Page 156 of Lovestruck at Sundown
Then, I shared the news about my new job as a photographer for Empire Magazine, and my dad was delighted. I’d already told William about it on our way to dinner because I couldn’t help myself.
My dad ordered champagne, and we made a toast to celebrate his birthday and our achievements.
As I smiled and swallowed the crisp, velvety champagne, apart of me felt like it was all too good to be true. My rekindled relationship with my dad. The new job. Having William in my life despite the challenges we’d been facing from the start.
I hadn’t been this fulfilled in so damn long. And in every area of my life. My heart told me it was okay to trust the universe, but my stomach warned me this newfound peace came with an expiration date. It whispered that I was too naïve and should know better than to ignore the calm before the storm.
But I squeezed William’s hand, using it to ground myself and as a reminder that it was all real.
When you’ve suffered the loss of someone dear to you, it becomes hard to embrace the good things in your life and to feel like you deserve them. It feels unfair that you got to live while they didn’t. And then, one day, you finally make peace with your destiny. You allow yourself to take what you want and work your ass off to preserve it. You grab it all. You hold on to it. Cherish it. Treasure it. But a new dilemma arises when you realize you now have everything to lose.
And the thought of it sent a cold shudder down my spine.
August 4, 2012
Dad:Hey, kiddo.
Dad:A big potential client of mine is hosting a fundraising gala next Saturday.
Dad:August 11.
Dad:I bought a table.
Dad:I would love for you and William to come.
Dad:The theme is “Starry Night Soirée for Sustainable Futures.”
Dad:The dress code is black tie. Women are expected
to wear something shiny with a touch of eco-friendliness
if that makes sense.
Dad:If you have any questions, ask Miss Patty.
Dad:She should have all the details.
Dad:Let me know if you guys can make it.
“We said no phones,” William warned, confiscating my phone. We were catching up on the 7th season ofThe Office.William was obsessed, and I ended up loving it, too. The 8th season Blu-Ray was set to release within a month, and we wanted to be ready for it. Not that we wouldhave any time to watch it since he was leaving soon, but we liked to live in the moment and pretend we wouldn’t spend most of what was left of the year apart.
“I’m never on my phone!” I complained, trying to take my phone back with no luck. “But it wouldn’t stop buzzing. My dad loves to send multiple mini texts instead of writing everything down in a single go. I wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
William paused the episode but hauled me closer to him. We were a tangled mess in his bed and decided to stay in for the rest of the day. We had went out with Joel, Lily, Nina, Liam, Cecile, and Tobias the night before to a new exclusive club and stayed up later than we thought we would. Tobias and Cecile had been officially dating since December, and everything was going great between them. He was even going to ask her to move in with him very soon.
William was nursing a mild hangover. All he wanted was to binge-watchThe Officewhile I scratched his scalp, and in turn, he would cook us my favorite truffled mac and cheese for dinner.
“And?” he asked, moving to his side to look at me and supporting his head with his hand. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. He bought a table for a fundraising gala next Saturday, and he wanted to know if we would like to go with him,” I explained. “He says the organizer is a potential client, so I guess it’s important to him. But I know you leave on the 12th, and that’s probably not what you want to be doing on your last day in New York.”
“Mmm,” he said, nuzzling his head in the crook of my neck. “We could dress up and have some fun before I leave.”
“Fun?” I raised my brows in disbelief. “You act like you’ve never been to one of these things.”
“Oh, but I plan on having lots of fun afterward,” William ran a hand up my belly inside my oversized sweatshirt and didn’t stop until he found one of my breasts. He rubbed the alreadypebbled nipple between his fingers. “You know, once I get you tipsy with a few glasses of expensive champagne.”
I let out a breathy laugh. “You know champagne makes me horny.”
