Now, it’s Thursday, and I’ve been feeling oddly melancholy since I typed The End a couple of hours ago. The timing worked out well because we have a flight home scheduled for tomorrow morning, and it’s his mother’s engagement party on Saturday. But I’ve enjoyed myself more in the past several weeks than I have in a long time, and it feels like our period of easy happiness is drawing to a close. When we’re back in Las Vegas, I won’t wake and see Tony’s face first thing in the morning. I won’t fallasleep in his arms every night. I’ll be at my place, and he’ll be at his. Perhaps some nights we’ll stay together, but we haven’t discussed what that might look like, and I know for certain it won’t be the idyllic existence we’ve been living, which has been like something out of one of my deepest fantasies.
Unfortunately, we haven’t discussed what our relationship will look like, full stop. All I know is we want to continue to see each other, and I’ll be at the party on Saturday. Beyond that, I have some important questions. Like, are we exclusive? How often will we see each other? When will we tell our mutual friends we’re dating? We’ve kept it on the down low so far. Me, out of caution, and him, presumably out of habit.
I lift my suitcase onto the bed and fold laundry into it, leaving out a set of clothes to wear tomorrow. I’ve already packed my laptop and electronics. I want to be as ready as possible so I can relax with Tony tonight and not have to worry about doing much before we leave for the airport. I add the toiletries I won’t need and leave the suitcase on the bed. I’m hoping to spend tonight in the master suite with Tony, so it shouldn’t matter if I use the bed for storage.
Gathering my courage, I make my way through the living area and into the main bedroom. Tony is standing in front of the window, stretching his shoulder. He glances over and smiles when he sees me. “Hey, gorgeous. Done packing?”
“For the most part.” I bite my lip, knowing I need to speak up about the things that have been weighing on my mind but not quite sure how to start.
He crosses the room and kisses my cheek. “What’s going on? You seem nervous.”
“I am, a bit,” I confess. I take his hand and lead him to the bed. I sit on the edge, and he joins me. I steel myself. This is going to be fine. I care about Tony, and he cares about me. I’m not going to force him into anything, but I think I deserve arelationship, and I want one long-term. I need to know if he sees us ending up there eventually.
“Is everything okay?” he asks, his brow furrowed.
“Yes.” My throat is dry, so I swallow. “When we get back to Vegas, what do you want our relationship to look like?” The grooves in his forehead deepen, but I forge ahead. “Are we dating? If so, are we open to dating other people? Will we see each other every day? Every week? What do you want to tell our families?”
He studies me intently, but he hasn’t run for the exit, which is a good start. “Is this what’s been bothering you?”
“Maybe.” My voice is small. I’m hesitant about coming on too strong, but I need to know what to expect from him.
“Baby.” He sounds exasperated. “You could have asked me sooner.” He raises my hand to his mouth and kisses the back of it.
“I didn’t want to pressure you.”
He winces. “Okay, I get where you’re coming from, but I’m sorry I made you feel like you couldn’t ask. I’m not going to make any promises because I’m new at this, but I’m falling for you, Luce, and I want to see where it goes.” His jaw tightens. “We’d better be exclusive, or I’ll break my promise not to go back to fighting too soon, because I couldn’t stand to see you with anyone else.”
“Good.” My insides dance happily at his words. He’s falling for me. Just like I am for him. That reassures me more than anything. “Because I don’t want you to be with any other women either.”
“I won’t be,” he promises. “For as long as I’m with you, it’s just us.”
For as long as I’m with you.
The flutters in my stomach die off. I know he means the promise in a positive way, but all I can hear is the possibility ofus ending. I try not to dwell on it. Once he sees how well we fit into each other’s lives, he won’t be able to imagine going our separate ways. I just have to trust in that.
Tony
I rest against the doorframe, watching Lucia prepare for Mom’s engagement party. Her hair is loose around her shoulders, and she looks beautiful in a pale purple dress. I can’t tear my gaze from her. She applies pink lipstick and rubs her lips together, then blows a kiss at me in the mirror. My eyes lock on hers, which look even more vividly blue than usual thanks to eyeliner, and the heat in the bedroom ratchets up. I wish we didn’t have to put in an appearance tonight. I’d much rather take her somewhere private where we could dance until we can’t stand the tension and then fuck like bunnies for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, I spoke to Mom earlier, so she’s expecting both of us to be present.
“You’re sure this is okay?” Lucia asks, looking down at herself.
“You’re perfect, sweetheart.” Smooth legs, shapely thighs, and an intriguing shadow between her breasts. But the tightness around her eyes and mouth tells me she’s still worried. I go to her and put my hands on her waist. “What’s on your mind?”
She sighs. “It’s nothing. Just… events like this are hard for me sometimes. I don’t have much practice around big families, so I’m not sure what to expect, and then there’s the fact they remind me I’m never going to be able to do this sort of thing with my own mom and dad.”
“Oh, honey.” I pull her into my arms and hold her. “I didn’t even think of that.” Of course being around a big, crazy family tocelebrate a major milestone would be hard for her. “Are you sure you want to go?”
She nods. “Yes. I just want you to know where my head is at. If I get a bit quiet, it’s not because of anything you’ve said or done.”
“Okay.” I kiss her forehead. “I’ll keep that in mind. As for them liking you, they’re going to adore you. Mom will want to adopt you, and my sisters will get you in their clutches and never let you go.”
Her lips tilt up, and I consider that a success. “I’m looking forward to meeting them.”
“You say that now. They can be pretty overwhelming.”
“Maybe that’s what I need.” She pulls away from me and tucks the lipstick into her clutch. “I’m ready to go.”
“We can take a few moments to recalibrate if you need.” I don’t want to rush her. Especially if she’s feeling fragile.
