“You.” Lucia’s voice is full of emotion. “I belong toyou.I’m yours, Ari.”
Mine.
She’smine.
Her eyes glisten as I bring her mouth to mine, kissing her like I’ll never get enough.
Because I won’t.
“Please don’t go on a date with John,” I plead.
Lucia smiles at me. “I already canceled it.”
“What?” My voice is breathy. “Why?”
“Because it wouldn’t have been fair to him.” She rests her forehead against mine and places our linked hands over my heart. “I told him that I appreciated the offer, but I couldn’t go.” She takes a deep breath before saying the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard. “I was already in love with somebody else.”
My mouth hangs open, but I’m still smiling as I watch her. “Lucia…” I make sure I look into her eyes before I say, “I loveyou. It took talking to the guys for me to finally realize it. I’m sorry it took me so long.”
“I love you, too, Ari. I knew it would be hard for you to recognize your feelings, so I just kept hoping you’d figure it out.”
“I figured it out, sweetheart. And if you’ll have me, I want to give this a try. Giveusa try. I know I have a past—”
“I have a past, too. I don’t care what you’ve done or who you’ve been with. All I care about is that you’re here with me right now.”
“I’m here for a lot more than right now, Lucia. I’m ready to be here forever.”
“There’s no one else I’d rather spend forever with.”
I kiss her again, more passionately than before.
I can’t believe I almost let Lucia go.
I don’t have to turn into my dad because I’mnothim.
I haven’t so much as looked at another person since she moved in, and it’s taken until now to understand why.
I’ve been waiting for Lucia to open my eyes to how incredible love is.
And it’s a feeling I want to bask in for the rest of my life as long as I get to do it with her.
fifty-seven
Lucia
EverythingIwashopingfor today actually happened.
Ari came back and begged me not to go on the date with John.
And he loves me.
Ari fucking loves me.
My feelings weren’t unrequited at all; he just needed time to figure everything out.
“I’m so glad you came back,” I murmur against his lips. We’ve hardly separated them since we finally laid everything out in the open.
“It would have been the biggest mistake of my fucking life letting you go, Lucia.”