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She whistled. “Whew. You’re brave. Is that her oldest brother?”
I nodded. “The one who manages the pizzeria.”
She tipped her head to the side. “Does Gia know?”
“She does now. Evie said something in front of her and the family.”
Aria took a gulp of her mixed drink. “Yikes. I bet that was awkward.”
“It was, and I don’t know how his parents feel—other than Leo saying they don’t want him to date someone like me.”
Aria frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?Someone like you.”
“I’m not Italian or Catholic. I don’t come from a good family.” It hurt even more saying it out loud. None of it should matter, but it did.
“Finn’s parents had been divorced so many times they didn’t have any opinion on our relationship. I was concerned about my job because there was that no-fraternization policy, and I worried I’d lose my friendship with Ireland. We were roommates at that point.”
“I remember.”
“Ireland was mad that I thought I wasn’t good enough for Finn.” Aria played with the straw in her drink.
“I didn’t know you felt that way,” I said, surprised she’d felt the same.
Aria nodded. “Oh yeah. I grew up in a trailer park, and Finn had a trust fund. We were from two different worlds.”
“How did you get past that?” My heart rate picked up slightly.
“I had to realize that Iamgood enough. I'm more than enough, just as I am. I didn’t need a college degree or a certain income to feel good about myself. That changed everything.”
“I feel like a charity case. I live in the Giovannis’ apartment over the pizzeria. I worked at the restaurant, and then Gia gave me a job.”
“You know you more than deserve that job. You’re invaluable around there.”
I smiled. “I’m starting to get that.”
“Gia may have hired you initially because you were friends, but you’re great at your job. We couldn’t do it without you. There are a lot of moving parts, and you keep everything and everyone moving smoothly.”
“It was hard to see at first.”
“That’s because you revert to your old way of thinking—that you’re not good enough. That you never will be. But you have to tap into who you are now, and you’re a badass.”
I laughed with her. “You think?”
“Oh yeah. You’re raising Evie on your own and doing an amazing job at Happily Ever Afters. You’re doing it. It’s not because of handouts or friendships. You’re not a charity case. You’ve worked hard for everything you have.”
A sense of pride flowed through me. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
Aria tapped her finger on her chin. “Ireland said something else to me. You can only love someone else once you learn to love and appreciate yourself.”
It had taken some time, but I was starting to see what everyone else did. I was successful in my own right, and people needed me. People weren’t handing me things. I was doing it on my own.
“Where do you and Leo stand now?”
I sipped my drink. “We are going to talk tomorrow. I’m not sure what he’s going to say.”
“You go in there with your head held high, and you tell him how you feel. If he doesn’t feel the same way, then walk away. You’re stronger than that,” Aria said confidently.
“I don’t need him, but I want him. I love him.” So much it physically hurt to be in this state of not knowing how he felt and where he stood.
