Page 28 of Picture Perfect Love

“Worked a killer busy catering gig for breakfast at the country club, rushed off to my afternoon classes with studying in between,” she replied. “My feet are killing me and I’m exhausted.”

“Nothing a little wine and a nice meal won’t fix,” I proposed.

“And a few more dozen kisses from you,” she laughed, nuzzling into my neck.

“There will be plenty of time for that in the car on the way.”

I held true to my promise and stayed glued to her lips and tongue in the backseat until the car pulled up outside of Le Supper Club, an upscale french spot that Abby had been dying to go to. Reservations were hard to come by on such short notice, but thankfully they were big fans of our company there. I relished in the way her face lit up at the sight of the sign and awning at the front of the building.

“Oh, Joshua. You spoil me.”

“You deserve every bit of it and then some.” I held my thought while the maître d’ showed us to our table, but the moment we were seated I added, “Speaking of which, have you given any more thought to my offer?”

“Which one?”

“Moving in with me and quitting your job,” I told her.

She laughed and shook her head. “You’re relentless. I told you it’s too soon.”

“That was months ago,” I argued. “And I’ve been so well behaved.”

“Anyone can behave for three months. It’s going to take more than that to convince me.”

“Oh,” I raised my brows. “Something like this, maybe… could do the trick.”

I pulled a wrapped box from my coat pocket and slid it across the table. She flashed her eyes over me with a smile before picking it up. I lived for the way her blue eyes met mine every few seconds as she pulled at the ribbon and lifted off the lid.

“Joshua,” she gasped as she lifted out its contents. A gold band with a new fitbit watch and a small matching gold charm necklace featuring the scales of justice.

“For your morning runs,” I explained. “And a little token of luck for all your schoolwork and promising career ahead.”

“You’re full of surprises,” she grinned as I stood from my chair and circled behind her to clasp the charm around her neck.

I trailed my fingers up and down her neck just before she loosened her grip on her dark brown hair, letting it fall back down to her shoulders. I studied the necklace resting on her chest, just above the pronounced cleavage I couldn’t wait to dive into later.

“Whatever it takes to convince you, however long it takes,” I said. “I’ll do it. I’ve never met anyone like you, Abby. And I can’t imagine ever wanting anyone else.”

“I never imagined this happening between us,” she warned. “But it happened. You could just as easily find yourself getting wrapped up in another woman someday. Which is why it’s important for us to take things slow, to be realistic and make sure we’re certain about whatever this is with you and me.”

“I’m being realistic,” I defended. “And I’m more certain about you than I’ve ever been about anything in my life. But like I said, I’ll give you as much time as you need to see that I’m right.”

Her expression softened into a warm giddiness. I loved it when she looked that way. Because no matter what doubts she expressed out loud, I knew she was feeling the same way I was. She was beautiful in a way that made me want to call her my wife one day, but also sexy in a way that had me itching to coax her into the bathroom for a random sinful rendezvous. I was close to proposing that very thing when the band started playing a slow string melody, soft and sweet, which gave me another idea.

I stood from my seat again and held out my hand. “Dance with me.”

“Here? No one else is dancing.”

“They don’t have a reason to, but we do.” I pulled her up from her chair, tugging her body against my chest as we settled into swaying circles on our feet next to the table.

“What’s our reason?” she asked, resting her cheek on my shoulder.

“We found each other. In this big world and busy city full of so many people… We managed to find each other. It was fate.”

“I want to believe you,” she admitted. “I’m afraid to fall, Joshua. I’m not as bold as you. This kind of thing doesn’t come easily to me.”

“You don’t have to be afraid. We’ll catch each other. But you take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I hope you’re right,” she murmured, clinging to me tightly.

We danced like we were the only two people in the world until the waiter appeared at our table again. He stood there for a moment, but we didn’t see him until he awkwardly cleared his throat to get our attention. We laughed and sat back down, letting him serve us. I didn’t care. If anyone had a problem with how we were acting, it was because they were jealous.

I was finally starting to understand what people felt when they found the love of their life, and I wasn’t going to apologize for it.

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