Chapter Fourteen
Friday Evening, November 11
Dallas, TX
Ian
“ W e have a reservation for two under Brown,” I explain to the hostess of the Italian-themed restaurant.
Though it’s slightly out of my comfort zone with its elegant decor and strict dress code, the only thing that matters to me right now is having Kami by my side. Especially when trying to make up for the last time.
I pray for things to work in my favor tonight. As grateful as I am that Mom is okay, the last thing I need is another emergency that keeps me away from spending one-on-one time with Kami.
I think back to my conversation with my brother that night at the hospital.
After introducing Kami to Mom, and then being shooed out of the room, my brother and I stayed out in the hallway. With the door shut, we couldn’t hear anything that was being said. I debated with myself as we waited outside. Should I put my head up against the door and try to eavesdrop? What could they possibly be talking about? Were they getting along? I was sweating bullets as I thought of all the possibilities.
“You’re serious about this girl, huh?” Matt’s voice brought me back to reality.
I shook my head. “You have no idea.”
“I’m married. Of course I know what it feels like being in love. Constantly wondering what the other person is thinking and feeling. Impossible to not look over at them at any given moment.” He paused. “She was worried about you if that helps anything.”
Wait, did I hear that right? Had I been so in my head that I failed to see her watching me? “She was worried?”
He nodded. “When she and I were over at the vending machines. We were talking, but most of her focus was on you.”
I don’t want to give myself false hope, but could I be making more progress than I initially thought? “Do you think I have a chance with her?”
“I may be on the outside looking in, but I’m not blind. I see something between you two.”
He’d hit the nail on the head. “Yeah.”
I’d spent the next few minutes catching Matt up on where I was with Kami.
“Do you know why Kami is so cautious?” Matt asked.
“I wish I knew the whole story, but as far as I know, her caution doesn’t have anything to do with me personally. I’m hoping the more we get to know each other, the more she’ll open up.”
I want to be honest with how I feel about her when I feel it, but at the same time, I have to take into consideration telling her everything at once might overwhelm her, especially since she’s someone who isn’t that big on commitment. Another big question of why that remains unanswered.
“Will you be absolutely crushed if this relationship with her doesn’t work out?”
I hadn’t wanted to think about that happening. “I’d be devastated.”
“You think she’s the one?”
It may be too soon for me to say this, but I can’t deny the growing connection we have. “I know she is.”
My brother sighed. “I had a feeling you were going to say that. If I’m being honest, I think she likes you way more than she’s letting on. She just needs a little bit more time to come around.”
That was when I decided to ask her, as I drove her home, to have dinner with me the following Friday. She paused for a moment before agreeing with a smile. I laid awake in bed filled with excitement.
I look over at Kami in the dimly lit restaurant. Wearing her hair down, she has on a rose-gold necklace and matching earrings. The black dress covering her body is formfitting, hugging each and every curve and falling just past her knees. She completes the look with small black heels as glittery as the night sky. Every inch of her is breathtaking. Without so much as moving, she stuns and amazes me. As though I’m meeting her all over again.
After the hostess grabs two menus, she escorts us to a table covered with a white tablecloth, and a chair on each side. I can only hope Kami likes this.
I pull out the chair for her. She takes her seat, and I push it back in place.
My goal tonight isn’t just to show her a good time but also to gain her trust. No doubt she’ll test me. But that won’t change what I feel between us. Sure, I’m helping her trick her family into thinking we’re a couple, but that won’t change the fact that I intend to play for keeps.
I take the seat on the opposite side of her. “You look beautiful tonight.”
She looks down into her lap. A light blush creeps onto her cheeks. “Thank you, but you don’t have to do this.”
“Do what? Compliment you?”
“Any of this.” She gestures to the restaurant around us.
“Why not?” I challenge. “I’m with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, and I want to take her out to a nice dinner. I’m doing this because I want to, not that I feel obligated to.” No doubt she’s thinking it’s more the latter.
She looks at me, puzzled. “You…wanted to do this?”
“I do.”
She seems stunned by my statement at first, then forms a half smile. Kami doesn’t need to just be treated like a princess. She needs to be taken care of like a fucking queen.
“Why don’t we start over?” I take her hand in mine. Surprisingly, she doesn’t pull away from my grasp. Her hands are warm and soft. The electricity between us as alive as ever. “You look beautiful tonight, Kami.”
She starts to speak but stops herself as she stares at me with an oh-you’re-serious look.
I don’t expect her to completely believe me. Not yet. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
“Thank you,” she mutters.
I start making small talk. “Have you been here before? I heard a lot of great things about this place from Jonathan and thought we’d try it out together.”
She shakes her head. “No, but Kiera tells me they have great mushroom ravioli.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Do you like Italian?”
She shrugs. “I do get a craving for some spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread every once in a while. You?”
I chuckle. “I don’t have it all that often, but when I do, fettuccine alfredo is my number one comfort dish.”
She laughs. “You and my sister would be the best of pals, then. She loves fettuccine alfredo.”
“Really? Then I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I made her a bowl at some point when we get to Abilene.”
Right at that moment, a server walks over to us and takes our orders. Kami and I both agree on a white wine, and the waiter quickly walks away.
I switch the subject ever so subtly. “Are you and your sister close?”
Her smile somewhat falters. “Not as much as we used to be. When we got older, and especially after I moved to Dallas, we started doing our own thing and didn’t keep in touch as much.”
“How often do you check in with each other?”
“I call a few times a month, but usually the only time we talk is if there’s news in the family or an emergency.”
My mind goes back to the Halloween party. “Like when your sister called about her eloping.”
She nods. “An unexpected moment, for sure.”
“Agreed.”
“I swear, my mom and her just don’t think things through when it comes to relationships.” Kami pauses, as though debating whether to continue or stop, before shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I’m starting to rant.”
“No worries. Tell me how you feel.” I want her to understand that I’m a safe space for her to vent her frustrations.
She sighs. “It’s just that my mom and sister always have had their heads in the clouds. And because of that, it’s always been up to me to pick up the pieces when their fantasies come crashing down.”
“I’m sorry. That must be tough for you,” I sympathize.
“Let’s talk about something else. Do you have other siblings, or is it just Matt?” Her change of subject is sudden, but I immediately see this is something she’d rather not talk about. I get the vibe that this is a painful subject for her.
Definitely something to talk about at a later time.
“Nope, just Matt. My kid brother.”
“He’s your younger brother?”
“By a few years, yeah.”
“Must have been fun growing up together.”
“If you call getting on each other’s nerves ‘fun,’ then yeah. There wasn’t a day we went without trying to beat the crap out of each other just for kicks. The number of pranks we played on each other was endless.”
“I get that. My sister and I would fight over things as stupid as clothes. She’d always drive me crazy.”
A few minutes later, after Kami and I have swapped some sibling stories, the waiter comes back with two stem glasses and pours the white wine for both of us.
“Can I ask you a question?” She picks up her glass.
I nod. “Sure.”
“I know you were taking care of your mom, but you never thought to settle down?”
It’s not that I didn’t. “I wanted to. I planned to, but things changed, and the woman I was with couldn’t wait for me anymore.”
She nods in understanding. “Because you were the only one who could take care of your mom after your dad died.”
I nod.
“So…no one has caught your eye since?”
“Until recently.” I wink.
She hesitates. “Do you think life would have been different if your dad was still here?”
I realize how sobering this conversation is getting. Sure, I’d be a different person and no doubt already be married. But that doesn’t bring him back. Doesn’t change the reality I live in now. “Maybe, but I try not to dwell on that. It’s the past.”
“I’m sorry.”
I shake my head. “Don’t be.”
“I am. I’m asking you some pretty intense questions. I don’t mean to. I’m just—”
“Curious?” I finish her sentence. It’s healthy to be curious. I asked about her mom and sister, so it’s only fair. “I understand. I admit our conversation is a bit morbid, but I like this.” I gesture to the table and the restaurant around us. “I like spending time with you.”
“But why me? Why are you choosing me?”
I cock my head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“Why do you think you want me?”
It’s not about what I think.
I don’t know how else I can say how I feel, but I’m going to keep saying it however many times it takes for her to realize I’m here to stay. “It’s not just a choice for me if that’s what you’re thinking. I can’t explain it other than to say that, with you, everything feels right.”
Before I met Kami, I never understood why Matt, after only meeting his wife once, had said she was the one. But now that Kami has entered, voluntarily or not, into my life, I finally understand that feeling. It’s something inexplicable. I can say it’s almost like a very powerful gut feeling. She’s the one. I don’t know how I know; I just do.
“So you’re pursuing me based on a…feeling? You do realize we haven’t spent much time together, right? Not enough for you to know who I am as a person.”
“That may be true, but what I know about you so far intrigues me.”
“I may seem intriguing to you, but what else?”
“I don’t know many women who have the same attitude and mindset as you do. Why do you think I chased after you that morning in the hotel? What other reason would I have for posing as your boyfriend? Believe me when I say I want you, I mean every part of you, inside and out. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I want it all.”
There’s a short moment of silence between us as Kami seems to be thinking about what to say next.
“Thanks for letting me meet your mom. She’s a very sweet woman.”
“I’m sure she shared with you all the embarrassing things about me,” I joke. I want to delve deeper, but not now.
“Don’t worry…all the bad things.” She smirks.
“Good to hear.”
She gives a wholehearted laugh. “All jokes aside, we had a good conversation. Very…woman to woman.” Her brief summary is understandable but has me even more curious to know what was said.
“Growing up, my mom has always had good advice.” Which reminds me. “By the way, I want to apologize for the way I drove to the hospital. I put your life at risk, and that’s not okay.”
“I appreciate you apologizing. And I understand why now.”
“But still, it’s unacceptable. I’m normally not like that, I just…”
“You care deeply for your family. I can see that. I admire your devotion,” Kami interjects.
I smile with a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”