“This is a restaurant called The Summit. I wanted to do something a little extra for our last night here,” I tell him, taking his hand as we approach the host. The same guy from a couple days ago is back and smiles at me knowingly.
“Ah, Mr. Miller. Welcome back.”
Damon turns his head to look at me, but I ignore him.
“Hello, Zeke. Right on time, just like you said to be.”
“So you are. Good thing, too. It’d be a shame to waste this table. If you two will follow me,” he says, pulling the large, heavy door open.
“After you, baby,” I tell Damon, who still looks shell-shocked.
God, I must’ve really been out of it the last few years if something simple like making a dinner reservation makes Damon look at me like that.
Zeke pulls out Damon’s chair first and unfolds his napkin before placing it across his lap with a flourish. He repeats the same gesture for me.
“Your server tonight is Hayden. He’ll be right over to take your drink order.” Zeke grips my shoulder as he leaves and whispers, “Nice catch, and good luck.”
I nod before returning my attention to Damon.
“Good luck for what?” he asks.
The moment is almost here. The butterflies I’ve been trying to ignore all day are really starting to stir shit up in my stomach. Everything Damon and I have shared over the past couple of weeks has made me feel like this next move is a no-brainer, even if it started out as a joke.
But stupidly, I never paused to consider that he might say no.
What if he thinks this is insane? I mean, it is, but it also feels right. It’s not like we have to get marriedtomorrow. Hell, we can stay engaged for five years. I just want my ring on his finger and his body in my bed.
“Li?”
My eyes snap to Damon’s.
“Sorry, what’d you say?”
“I just asked why that guy told you good luck.” The tone of Damon’s voice tells me he thinks something bad is coming.
“It’s a long story. Let’s decide what we’re having, and then we’ll dive in.”
“Okay, but I have something I need to tell you, too.”
If I don’t stroke out during this meal, it’ll be a fucking miracle.
Attempting to add levity, I jokingly say, “Shit. I knew we should’ve used protection.”
This makes Damon laugh so hard he’s choking on his water when Hayden arrives to introduce himself and take our drink order, so I take the liberty of ordering for him.
“Macallan 18 for him, please, and I’ll have an old-fashioned…extra sweet.”
Hayden nods. “I’ll go put those in. Please let me know if you have any questions.”
Once he’s out of earshot, Damon leans in. “I have questions, but not about the menu.”
“Yeah, I think the time has come for us to talk about a lot of things.”
Here goes nothing.
Chapter 35
Damon
