The waitress brings our food to the table, and when I see how good the waffles look, I’m so glad I didn’t get something like Ian’s sad looking omelet. I hum as I eat and catch Ian giving me a small smile every now and then. When we’re finished, she collects our plates and brings us both a cup of coffee.
I can’t hold back; this will be the question that determines where Ian takes me after this dinner. “What is it you like about me?” I ask. Every deep insecurity I have is bubbling up at the surface, and I worry that he only wants me for my looks. It’s the only thing that my mom has ever complimented me on. I’ve never thought I was ugly, but who I am as a person, that’s where her insults dig the deepest.
Ian smiles, sips his coffee, and puts it down. “I like that you’re almost as stubborn as me. That you care about plants and animals more than you do about most people. Though you have a soft heart for people you care about too. That no matter how fucking terrible your mother is, you’re still a good person. I like that you always ask others about themselves and actually listen. I like when you give me shit and talk back to me. I like how cute you are when you’re nervous and fidget with things. But most of all? I like that you’re brave.”
My heart is racing again as he says all of these things. He doesn’t mention my looks once. I feel close to crying, but I hold it in and shake my head.
“I’m not brave.”
“Oh, so dancing at a scent club, despite knowing how pissed your mother would be? Or how about that time you got suspended from the academy for putting Nair in that boy’s shampoo.”
“He called Julie a cunt,” I whisper, and Ian grins.
“It’s pretty brave to stand up for your friends.”
“Everyone should have someone that stands up for them,” I say softly.
“I want to be that person, Luna. We can go slow. Move at a pace you feel comfortable with. I’ve wanted to get you out of that house for years. Let me do that. Let me take care of you.”
“Okay,” I say softly. Ian smirks and nods his head. I watch as his shoulders release the tension he had been holding in.
“Okay,” he repeats, nodding his head.
“We have to go slow, though. I…I need to make sure that Ezra and James feel the same way and that this will work. If we’re really going to give this a try, everyone needs to agree.”
He nods, smiling widely, and I realize I haven’t seen him smile much and how contagious it is. I can’t help but to smile back. But it’s then the reality of telling my mom sinks in.
“My mom,” I say softly.
Ian shakes his head. “I told her that you’re moving in with us.”
My brows furrow, and Ian looks away.
“She didn’t find that odd?” He doesn’t say anything, just shakes his head. I sigh and look down at the table. “She was relieved?”
His hands reach out and squeeze mine. “Luna.”
“It’s okay. It’s not a surprise.”
Ian groans under his breath. “I fucking hate that bitch.”
Giggling is probably not the right response to him calling my mother a bitch, but if the shoe fits.
“My stuff?”
“Taken care of,” he responds evenly.
The waitress drops off our check with a soft smile on her face. “Ugh, I remember when me and my Lionel were young and in love. Never lose the spark. Have a good night,” she says, and I can’t help the blush that takes over my face. Ian slides out the booth and holds out his hand for me. I take it, and he helps me stand up.
He towers over me and places his hand on my lower back to pay and leave the restaurant. It’s brief, and I feel like I imagine the soft touch of his lips against the side of my head. My heart flutters, and it’s at this moment that I decide for sure that I’m all in.
I’m going to give this pack my everything and prove that I belong. This fantasy I’ve had all of these years could finally become a realty. I’m not going to let my mom or what anyone thinks get in the way of what could be mine.
I talk a big game in my head the whole ride to Ian’s house. But when the reality of actually living there sinks in, the nerves pick up again. What if this connection is only with Ian, and James and Ezra don’t like me as much?
As hard as it is, I push my anxiety down and take a deep breath as Ian pulls into the enormous garage and parks the car.
Chapter 11
