37. The Perfect Valentine
Chapter 37
The Perfect Valentine
Lila
I wipe my sweaty palms on my thighs, trailing behind Sue as Greg leads us both back into the hall. My eyes skim around the room, connecting with several familiar faces—my sister and her husband, friends, colleagues, Katie. I flash them the widest smiles I can muster, throwing in a cheerful wave here and there, but it all feels like a performance. My heart’s not in it.
Instinctively, I find myself searching for a particular pair of stormy gray eyes. I shouldn’t care where he is, but a small, stubborn part of me refuses to let it go. It’s ridiculous. I shouldn’t need to see him. Yet here I am, scanning the crowd, searching for him like a moth for a flame. Greg said he is here, but I haven’t caught a glimpse of him yet.
I tell myself it’s fine, that I don’t need to speak to him. I wouldn’t even know what to say if I did, yet something in me still yearns for that fleeting connection, even from a distance.
After all, I’ve spent the last eight years doing just that—watching him from afar, quietly longing for something I knew I could never have.
Get it together, Lila.
I straighten my shoulders, forcing my hands to stop their nervous fidgeting.
If he doesn’t want to see me, fine. That’s his choice. Tonight is a culmination of the endless hours I poured into this event. Sure, he helped, but I’m the one who brought it all to life. I should be proud of what I’ve accomplished instead of obsessing over whether he’s hiding in some dark corner of the room.
I glance around again, this time taking it all in with new eyes. Everything came together better than I could have ever imagined, and band was the icing on the cake. I smile thinking about all the excited chatter once everyone found out who the musical guests were. The dancefloor has been on fire from the beginning.
The bar is most certainly a hit, buzzing with life as people laugh, toast, and sip on my signature cocktail. Too bad I can’t have any of it , I think wryly. The irony of creating the night’s star drink only to be unable to enjoy it isn’t lost on me.
My throat is already dry from all the small talk, and water isn’t cutting it anymore.
“Excuse me, what non-alcoholic options do you have?” I ask the bartender, trying not to sound as desperate as I feel. I vaguely remember arranging for sparkling water as the backup, assuming everyone would be indulging in cocktails. The thought of not having any other options for the rest of the night makes me groan inwardly.
The bartender glances up, his face lighting with a smile. “We’ve got some fruit juice and a few soda options. What can I get you?”
I blink. “Wait…really?” I pause, confusion and disbelief tangling in my voice. “How—never mind. I’m not even going to question it. Can I get a ginger ale, please?” I say a little too excitedly. The thought of the sweet, fizzy drink quenching my thirst makes my mouth water.
“You got it,” he says with a wink.
A moment later, he slides a chilled can across the counter, and I all but snatch it up. The cold metal feels like salvation in my hands. “Thank you,” I say, beaming as I crack it open. The first sip is heaven—a crisp burst of spicy ginger that soothes my parched throat and settles my stomach, if only for a little while.
With the soda in hand, I turn back to the glittering room.
“There’s something I have to show you, baby. Will you take a little drive with me?” Greg says to Sue not too far away from me. I grin, resisting the urge to clap my hands together in excitement.
It’s finally time! God, I’m so happy for Sue.
Sue crosses her arms, arching a brow at him. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to just leave the party—”
“We’ll be back soon, and I promise, it’ll be worth it,” Greg interrupts, his tone pleading. Sue stays silent for a moment, looking at me as contemplates it.
“Fine,” she finally relents. “But not before I take a spin around the dancefloor with my best friend,” she adds, a mischievous smirk spreading across her face.
“Oh, no. No, no, no.” I wave my hands in front of me, shaking my head adamantly. “You should definitely go with Greg. Like right now. You know I’m a terrible dancer, Sue. Please don’t put me through this again,” I beg her.
Sue laughs, stepping closer. “We do this every year, and every year, you act like you have a choice.” She grabs my hand, giving me no room to argue. “Come on, they’re playing our song.”
“It’s not our song,” I grumble, even as she starts pulling me toward the dance floor. “It’s the song you force me to dance to every year!”
“Exactly. One would think you’d be used to it by now,” she chuckles, swaying softly to the music. I chuckle, mimicking her moves because I have none of my own.
“There you go! That’s my girl,” she cheers, twirling me around while we continue to dance. Soon enough, we’re nothing but a giggly mess on the dancefloor, doing cringe-worthy moves and giggling each time either one of us misses a step. The whole thing is ridiculous, but it’s tradition, and for a moment, I forget everything else. It’s just us, two best friends making fools of ourselves on the dancefloor.
“Okay,” Sue says, catching her breath. “Remember that killer move we did last year? The one where you went down, I went up, and then we—”
She cuts off mid-sentence, her words evaporating as a low, velvety voice clears its throat beside us. The sound cuts through the music, the laughter, everything.
My heart instantly skips a beat, and I stop moving altogether.
Slowly, I lift my gaze, my pulse quickening as my eyes lock with Cole’s.
“Ladies,” Cole says. His voice is smooth but carrying a note that makes my chest tighten.
“I was hoping I could steal one dance with Lila, if you don’t mind, Sue,” he adds, his gaze flicking between us. He seems uncharacteristically unsure. It’s almost as if he’s…nervous.
Sue folds her arms tightly, her expression hardening. “I don’t think that’s a good idea—”
“Sue, it’s okay,” I interject softly before she can say any more. My voice is calm, though my pulse races beneath the surface. I don’t know what he wants with me, but I really don’t want to make a scene. We’re right in the middle of the dancefloor. Everyone can see us, and I’d rather they didn’t overhear a conversation like this one.
I force a smile, hoping it looks more convincing than it feels. “Really. It’s okay.”
Sue narrows her eyes at him, her protective streak flaring. “Fine,” she relents, her tone clipped, “but I’m going to be right over there, keeping an eye on you two.” She shoots Cole a glare sharp enough to draw blood, then walks away, her back stiff with irritation. My heart softens, a small smile rising to my face at her mama bear tendencies.
Cole steps closer, taking my hand in his. His other hand settles gently on the small of my back, the warmth of his touch pulsing even through the fabric of my dress. My arms move instinctively, sliding around his shoulders as though they belong there, though every nerve in my body is screaming to pull away.
Or pull closer. I’m not sure which.
His scent wraps around me—clean, woody, and maddeningly seductive. I fight the urge to close my eyes, to let myself sink into the comfort of it, but the distance between us feels too vast to ignore.
We’re so close, yet I’ve never felt further away from him.
“Lila—” Cole starts, his voice low and rough, but I cut him off before he can say more.
“Can we not do this, Cole?” My voice is barely above a whisper, trembling with exhaustion. “You wanted one dance, and we’re doing it. Please, just—” I swallow hard, my gaze pleading with him. “You said everything you needed to say the last time. Let’s leave it at that.”
His hand tightens slightly on my back, the smallest gesture, but it anchors me in place. “One again I’ve been the biggest asshole, Lila,” he says the words slowly, like he’s forcing them out before he loses the nerve. “You’ve always deserved so much better than me. Even now, I know I don’t deserve you. But I want you—no, I need you. You and this baby.” he whispers, still swaying me softly to the music like he didn’t just spin my entire world off its axis with those few words.
The air seems to evaporate from my lungs as my heart hammers against my chest. I stare up at him, my eyes wide, searching his face for any hint that I may have misheard him. But there’s no trace of the guarded man I’ve known for years. Instead, his stormy eyes burn with a raw, unrelenting need.
Could this really be happening?
“I am so sorry for the way I’ve treated you, Lila,” he continues, his voice breaking with emotion. “I know you have no reason to forgive me, but I’m asking you to anyway. No, I’m begging you.” His voice sounds raspy with emotion. “I need you to forgive me because these past weeks without you have made me realize one thing. I can’t live the rest of my life without you. You’ve crawled into every pore, every molecule of me, and I can’t think, I can’t function, I don’t exist when you’re not with me.”
My chest tightens, tears pricking the corners of my eyes as he goes on, his voice shaking with a vulnerability I’ve never heard from him before.
“I was so angry at you,” he admits, his voice dropping to a rasp. “I thought you lied to me, tried to trap me, but even then— even then —my heart still yearned for you. Do you know what that’s like? To try to hate someone only to fall deeper in love with them?” His voice cracks, and for the briefest moment, he looks away, as if the weight of his words is too much.
I freeze, unable to move or breathe, terrified that if I do, I’ll shatter this fragile moment forever. The tears I’d been holding back spill over, blurring my vision, but I can still see the intensity in his eyes.
Yes, I know exactly what that feels like. It’s how I’ve felt about him all these years.
“I haven’t said these words to any woman in almost a decade,” he says, his voice soft now, almost breaking. “I know I’ve done nothing to earn your trust, but please, Lila, believe me when I say this.” He pauses, his jaw tightening as he swallows hard. “I love you. So much. More than I’ve ever loved anything or anyone, and I will spend the rest of my life proving it to you if you let me.”
It’s only now that I notice that the music has come to an end, everyone retreating back to their seats. Cole and I are the only two left standing right there in the center of the dancefloor. Every pair of eyes in the room is trained on us, yet I can only focus on the stormy ones in front of me.
I stumble back, taking my hands off his shoulders.
“I—I can’t do this. Whatever this is, I can’t do it, Cole,” I stutter, backing away from him slowly.
“Please Lila, I—”
“Please what, Cole? There was a time I needed desperately for you to believe me, for you to trust me, and to know that I would never lie to you. But you didn’t. You didn’t trust me. You said—God!” I stop myself, dragging a hand through my hair. My breath comes in shallow bursts, the emotions clawing at my throat. “I can’t do this here,” I mutter, turning away from him. But he’s faster than me, reaching forward and grabbing my trembling hand in his.
“Please, Lila. I know I screwed up.”
“Cole, there are dozens of people staring at us right now.”
“Good. Let them all see how desperate I am for your forgiveness.”
My heart wavers, the raw intensity of his words holding me in place as he continues, his voice thick with emotion. “I was scared, Lila, because right from the very beginning, I knew that you had the power to hurt me far more than any pain I’ve ever known. Because what I feel for you, what I’ve always felt for you…is scary. I should have trusted you, Lila, but I couldn’t, because I didn’t trust myself.”
His voice is little more than a whisper. “I was so foolish. I let my past ruin my present and my future. I let fear blind me, and I hurt the one person who never deserved it. But I want it back, Lila—I want you back—and I’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen.”
Tears blur my vision, but I force myself to meet his eyes. “And how do I know this is real, Cole? How do I know it’s me you care about? That this isn’t just because of our—” I stop abruptly, my words faltering as I glance at the crowd. I can’t bring myself to reveal my pregnancy like this—not here, not now.
Cole steps closer, his grip on my hand firm but gentle. “Lila,” he says, his tone steady but imploring, “if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll see it’s been there all along. It’s always been there, staring you in the face.”
I blink up at him, my breath caught in my throat, as he continues. “I never tried to hide how I felt about you. Not really. Anyone with eyes could see it. I might have buried it beneath snarky comments, but it was always there. You were always there, in my mind, in my heart. Why do you think I agreed to work with you on this event in the first place?”
“Because Sue asked you to,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
“No,” Cole replies, shaking his head slowly. “Because Sue asked me to work with you .”
The breath rushes out of me in shallow, nervous bursts. My chest tightens as I glance around the room. The hall is so quiet that if a pin dropped, you would hear it bounce off the marble floors. Every eye in the room is on us, every face fixed with rapt attention, waiting to see what will happen next.
“I love you, Lila Smith,” Cole says, his voice steady despite the emotion rippling beneath it. “I’ve loved you for a very long time. I’d shout it from the rooftops, say it in front of a thousand people—hell, I’d say it to the entire world—if that’s what it takes for you to believe me. I’ll wait however long it takes for you. Just tell me it’s possible. Please tell me you—”
He never gets to finish that sentence, because right there and then I launch myself into his arms. He catches me effortlessly, lifting my body in the air and wrapping his arms tightly around me. I bury my face in the crook of his neck, the tears streaming down my face, except this time they’re tears of joy.
Cole holds me like he never wants to let go, and for the first time in a long time, I feel...safe.
When he finally sets me back on the ground, his hands remain firmly on my waist, steadying me as I pull back to look at him. His stormy gray eyes shimmer with emotion, and if I didn’t know better, I’d swear they were glassy with tears.
“That hug doesn’t mean I completely forgive you,” I say, my lips quirking into a teary smile. “You’re going to have to work a little harder for that,” I tease.
He exhales on a laugh, his lips curving into the softest smile I’ve ever seen. “I’ll work harder than any man has ever had to. I’d do anything for you, Lila,” he promises, his voice so sincere it makes my heart flutter.
He stretches his arms out again and without a second thought, I step forward, closing the gap between us. His strong arms wrap around me, and I rest my head against his chest as he holds me like I’m the most precious thing in the world.
For the first time in a long, long time, I feel complete.
I’ve found the love of my life, and we’re about to have a baby together. What more could I possibly ask for?
“I love you, Lila Smith,” he whispers, planting a kiss on the top of my head.
“I love you too, Cole Matthews.”
A thunderous wave of applause suddenly erupts through the hall, startling me. My hands fly to my cheeks, heat rushing to them as I gasp. For a blissful moment, I’d completely forgotten we were still in the middle of the room, surrounded by dozens of people who had just witnessed the entire exchange.
“That’s what I’m talking about! Nothing like the perfect happy ending to a love story to wrap up this year’s Valentine’s!” Sue screams excitedly from the crowd as she and Jo high five each other, whispering.
I narrow my eyes at them. If I didn't know any better…
I forget the suspicious thought and smile as Greg whispers something into Sue’s ear and gently tugs her away.
Now it’s her turn for another happy ending.
My heart swells, thinking about the moment earlier when I confessed to Greg the fears Sue had been carrying, how she’d been convinced he was cheating. Instead of being angry that she doubted him, he was only worried about the pain she’d been in. His reaction had been nothing short of beautiful.
Of course, I didn’t tell him about the baby. That wasn’t my place. Sue would share that news herself, and when she did, I know Greg’s joy would light up the room. They both had incredible surprises waiting for them.
“Wanna get out of here?” Cole asks, smiling at me.
“Yes, please,” I whisper excitedly
As we make our way toward the exit, I glance up at him, a mischievous smile tugging at my lips. “Oh, by the way,” I say sweetly, “there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”
He stops, turning to face me fully, his hands clasping mine. “What is it?”
“About the whole baby thing?” I pause, savoring the moment. “It’s actually babies .”
His eyes widen comically, growing to the size of saucers as the words sink in.
I laugh, the sound light and full of joy, as his stunned expression quickly shifts into something radiant—a mix of awe, disbelief, and uncontainable happiness.
I’ve finally found my perfect Valentine.