Giggling, I shoot him a quick text while I have him on the phone.
“Hilarious,” he chuckles sarcastically as my heart-eye emojis go through. “I’m serious though. I don’t want to hide this from Miles anymore. The charity ball is coming up in a couple of weeks, and your whole family is going, including your parents. I want you as my date…by my side. Not looking at you from across the room and wishing I could touch you.”
“Are you asking me to be your date to the ball?” I can’t help but tease him. This side of him is something I’ve never witnessed before, and he’s too cute not to mess with.
“Well, I sure as hell won’t be taking anyone else.”
“Hmmm, then you’d better ask me soon. My calendar fills up rather quickly.” I bite the inside of my cheek to stop the laughter that wants to erupt.
“Savi,” he frustratedly growls, and I cover my mouth as a giggle escapes.
“Yes?”
“Will you be my date to the charity ball?” I can tell his patience is running thin, which only makes this more fun for me.
“Just a sec. Let me check my calendar.”
“For fuck's sake,” he mutters. I hear his voice muffled and can already picture him running his hand over his face in agitation.
“Yes,” I laugh, deciding to put him out of his misery. “I’ll be your date. I’ve been waiting for you to ask me, you know. I got my invitation weeks ago from the foundation, and my sisters-in-law already have their gowns picked out.”
“You’ve really been waiting for me to ask you?” He asks in a bewildered tone. “What part of I want to fucking marry you one day did you not understand? Of course, you are my date.”
“I know we aren’t exactly labeled and a lot of press will be there, so I wasn’t sure if you wanted our secret out or not.”
“You want a label? Pick one. Girlfriend, fiancé, my wife…they are all yours. Doyouwant to keep us a secret? I know that being with me means you’ll be in the spotlight when we are out and about. The press can be a pain in the ass, and regardless of what we tell them, they will spin our relationship however they want to. If that is something that is going to bother you, I need to know.”
“I don’t care about any of that. It comes with your job, and you’ve earned all this fame and more. Any girl would be proud to be on your arm.”
“I don’t want any girl on my arm. I want you.”
Gazing out the window, I smile at his words. “I want you too.”
“Just to make this crystal clear, so there is no more confusion. You are officially labeled as my girlfriend. It doesn’t sound like enough, but it will have to do for now. For any future events that require dates, I choose you. Always. As much as I would love to keep the press out of our lives, they are going to see us together. I don’t want to have to hide the fact that we are in a relationship. The whole damn world can know that you’re mine. I would prefer it that way, anyway. It keeps the guys in check,” he mutters.
“So, I have a boyfriend,” I say, feeling like a giddy teenager.
“And I have a girlfriend,” he muses. “Those were words I never thought I would say,” he chuckles softly.
“So I guess it’s time to tell the family, then. Are you ready?”
“No,” he laughs, “but I would rather Miles hear it from me than the press.”
“I’ll talk to Olivia tonight at the game, and we can have them over for dinner this week to tell them. Once Miles knows, he can fill the others in.”
“That will work,” he sighs.
“Miles is your best friend. He loves you. You have nothing to worry about,” I reassure him when I feel his uneasiness through the phone.
“He knows my past with women, Savi. We both have done some crazy shit together, and now I’m sleeping with his sister. I still don’t feel like I’m good enough for you, so why should I expect him to feel any different? He knows I grew up hating my dad, and how fucked up that made me. I’m not exactly a posterchild for the top ten people I would want my sister to date. I’m not even on the list,” he says quietly.
“Well, you’re on mine,” I say adamantly. “Number one spot, actually. I love my brothers, but it’s my choice who I choose to love, and I choose you. If they truly want me to be happy like they say they do, then my brothers are going to see that it’s you who makes me the happiest.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so.”
I feel his hesitation and worry through the phone. I know it’s been weighing heavily on his mind that we’ve been keeping this from my brothers. Their approval means a lot to him, even though he’s trying hard to hide it.
