“You’ll have to wait and see.”
“Are we celebrating something?”
He put his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together before he responded.
“That you’re mine, from your head to your toes and all the parts in between, especially your heart and that juicy ass pussy.”
His words and the way he looked at me made me feel warm and fuzzy inside as I sipped my wine. There was no denying it. I was absolutely his, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Rose blushed and looked down at her food as I spoke. She’d never been shy, but I’d noticed a softer side of her since she shared her secret with me. Her guard had been up for years, and she was rarely vulnerable with me. I was grateful for the change and fell even deeper in love with her.
We enjoyed the second course of our meal, lobster bisque soup and a salad, talking about random things as we ate. When the main course was served, her eyes widened as the servers placed our meals in front of us.
It was pan-seared lemon-butter scallops with creamy Parmesan risotto. It smelled and looked delicious, making my mouth water.
“Oh, you fancy, huh?” she teased.
“I can be fancy when the mood or need arises, especially if it’ll put a smile on your face.”
The smile I loved so much graced her lips, and I smiled as well.
“I like this side of you,” she said.
“What do you mean? Have you not seen this side of me before?”
“I’ve seen glimpses of your sweet and sensitive side, but you were . . .” She let her words trail off.
“I was what?”
“Umm, I’m not sure of the word I’m looking for. Reserved, maybe.”
“Reserved? I never hid how I felt about you or where I wanted our relationship to go. You’ve always known how much I love you.”
She let my words marinate for a moment before responding.
“That’s true, but that’s not what I mean, and I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Because there’s nothing to explain. You were guarded, and most of the time, I followed your lead. It was hard pouring my heart out to you when it was rarely reciprocated.”
She looked down at her food, and I could sense a shift in her mood. Now that I understood why she was guarded, I would never hold it against her, but facts were facts.
“I wasted a lot of time running from my feelings, but I’m all in now. Thank you for being patient with me.”
I reached across the table, took one of her hands, and rubbed my thumb gently across the back.
“I would’ve waited forever.”
For the remainder of our meal, we talked about how our lives would change once we became responsible for a three-year-old. We had individual concerns, but most of them were the same.
“At least Oaklyn is out of the infant stage,” she said.
“That’s true. When RJ and Bliss were born, Roman and Rocky were like zombies for at least the first year.”
“Yeah. Rue was definitely sleep-deprived with Briar and Bliss, which is kinda crazy considering the amount of help they have.”
We laughed at that revelation because our village was huge, and help was everywhere. Even when RJ was born, years before Rose and her sisters entered our lives, Roman and RJ’s mother received help from Rocky, our grandparents, and me.
“Let’s not forget the terrible twos. RJ was hell on wheels. How was Briar at that age?”
