Chapter 22
WHAT DO YOU THINK IF I…
LUCIO
“Sal,” I say, shaking his hand as we walk into his office.
“Looking good, man.” Sal takes a step back and stares at me. “It must be because of this beautiful lady.”
Delilah blushes and smiles, but when Sal reaches out and sweeps his finger down Lulu’s pudgy cheek, she laughs.
“Of course, I’m talking about you, Ms. Miles, but I know Lucio’s fondness for little Lulu too.” He motions toward the small table near the window. “Sit, please.”
“Thank you for taking this case so quickly.” Delilah walks at my side, holding my hand. I pull out the chair for her, being a gentleman, and wait for her to sit before I take the seat next to her.
“Anything Lucio ever needs, I’m always there for him.”
Delilah looks at me and places her hand over mine. “I don’t know what I did to deserve him.”
“I think you have it backward, sweetheart. I’m the lucky one here.”
Sal’s watching me with a funny look. We go way back, and he knows my past better than anyone.
Neither of us is innocent. We did some pretty dumb shit as kids, but somehow, he went to law school and passed the bar even though I never would’ve guessed he was smart enough.
I guess he hid his intelligence and learned to fit in, because on the South Side, in our neighborhood, muscles beat out smarts every day of the week.
“Did you have any trouble with Mr. Jones?” Delilah asks as she turns to face Sal.
“None.” Sal shakes his head. “I called him, and he came into the office the same day to sign the paperwork.”
“Not surprising. The bastard.” Delilah whispers the last part and covers her mouth, trying to hide her disgust.
“He understood that he’d lose if the case was brought in front of a judge. He abandoned you and your daughter.” Sal slides a manila folder in front of Delilah, and she takes it. “He may have been able to get supervised visitation, but he’d have to start paying child support immediately.”
“He’s too cheap to part with his money. Even for his daughter.” Her hand’s lying on top of the folder with her and Lulu’s names written in black ink on the front. “So, it’s done?” she asks.
“You just need to sign the paperwork too, and I’ll file it with the court.”
She peels back the cover and studies the first page before flipping to the end where Dwight has already signed.
Sal sets a pen down in front of her. “Do you need a moment alone?” he asks.
“No,” she says, waving her hand before snatching the pen off the table.
“There’s no sadness in my heart. No regret about doing this.
He doesn’t deserve to be her father even if it’s only on paper.
” Delilah scribbles her name next to Dwight’s, almost stabbing the dot over the “i” in her last name.
She drops the pen and pushes the entire folder back toward Sal. “How long until it’s final?”
“The courts are slow and backlogged, but it should only take a few weeks.”
“Perfect.”
I turn to Delilah and grab her hand. “I want to ask you something,” I say, and her eyes widen. “Not that.”
I wasn’t too smooth with that sentence. If I were going to ask her to marry me, it sure as hell wouldn’t be in Sal’s office.
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” she says quickly.
“I love Lulu.”
“She adores you.”
“What do you think if I…” God, I’m about to say words I thought would never come out of my mouth, and my stomach is knotting and my pulse quickens. “What do you think if I adopt Lulu?”
Delilah only blinks as her lips part, and she stares at me. I’m not sure she quite heard me right because she doesn’t say anything right away. Her lips move, but no words come out.
“She needs a daddy, sweetheart. I want to be that for her. I love her like she’s my own and never want her to think she wasn’t wanted.”
“Wait.” Delilah turns a little more in her chair, and I can already see the tears forming in her eyes. “You want to adopt her?” she repeats like she really didn’t believe the words I just said.
“Yes.” I nod, squeezing her fingers between mine. “More than anything in the world.”
“You want to be her father?” A tear runs down Delilah’s cheek as she blinks. “Like, forever?”
“It usually works that way.”
I know this is a huge step and she might tell me I’m completely insane and refuse to let me adopt Lulu, but I have to try.
“I had a long talk with my ma. She agrees with me on this. We all want Lulu to be part of our family forever.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she whispers, and more tears start to fall.
I brush away the tears with the back of my hand before resting my palm against her cheek, cradling her face. “I’ve never loved anyone like I love you, Delilah. But Lulu, she has me wrapped around her little finger. I want her to be mine. If you say no, I’ll understand, but I…”
I don’t get the next words out before Delilah’s mouth is on me. Her hands come to my face, and she peppers me with kisses. The tears haven’t stopped. She’s crying harder than before, but she’s happy.
“Yes!” she exclaims, causing Lulu to jump in my arms and scream for a moment.
“You sure?” I ask between kisses.
“You’re already an amazing father to her, Lucio. Better than my own ever was to me, and more of a man than Dwight will ever be. Lulu would be lucky to have such a wonderful man as her daddy.”
“Sal,” I say, peering over at him without turning. Delilah’s still attached to my face, kissing me a dozen times. “Draw up the papers.”
Sal nods and claps his hands loudly, and Lulu cries this time, startled by all the excitement in the room.
Delilah takes her from my arms and hugs her tightly. “You have a daddy now,” she tells her, and I almost choke up.
“As soon as this form is accepted by the court, I’ll start official adoption proceedings.
” He nods and is all smiles. “One more thing,” Sal says and pulls another folder off his desk.
“Lucio told me about your father, and as a personal favor, I sent him a letter to restore the money he removed from your account.”
“You did?” Delilah gazes at me, and I give her a nervous smile.
I may have overstepped my bounds with that favor, but fuck her father, he did not deserve to keep the money which rightfully belonged to her.
“Yes, and I received a letter of response yesterday along with proof that your bank account has been made whole again.”
Delilah’s eyes widen as Sal slides the folder in front of her, peeling back the front to show her the deposit slip.
At least the prick had enough sense to give her every dollar back. I wasn’t going to let a sleeping dog lie. He was going to pay her back one way or another, but I’m glad it only took a strongly worded letter to scare him into action.
She runs her fingers over the paper, staring at the number. “I can’t believe it. I don’t know how to thank you both for everything.”
“No thanks needed,” Sal says, taking the words right out of my mouth. “It’s always nice to help someone who deserves it.”
Delilah’s eyes are filled with tears, and she’s so choked up she can’t say another word.
“I’m going to take my girls to lunch to celebrate,” I say as I stand and hold out my hand to shake, thanking Sal for his help.
He comes around the table, capturing me in a giant bear hug. “I never thought I’d see the day you’d go all soft on me, buddy. It suits you.”
I don’t even grumble. There’s nothing in the world that can bring me down from the high of knowing I’ll be gaining a daughter and, hopefully soon, a wife too.
Lulu’s asleep in the stroller next to the table. She’s worn out from the excitement of earlier. The sun’s shining overhead as we sit on the patio at the Park Grill overlooking Grant Park.
My finger’s in my pocket, and I’m fiddling with the diamond ring I picked out yesterday with a little help from Angelo.
I went overboard, but I couldn’t help myself.
I didn’t want Delilah walking around with a shitty ring.
No matter how many times someone says size doesn’t matter, I know it’s a crock of bullshit.
“Champagne,” the waitress says, holding out the bottle to us for approval.
“It’s perfect,” I tell her before she pours two glasses.
“I can’t believe we’re celebrating,” Delilah says, and she still hasn’t come down from the high of earlier.
“I was worried for a second,” I admit.
The entire thing could’ve blown up in my face. Delilah could’ve shot me down, going on with our relationship just as it had been. Other people would think we’re crazy. We’ve only known each other a few weeks, but I can’t imagine letting her or Lulu walk out of my life at this point.
“I’m sorry I scared you.” She touches the base of the champagne flute and gazes at me from under her lashes. “I was just so in shock.”
I know what I’m about to do is going to be another shock to her system, and I pray to God she says yes. We’re both in too good of a mood to have something destroy the happiness we both deserve.
I’m almost certain she’ll say yes. I’ve never seen her smile as easily as she does with me. When she first showed up at the bar, she was an entirely different person. It took a little time for her to relax and open up, but once she did, there was no turning back.
A noise across the way draws Delilah’s attention, and I know it’s my one shot to surprise her. I slide to my knee and pull the ring from my pocket before she turns back around.
When she looks across the table and I’m not there, she almost panics. But when she sees me… God, when she sees me on one knee, holding a giant ring that’s sparkling in the sun like a beacon, her eyes widen and she gasps.
“Ms. Delilah Miles, would you do me the honor of being my wife?” I say quickly because I know she’s about to cry again, and hell, I might too.
My heart’s pounding, and all the voices around us seem to quiet. Everyone’s watching, waiting with bated breath as I kneel before her, praying she’ll say yes.
“Fuck. Are you kidding me?” she says.
“No jokes, sweetheart. I’ve never loved another person more than I love you.
All I think about every day is you and Lulu.
The only place I want to be is by your side.
I want you to be mine forever. I want to marry you in front of my family and God.
I can’t imagine another day on this planet without you. ”
“Yes! Yes! Oh my God. Yes!” she yells, and the tears start falling as I slide the ring onto her finger.
She doesn’t even look at it or notice the size. I agonized for hours over the perfect one. Learning everything I could about cut, clarity, and all the other bullshit that comes along with diamonds.
She leans forward and wraps her hands around my neck. “I love you, Lucio. I want nothing more than to be yours forever.”
The people sitting around us clap and smile, feeling the excitement in the moment. Engagements always make people happy, even if they’re miserable in their own lives.
I pull her into my arms and know this is meant to be.