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I go, heading down the steps and then slipping into the waiting Lyft. Gage ordered one for me so I’m not even sure where we’re going, but I am sure I’ll like the destination.
With him.
After I say hello to the driver, I open my phone. I send a text to Juliet as the red Prius peels away from the curb and into the evening traffic.
Elodie: I’m off to my date.
Juliet: Every date is a new chance for love, but especially this one.
She said something similar before my first date with him. At the time I replied, what would I even do with love? Now, I know what to do with it.
Keep it.
Elodie: I hope so.
41
THE MOST ROMANTIC
Gage
Powered by fast legs and determination, I walk to our date, doing what I often do along the way—think about the future.
But this time it’s different.
I’m not obsessing about security. I’m hoping for something else entirely. Nearly an hour post-meeting with Celeste, and I’m not at all shell-shocked anymore. Not one bit. Everything is clear.
Sometimes you don’t get what you want. Or, really, what you thought you wanted. But I don’t want that second location anymore. I don’t think I have for a while. I’m not even sure I realized that until Celeste said no.
But when she did, a light flickered on. I hadn’t given the location much thought recently. I hadn’t invested energy in it. I’d lost interest in it because I want other things now.
As I pass the courtyard at The Escape, I glance at the fountain in the cobblestone courtyard, then beyond to where Elodie and I had our first kiss, a kiss that changed who I thought I was—a guy who believed things didn’t work out. That’s not me anymore. Thanks to her.
I turn the corner. The Lyft app tells me that she’s now in the car. She’ll be here in ten minutes. I’m almost at the restaurant where we had our first date nearly two months ago. Where I hope we can recreate it tonight.
I reach the Mediterranean-fusion café, then pace in front of the restaurant till the Lyft arrives and the woman of my dreams steps out.
My heart stutters. My breath catches. I’ve won the lottery for all time.
This is what I want.
Her. Us. Our future together as a family.
I head over to her, take her hand, and then drink her in. With her hair curled at the ends, her shoes clicking, and a little faux fur jacket over her shoulders, she is a vision in retro pin-up.
She’s always been beautiful. Her face captivated me the night I met her. But as I’ve come to know her, I’ve learned her heart is her most beautiful feature.
I’m about to tell her I can’t breathe without her but she speaks first.
“Tell me everything,” she says eagerly with avid eyes, squeezing my hand. “How did it go? Did Celeste love your suggestions? Did she say yes?”
“Nope.”
Elodie blinks, irked for me. “What? How could she say no?”
I wave a dismissive hand, not for Elodie, but for the location I no longer want. “She said Special Edition was worlds better,” I explain quickly. “And it’s all good.”
There is no more waiting. There is only now.
