AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Devil: You and me. dinner. tonight. I need some quality time with you.
I love that he still has the same phone number, even after all these years. His is the only phone number I know by heart. His, and my own.
Emilia: What about Dad? We always have dinner with him.
Devil: Enzo will look after him. Don’t you worry. That’s what we have so much staff for, after all.
Emilia: I know that… I meant, what will we tell him?
Devil: Tell him I’m taking you out for dinner. How about 7?
I roll my eyes and sigh.
Emilia: I’ll tell him we have a meeting or something.
Carter doesn’t reply for a minute, and I’m suddenly worried that he doesn’t like me not being honest about us to dad, but how could we? We both know this is temporary.
Devil: See you tonight, baby. Shall I pick you up at home or do you want to drive down to the tapas place?
I smile to myself, my heart fluttering. When is the last time I was this excited to go on a date? I can’t even remember.
Emilia: I’ll drive down. See you later x
I look up to find Dad looking at me, a smile on his face. “Another meme?” he asks, and I nod awkwardly.
I glance at the clock and bite down on my lip. Dinner is in two hours or so, and I still need to get ready. Dad and I have gotten into a routine of sorts. He’ll sit with me as I work during the day, taking breaks to do his personal training and whatever other errands he decides to do that day. We make sure to have lunch together, and then I sit with him and work on my laptop as he undergoes his dialysis. After that we wait for Carter to come home so we can have dinner together. We rarely deviate from our schedule, so I wonder what he’ll think of having dinner by himself for once.
“Um, I just got an email about a meeting I have to attend later,” I say awkwardly, avoiding his inquisitive gaze.
Dad is quiet for a while, and then he smiles. “I see. Well, you can’t go in that, can you?” he says, pointing at the pajamas I’m wearing. Since I work from home, I spend most of my days wearing one of Carter’s t-shirts with a pair of leggings. I glance down at my outfit and blush. “Um, yes, I’d better get ready,” I murmur, my heart racing. I’m certain Dad can see straight through me, but I’m glad he isn’t calling me on it.
I’m nervous as I get ready, wanting to impress Carter, but not wanting to overdo it either. I end up deciding on a tight black dress that looks great without making me look overdressed. I pair it with heels I know Carter will love and put on some red lipstick. I twirl around in front of the mirror, my heart racing. I wonder what he’ll think when he sees me.
I walk down the stairs, and Dad smiles at me when he sees me. “You look beautiful, Princess,” he tells me.
I blush and kiss his cheek. “Love you, Dad,” I murmur, and he smiles, looking just a touch emotional. He waves me off and I glance back at him as I walk out the door.
I’m ridiculously nervous as I drive to the tapas place. It’s been years since Carter and I went on a date, and I have no idea what it might be like.
He’s leaning against his car when I arrive, his face tipped up at the sky, and I pause by my car as I take him in. This man owns my entire heart. Just looking at him makes me feel so intensely happy. Words can’t even explain how he makes me feel, how he’s always made me feel.
Carter turns to look at me, as though he could feel my gaze on his skin, and his eyes widen. I grin as he checks me out, and my hips sway just a little more as I walk up to him. He meets me halfway and buries his hand in my hair, pulling me close impatiently. His lips come crashing down on mine hungrily, and I lose myself in him. I don’t pull away until I hear someone whistle near us, and Carter drops his forehead to mine.
“You look far too beautiful tonight, Emilia,” he whispers. “I’m so tempted to skip dinner and go straight for dessert,” he says as his lips trail down my neck. I giggle and take a step away, my hand entwining with his.
“Later,” I promise him. There’s no way I’ll be able to stay away either, not when he looks this hot. My eyes roam over the suit he’s wearing, and Carter grins smugly when he catches me ogling him.
He tightens his grip on my hand and raises our joined hands to his lips. He kisses the back of my hand gently before leading me to the tapas place that’s been here for pretty much ever.
Mrs. Henderson, the owner, lights up when she sees us walk in together. She raises her hand to her heart and smiles widely. “My goodness, Emilia Parker and Carter Clarke,” she murmurs. She opens her arms, and I hug her tightly. I spent some summers working here for her, and Carter would always come in to annoy me. Even then, Mrs. Henderson was convinced that he liked me, and she’d tease me about it endlessly. She hugs me back and pulls away to look at me, her eyes moving between Carter and me. “You’re finally back, sweetheart,” she says, and I nod. It’s little things like these that make me feel so at home here, in a way I never did in London. It isn’t just the memories either. Mrs. Henderson looks up at Carter, and she smiles so motherly, so adoringly, that my heart fills with tenderness. She’s giddy as she leads us to a table. Rather than asking us for our order, she insists on surprising us, and Carter winks at me as she walks away.
“I didn’t think it’d be possible, but she’s more excited to see you than I am,” he says, laughing. He grabs my hand and lifts it to his lips, and my heart skips a beat.
“Do you know what this reminds me of a little?” I ask, a thousand memories with Carter flitting through my mind.
He grins and presses another kiss to my hand. “La Familia,” he murmurs, and I look up at him in surprise. How does he always know what I’m thinking?
“Yes, La Familia,” I murmur, thinking back to the restaurant we used to frequent back in college. “I’d love to go back there one day, you know? I wonder if Lita will even remember us.”
