65. Lucia
sixty-five
Lucia
“Are you ready for this?” Ari asks after handing his keys to the valet driver.
We said we would announce our relationship at the Stars charity dinner, so we’re about to become a very popular topic of discussion. Ari’s playboy past is extremely well-known, so his showing up with an actual girlfriend is going to turn some heads.
I take hold of his hand as we start to walk inside. “More than ready.”
He kisses my cheek as we wait for an elevator car to take us up to the rooftop terrace, and we run into Cole and Rory while we wait.
“Hey!” Rory says happily. “You look fucking hot, Luc!”
My gown tonight is black and glittery with a sweetheart neckline, off-shoulder sleeves, and a high thigh slit. Ari’s eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw me earlier.
“You hitting on my girl, Rory?” Ari teases.
“You’re gonna have to get used to people hitting on her if she keeps looking like that, Morgan,” she laughs.
“You’re one to talk,” I say back. “Look at you tonight!”
Rory’s red dress is silk and hugs her curvy frame. The frame that Cole finally helped her embrace.
“She’s stunning,” Cole says, smiling down at his wife.
The elevator finally arrives, and the four of us step on and ride up to the roof. When it stops, Cole wraps his arm around Rory, and they step off ahead of us.
Ari takes my hand and squeezes. “Let’s do this, Spitfire.”
I smile at him brightly as we walk off the elevator hand in hand. We spot the rest of our friends over near the bar thanks to Liv’s bright metallic gold strapless dress. I’m not sure we could miss it.
“New York’s newest couple has finally arrived,” Lane chuckles, arm wrapped around Liv’s shoulders.
“This is the cutest thing ever,” Harlow sighs, the shimmery tulle of her light blue strapless dress catching off the string lights overhead.
“You think everything is cute, Lo,” Ella laughs. She rests her hands on her baby bump, surrounded by light pink fabric.
“Pink?” I eye her curiously. “You just had your anatomy scan. You trying to tell us something?”
Ella waves her hand at me dismissively, but Josh replies. “Baby is very healthy and active, but we didn’t find out the sex. We’re going to wait until they’re born.”
“You’re halfway through now, aren’t you?” Ari asks.
“Yes,” Ella smiles. “Halfway to meeting our little bean.”
Cole smirks over at his brother-in-law. “Any luck talking my sister into having kids soon, Fort?”
Knox tips his head back and laughs. “Working on it.”
“I’m still surprised by how much you want kids right now, Knox,” Lo says, shaking her head.
Our entire friend group is thinking about families.
Knox and Lo are deciding on when to try, but they clearly both want it.
Cole and Rory are trying soon.
Josh and Ella are halfway through their pregnancy.
Lane and Olive have Sage, which is everything they want and need.
Ari and me? Well, we’re still trying. I got my period last week, so I’m not pregnant yet, but we’ve barely even started. I know we’ll be joining our friends sometime in the not-so-distant future.
“Would you like a drink, love?” Ari whispers in my ear, and I can’t help but smile every time he calls me that.
“A drink would be perfect. You know my favorite.”
He gives me a quick kiss before walking off to the bar with the rest of the guys, leaving me with just the girls.
Well, I thought it was just the girls.
“Are you dating Ari Morgan?!” a voice exclaims from behind me, and I turn around to find Nathan and Greg staring at me, mouths agape.
I lightly laugh. “Yes, I’m dating Ari.”
“I didn’t think he dated anyone,” Greg says, apparently baffled by what he saw.
“Sometimes you just need to find the right person to change your mind,” I reply, glancing over at my boyfriend at the bar and smiling.
“I didn’t realize dating was allowed,” Nathan adds.
“The Stars don’t have anything in place that says we can’t,” I shrug. “And I keep professional in my job, so he doesn’t get any special treatment. If anything, I’m harder on him than I am anyone else.”
Dr. Coltrain gets their attention now, so they say goodbye to me and head off to meet him. I turn back around and find my boyfriend coming back with my drink.
I take my vodka soda with lime from him and take a sip. “Thank you, baby.”
“Time to mingle, sweetheart.” He holds his arm out. “I’d like some arm candy while we have to suck up to the donors.”
I smile and link my arm with his, and we walk off to the floor.
“I think this has been a successful night so far,” I say, leaning with my back against one of the terrace columns.
“I’ve gotten to introduce you as ‘Lucia Torres, my girlfriend’ all night, so I’d say it’s been perfect.”
Ari smiles at me, and I kiss it off his face.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
We turn and see Paul walking over to us and chuckling.
“Hey, Skip,” Ari says.
“Good to see you, Paul.”
He shakes his head in disbelief. “When did this”— He gestures his arms between Ari and me. —“happen? Last I heard, you two didn’t even like each other.”
“We didn’t,” I admit. “But when I needed a place to live, Ari was kind enough to let me move in with him. From there, we became friends.”
Paul cocks his eyebrow. “Friends?”
Ari laughs. “And friends turned into something more. Lucia is my girlfriend now.”
“I should’ve known something was going on with you, Morgan, because we haven’t had to keep pictures out of the press this season.”
He sighs. “You won’t have to worry about that again. That isn’t me anymore.”
“Happy to hear it,” Paul smiles. “I always had a feeling you two would be together.”
“You, your daughter, her husband, and literally every other single one of our friends,” I laugh. “Apparently, we were the only two that couldn’t see it.”
“Keep him working hard, Luc.” He points at Ari now. “Your boyfriend has the Home Run Derby in a couple of weeks.”
Yes, Ari was selected for it, and I couldn’t be prouder of him. Cole will join him for that, and Knox, Lane, and Josh will be out there for the All-Star Game.
“She works me harder than anyone, Skip.” Ari’s tone is playful, but Paul doesn’t pick up on his insinuation of me working him hard.
Two can play at that game.
“Somebody has to stay on you to make sure you’re doing the right things.” I bat my eyelashes at him, and his lips turn up in a smirk.
A pretty brunette woman—middle-aged, it looks—walks up beside Paul now. “There you are.”
He turns to face her and lights up. “Ah! Ari and Lucia, I’d like you to meet Marlene, the new head of Stars Charity.”
“It’s lovely to meet you both,” she smiles before turning back to Paul. “If you have a few minutes, I’d like to run something by you.”
“I’ll always have a few minutes for you, Marlene,” he chuckles. “Enjoy the rest of the night,” he says to us before they turn and walk away.
Ari and I stare at each other.
“Was Skip just—”
“Flirting?” I finish for him. “Yeah, I think he was.”
“I wonder if Rory knows about that.”
“There might not be anything to know,” I shrug.
“Maybe not,” he replies before gently leading me to the small dance floor where a few couples are dancing to the end of a song.
“What are we doing over here?” I ask.
Ari doesn’t give me a response. Instead, he looks over at the DJ and nods his head.
As soon as the current song ends, Hero starts playing through the speakers.
“How did you manage that?” I question getting into a dancing position with him. “The DJ doesn’t take requests.”
“He does if you pay him enough,” he chuckles.
I gasp at him. “You did not pay him to put on this song.”
“Oh, but I did. I’d do it again, too.”
“Why are you so cute?”
He smiles at me, and everything else fades away. “Because I’m yours.”
“Te amo, Ari.”
“Nado saranghae, Lucia.”
We slowly sway to the song now without saying a word, basking in each other’s company and enjoying the time we’re spending together.
I can’t believe how much has changed in such a short amount of time.
I moved in with Ari in the middle of December, and we could barely tolerate being in the same room together.
Just over six months later, we’re dancing at the Stars Charity dinner, where we soft-launched our relationship. We haven’t come out to say anything, but pictures are worth a thousand words, and all the pictures from tonight will show the way Ari looks at me with so much love in his eyes.
I can’t believe we’re here, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
For the rest of my life, I want to be in Ari’s arms while I get to love him out loud.
We’ll grow our family, and our love will only grow with that.
At thirty-one, I was afraid I’d never find the love I’d been so desperately searching for.
At thirty-two, I realize all I had to do was open my eyes and see Ari Morgan for who he truly is: the most incredible, loving man I’ve ever known.
Knowing that he wants to go through life with me just makes me the luckiest woman in the world.