Page 125 of Finally Mine
“I want you to have beautiful things, Glo. I hope you’re okay with accepting gifts because this was the most fun I’ve ever had shopping. I pictured you looking just like you do now.” His voice was rough, but the words felt like a caress.
“Aldo,” Gloria clutched a hand to her heart. “You make it hard to breathe.”
He beamed at her, that boyish grin that she recognized from her ninth-grade study hall. She wasn’t that girl anymore. She wasn’t the broken woman anymore either. She was someone new.
70
He’d worried that the limo was too over-the-top, but when Gloria gasped and grabbed his arm, his regrets went out the window. Then she’d insisted he take a picture of her hanging out the sunroof, and he knew he’d done good.
They drank champagne behind tinted windows and talked about their days as if it was common for them to spend their Friday night in the back of a limo. Gloria reveled in pushing each and every button she could find. Opening and closing the sunroof, opening and closing the minibar, changing the lighting from white to purple to swirling disco.
And Aldo enjoyed every second of it.
She’d never had a prom. Another rite of passage stolen from her. Another memory for him to make with her. When Sara suggested romance, Aldo put some serious thought into it. He’d never been a big romance guy. Had never gotten serious enough with someone where romance was required. But Gloria deserved this. And seeing her enjoy herself, seeing her bloom with happiness, made him wish he’d thought to do this sooner.
They arrived at their destination, and Aldo helped her out of the back seat.
“Thank you,” Gloria said to the driver who held the door. “Where are we?” she asked, studying the building before them.
Aldo gave a nod to the driver, who winked at him.
“This is the Breeches Creek Mill,” Aldo said, tucking her hand through his arm and leading them up three short steps to the door. He turned the knob. “It’s being renovated for event space. I happen to know the owner who owes me a favor. So their first event is your prom.”
He had to give them credit. He’d stolen every associate and intern his firm had, paid them each an extra hundred bucks for the day, and given them an unlimited decorating budget. Jamilah had groused about an entire day’s worth of work lost until Aldo sent her off to the massage and pedicure he’d scheduled for her.
She’d texted him hours later after too many complimentary champagnes to tell him he was the best business partner in the world.
“This. Is. Insane.” Wide-eyed and slack-jawed, Gloria stepped inside.
There were fairy lights roped around the thick, rustic beams above them. Flowy white panels hung from the rafters to the oak floor. There was music playing softly on a speaker tucked away between potted palms and pines. A fire crackled in the stone fireplace on the far wall, and a pretty sign that said simplyPROMrested on the mantel.
A table, also swathed in white, was set for two with more champagne chilling in a bucket. On one of the plates sat a sparkling tiara.
“Aldo…” It was as far as she got because she was crying.
“Sweetheart.” Gently he pushed her into the chair and pulled out a handkerchief to dab her eyes. “Please don’t cry.”
“This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me,” she said, eyes glistening. “I love you for it. Screw it. I love you. I’ve been not saying it for a while now—since the laundry—and…now…” she gestured around them. “I just love you. I love you so much.”
Aldo found himself in the predicament of feeling a little choked up, too. Okay, a lot choked up.
They’d come so far, the two of them. He wanted to ask her right then and there. To talk about the future, make decisions, set goals.
But Gloria deserved this night of no strings.
He cleared his throat, trying to dislodge the lump. When he opened his mouth, no sound came out.
“Oh, hell. It’s too soon,” she said, covering her face with her hands. “Shit. You did this amazing thing, and I screw it all up by being all ‘I love you.’’ And now I made it weird—”
“Gloria, will you please shut up so I can tell you that I don’t remember ever not loving you?”
“What?”
“I love you, Gloria. I’minlove with you.”
“Really?” she squeaked. The tears were back again. “Because if you’re messing with me or saying it back because I said it first, I’m going to kill you. Like run you over with a limo kill you.”
“How could I not love you after a threat like that?” He kissed her, his mouth eagerly seeking hers out. Branding his lips to hers. She kissed him back like she was starving for him.
