out to the living room where Eli was coloring. “Are you okay with me going out tonight?”
“Si, Mama. Aunt Risa said she’ll play my new game with me. You look really pretty, Mama.”
“Thank you,Amato.” I pressed a kiss to the top of his head just as there was a knock on the door. My hand shook when I went to open it. The sight of Gio standing there in a dark suit with a bouquet of lilies made my heart flutter. “Lilies. My favorite. How did you know?”
“A little birdie told me.”
His wink had me arching a brow at him. Camille. It had to be her because I knew he hadn’t spoken with Risa.
“You look beautiful,Bella.”
His gaze trailed down my body and the heat in his eyes had me shivering as I reached for the bouquet.
“Here, let me take those, Carly, so you two can get out of here.”
I blinked at Risa. For a moment it had felt like Gio and I were the only two people in the world. “Thanks, Risa. I’ll be home later.” I gave my son one last kiss, told him to be good, and let Gio escort me out of my apartment.
