Page 183 of With Us

Julie:… maybe.

Looking at my phone, I shook my head at their antics. They were both bad, as was every member of Theo’s family. When we’d arrived for Christmas dinner the day before, every eye had checked out my ring finger. Then when we’d sat down to eat, Theo had cleared his throat and everyone’s focus snapped to us as they’d tried to hide their excitement at what they seemed sure was going to be an important announcement.

It’d just been Theo almost choking after accidentally eating some of his Uncle Donny’s dry and charred brisket.

Much to the surprise of his family, Theo hadn’t proposed on Christmas. I hadn’t expected him to.

That wasn’t to say I wasn’t hoping for it at some point.

Me:You’re both bad. No proposal. Since Gus kept trying to fight the framed picture of himself, Theo hung it and then we watched a movie. Nice and relaxing.

Julie:Thank you again for the pictures. I have them right on my desk.

Tina:Want me to drop some hints? I can email him some jewelry advertisements.

Me:No!

Julie:No!

Tina:No fun. But, yes, the pictures are gorgeous. And not just because our girls are. You have a real talent.

Even though Theo had gotten gifts for everyone from us, I’d wanted to do something nice for Tina, Julie, and his parents. Tina and Julie each got a two-picture frame with photos of the girls from Thanksgiving. One was when they’d been leaning close, whispering and plotting. The other was of them laughing.

I’d given Theo’s parents a larger framed picture of Theo at work, laughing at something I’d said. His mom had looked ready to cry.

Me:I’m glad you like them.

“Dahlia?” Theo called from his office.

“In the living room!” I shouted back.

“Can you come here for a minute?”

I walked down the hall to his office. “What’s up?”

He set his cell down on the desk and looked at me. “How’d you like to go to New York City?”

I grinned so big it hurt my cheeks as I nodded. “Yes, I’d love that. When are you thinking?”

“We’ll leave in about an hour or two,” he said, glancing down at his watch.

My eyes widened. “What?”

“There’s a tech startup that Amaric’s been working with. I need to go help with some things. If we leave tomorrow morning, I’d still get there in time for my meeting, but I figured you might want extra time. We can spend a few days, if you’d like.”

“Yes! Definitely. I’ll go pack.” I was halfway up the stairs before stopping.

I took two steps down before Theo called out, “Luggage is in the last spare bedroom’s closet!”

“Thank you!” Sprinting the rest of the way, I grabbed the bag and a medium sized suitcase. I packed some clothes before Theo came in.

“Don’t forget walking shoes. And pack at least one dress.”

I added my sneakers, a pair of knee high suede boots, and some heels to the suitcase. I set out a black dress. “What’s the airport rule about flying with liquids? Wait, did I pack too much? Will you have enough room for your stuff?”

Theo chuckled. “Relax, my gattina. Private plane means you can bring your shampoo and stuff in the regular bottle. You can add more clothes; I have my own that’s made for suits. I’ll put your dress in mine so it doesn’t wrinkle.”

“Private plane?”

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