I squeeze my legs together, wondering if he can tell. My mind is always a mess around him, but my body never.
“That sounds perfect,” I whisper.
CHAPTER 27
RAFEAL
“This issonormal,” she teases as the waiter pours champagne. Her smile is beautiful, her eyes bright, her voice enthusiastic like she’s ready too. But I need to calm down. I need to remember, she doesn’t feel as… asinsanelyas I do.
Is it the mafia man in me? I come from a world of quick marriages and blood-oath commitments.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks, taking a small sip.
“The future,” I admit. “Me, you, Theo. How it all fits together. But I know you don’t want to think about that, or maybe just not in the same way I do.”
She pokes at her pasta, swallowing. She’s notdressed up, and yet she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
“It won’t be complicated forever,” she says, flashing me a small smile. “But I don’t want to rush, Rafe. Maybe that sounds insane. How can you rush with the father of your child?”
“For a year, you thought I abandoned you,” I groan. “You thought I let you down. We can do this your way, angel. I’ll just try not to turn into a madman in the meantime.”
Another wicked smile. “Turninto a madman?”
I smirk. “Why do I like it when you sass me?”
“Maybe because nobody else would dare to do it.”
I cut into my steak. “I wasn’t expecting a serious answer.”
I love her smile. I love how she can be so brave and in the moment, considering everything.
“What does my way look like?” she asks.
I chuckle. “Isn’t that for you to tell me?”
“You’re a businessman, right? Give me your plan.”
I consider it as I chew a piece of perfectly cooked steak. I hired a catering service who is idling nearby – but not too close – in their van. We’re still alone out here, just me and my woman and the stars, unless I text the head chef.
“I have to go home. In one world, you and Theo would come with me. We’d live together right away. I’d pay for everything, and you’d never have to worry again.” I look at her, smiling at the flush in her cheeks and her bright eyes. “And sure, angel, maybe part of me wants that. But I want to support you more.”
She lets out a shaky breath.
“I’ll travel back and forth, multiple times a week if I have to. We’ll date… at your pace, Ava. And hopefully, you’ll find time to pursue your art while working at the gallery. I’ll see Theo as often as you let me. And hopefully, one day…”
She smiles beautifully, her eyes glistening. “Things will stop being complicated?”
“Hmm,” I say, nodding.
“I just want to take it one week at a time,” she says. “When you left – I know you had reasons, Rafe, I get that – but I had to learn for it to just be Theo and me. And in my head, even, just getting my mind around the fact we might have someone else…”
“Are you afraid I’ll leave again?”
She swallows, looking up at the stars. “I don’t think so,” she murmurs.
“But maybe your nervous system is, angel. You’re on edge because you’re expecting it. Let me do this, then…” I walk around the table, falling to one knee in front of her.
She gasps and covers her mouth. “Rafe!”
