Page 81 of Mia

I kissed my teeth but did as she said and posed. For a solid three minutes, she made us take several pictures. Titan finally had to tell her we were going to be late for our reservation before she let us go. When we stepped outside, I was shocked to see a limo waiting for us.

“You really went all out,” I said, looking at my husband.

“Oh, I went the fuck off, baby,” he said, grinning. “Just wait until you see what I have in store for you.”

Leaning in, he kissed my temple before leading me to the limo. The driver was waiting to let us in. The back seat was littered with rose petals. A huge bouquet of white roses sat on the seat and a chilled bottle of champagne was present. Once we were settled, Titan handed the bouquet to me.

“You’ve never given me flowers,” I said.

“Your ass doesn’t like flowers, but you’re gonna take these. White roses symbolize new beginnings. That’s the journey we’re working on.”

He grabbed the champagne and popped the bottle. After pouring up two glasses, he handed one to me.

“Tonight is a new beginning for us,” he said, clinking his glass against mine.

We took a sip, and he leaned in to kiss my lips. I was feeling all giddy inside. Dr. Baxter told us to focus on being intimate, and this was giving just that.

“I love you,” Titan said, cupping my chin.

“I love you too.”

We shared another kiss before I settled into his side. The entire ride, we made conversation about various things as we sipped the bubbly champagne. About an hour or so went by before the limo came to a stop. We placed the glasses back and prepared to exit. When the doors opened, Titan got out and reached for my hand.

Stepping onto the sidewalk, I broke into laughter. The man brought me to the diner our training group used to frequent after our sessions. It was an hour away from my grandfather’s compound and once one of my favorite places. The place was owned by a former member of their organization who knew us all by name.

I couldn’t tell if the place was open because the blinds were down.

“You did not have me dress up to bring me to a diner, Titan DeLuca!”

He grinned. “I thought it would be nice to have a bit of nostalgia. When’s the last time you had this?”

I smiled as I looked up at the sign. “Not since I moved with my dad. God, it’s been years. Mr. Owen still here?”

“Why don’t we find out?”

He pulled me toward the door and gave a hard knock. A few seconds went by before the knob turned and the door opened. There stood Mr. Owen with a huge grin on his face. He hadn’t aged a day in all the years since I last saw him.

“Mia James! When Titan told me he was bringing someone special here, he didn’t say it was you.”

“It’s DeLuca now,” Titan said, holding up my hand to show him my wedding ring.

Mr. Owen dramatically clutched his chest.

“The way you two used to go at it, you mean to tell me y’all got married?”

Titan chuckled. “We did.”

“Well, shit! Congratulations!”

“Thank you. Everything ready?”

“Just what you asked for.”

He opened the door and stepped aside to let us in. My eyes widened as we stepped over the threshold. The diner had been transformed into a romantic oasis. The lights were low. Candles and hundreds of roses were everywhere. Curtains were draped to block off the place, separating the dining room from the counter seating.

The space had been cleared of all the tables except one. It sat in the middle of the room, with a white linen tablecloth and decorated with rose petals and a beautiful floral tablescape with a bottle of chilled wine. The smooth sounds of John Legend’s “So High” played on the surrounding sound.

This was the last thing I expected walking in here.