Page 24 of Finally Mine
“But that’s not what I was going to talk to you about. I’d like to date you, Gloria.”
The glug of water she’d just taken to wash down the bitterness of disappointment came back out on a cough and ran down her chin. Gently, he mopped her face with a napkin.
She swallowed what was left in her mouth. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I heard you correctly.”
He grinned. “That’s not the reaction I was expecting. It’ll be a fun story to tell our grandkids, though.”
Gloria’s head was spinning. “Back up a minute?”
He nodded amiably. “Sure. See, I’ve had a crush on you for a touch over a decade. And I didn’t make my move for a variety of reasons. But I’ve never stopped crushing on you. So, when I get back in six months, I’d like to take you out.”
“You want to go on a date with me in six months?” She couldn’t date someone! She couldn’t date Aldo. She didn’t even know how to be attracted to a man let alone date, be in a relationship.
“I can see I’ve swept you off your feet.” He reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “The choice is yours. If you think I’m a hideous beast with no redeeming qualities, say the word, and I promise to go back to admiring you from afar.”
What was there to admire? Was there some kind of victim fetish that existed out there in the dark corners of the internet? Gloria made a mental note to check.
“I don’t think you’re a hideous beast,” she assured him. “But I’m not sure why you’d want to date damaged goods.”
He squeezed her hand tighter. Not so that it hurt or made her give in but so that she could feel his strength and take comfort in it. It was nice. “I knowwhyyou think that, sweetheart, but I hope you know I could never think of you that way,” he said softly. The gentleness in his tone, his touch, brought the burn of tears to the backs of her eyes. “That’s why I’m not begging for a date now. You just got your freedom back. You need to build a life that works for you. And when I come home—if you’ll have me—I’m going to fit myself into that life.”
“Did you forget to take some kind of medication today? Maybe hit your head?”
With his free hand, Aldo cupped her cheek. The touch was so tender, so sweet, that Gloria felt her heart do a belly flop right into her stomach. “Here’s the thing. I don’t want to terrify you, but you’re stronger than you think, Glo. You can handle the truth. I think you might be the girl I’ve been waiting my whole life for. But I want you to see who I see. I want you to remember what it’s like to be you.”
She closed her eyes and leaned into that big, warm palm. “I don’t know if I can,” she confessed.
“I believe in you, Gloria.”
“What if I’m different than you think?” she whispered.
He shifted closer to her. “Then be different. Be you. There’s so much good inside you. No one can take that away from you.”
“I can’t just fall into another relationship, Aldo,” she breathed. “I can’t get carried away and lose myself again.”
“I know. I also know you don’t believe me when I say I know you won’t. But it’s the truth. You’re never going back there, Gloria. You’re stronger than that.”
He believed that. He honestly believed she wouldn’t make another mistake that had already cost her so much of her life. She could see it in his eyes, so earnest. He was so careful with her. But that didn’t mean he would always be. And it didn’t mean that she was as strong as he thought she was.
“One date when I come home,” he pressed. “I couldn’t leave next week without telling you how I feel. Without asking you.”
He was pressuring her. But in a way so different from Glenn.
“What do you want me to do while you’re gone?” she asked.
He shook his head. It was the wrong question. It was the question of someone accustomed to not mattering.
“Do what you want. Whatever you need. Find a job. Go to school. Travel. Date. I’m coming back, and I’m coming back to ask you out. But you need that time to yourself. Take it. Find yourself. Be yourself.”
She nodded. Wondering how he could be so sure, why he wasn’t demanding a promise to him right here and now. Because he was Aldo. He had faith.
“One date?” she repeated.
“It’s all your decision, Gloria. Your choice. I won’t pressure you. I don’t want you like that. I’m not going to step on you making a life for yourself. I want to be a part of what you build. Okay?”
She nodded tentatively. In six months, she would have a first date with Aldo Moretta. She would be different than she was today.
“Okay. And I’ll still water your plants.”
