Page 88 of Be Your Forever
“Yes.” Bri does a little happy dance in her heels and my heart melts.
Chef Marnie walks us through the dish we’re gonna make: chicken marsala. We have matching off-white aprons and hats to protect our clothes. Bri is in charge of chopping and stirring things, as I prepare our chicken. We listen to Marnie's instructions, and we sip our complimentary champagne while the chicken cooks, occasionally flipping the meat around in the pan so it doesn’t burn on one side.
The smell of oregano and mushrooms permeates the room, making my mouth water. We wash our hands and have been instructed to walk through the way we came in, and the hostess will take us to a private table. We are guided to a secluded area with cobblestone pavement, and a pergola hangs over our heads with vines twisted along the columns. Fairy lights are strung throughout the place, and scattered across the ground are black, metal tables. The hostess guides us to a table that has a bottle of wine chilling on ice. I pull Bri’s chair out for her before walking around to the other side.
“This is incredible, Asher. The view is breathtaking.”
“It really is.” She’s looking around, but my eyes are trained on her. Brianna is stunning, her skin twinkling underneath the glow of the lights. She takes my breath away every single time I see her.
Our food arrives ten minutes later, and we focus on eating what we created. Damn, we did good. We make small conversation in between bites and sips of wine. Classical music begins to play over the speakers. I wipe my face with my napkin before getting up.
I extend my hand toward her. “May I have this dance?”
Bri places her hand in mine, face beaming so bright the stars look on with envy. I spin her once, twice, three times before we begin to sway, hearts colliding in a rhythm uniquely ours. Having her in my arms with a look of pure awe and trust shimmering up at me is my paradise.
“This is the most amazing date I’ve ever been on. You have your work cut out for you for our future dates.”
“This is only just the beginning.”
“What? There’s more?” she asks, pure wonder in her voice.
“Mmhmm,” I feel my lips curl in a playful smirk, “now, what do you say we get out of here and head to the next place?”
I settle our bill, and the valet has our car ready by the time we get to the front entrance. Bri’s hand stays locked in mine as we make our way to the car.
I’m barely out of the parking lot before I pull off to the side of the road. My excitement to give her the gift is overwhelming.
“Wait, why are we stopping?”
“I wasplanning to give you this at the house, but I just can’t wait.” I reach into my pocket and pull out the black, silk envelope—another Target find—and hand it over to her.
“W-What’s this?” Bri fingers along the envelope’s flap, a frown stretched across her face.
“Open it and find out.” I don’t have to tell her twice. Bri not so gracefully tears open the envelope. When she opens the piece of paper, her gaze flickers between me and the content printed across it. She blinks once, twice, three times before letting out an ear-piercing squeal. Her entire body dances in the seat. Well, as best as one can while still being strapped in.
“ASHER! I—How did you…Why did you…How?”
“Avery—”
“Oh, my. I…I can’t believe you’d do this for me. That’s why you asked about what bookish thing I wanted. Oh, you’re good, Mr. Larson. I…Thank you.”
“Anything for you.” Bri sniffles, and I notice tears falling like shimmering diamonds down her face.
“Damn it, Asher. My makeup is flawless, and you’re ruining it with your generosity.”
“And you’d look gorgeous with makeup smeared down your face. Ready to go? We have one more thing to tick off the list for tonight.”
“There’smore?I’m not sure I can handle anything else.”
“Trust me, you’ll love what I have planned next.”
Ten minutes later, we’re pulling into our driveway. And Bri has yet to look away from the piece of paper clutched in her grasp.
“Bri, we’re home. Go ahead and put comfy clothes on, and I’ll meet you in the backyard.”
And just like that, she’s off like a rocket. I have already moved most of my stuff into Bri’s, so I don’t have to go home to get a change of clothes. As she gets unready, I gather everything I need to bring outside.
I texted Cas earlier to blow up the air mattress after he set up Bri’s new reading chair. I had her new books from Target on the kitchen table and asked if he could put them on her chair. And from the loud squeal that comes from upstairs, I assume she’s found it. It’ll only be a matter of minutes before she charges downstairs and sees everything I’ve set up.
