Chapter 35
ISLA
“I dunno why you’re nervous.” Charlie doesn’t even look up from his phone. “You guys have been dating or whatever for a while now, what’s different about tonight?”
I finally find the pair of shoes I’ve been hunting for in a box in the back of my closet and hold them up in triumph. Then, scooting backward, I turn and lean against the wall, pushing my hair out of my face.
“I’m not nervous. I’m…” I pause and consider what word to use. Because the truth is, I am nervous. It’s our first date since telling everyone we were seeing each other just two days ago. “I want to have a good time.”
Charlie finally glances over at me from where he’s sprawled on my bed and raises one eyebrow. He mastered the trick a couple of years ago and loves to pull it on me. “And those shoes are gonna make it a good time? Okay.” The eye roll he tries to hide isn’t lost on me.
“It’s not about the shoes. Those are just because they’re cute and go with my outfit.” I stand up and walk over to the bed, sitting down next to him. “And I’m not nervous.”
Fake it till you make it, right?
Charlie rolls off my bed and moves to the doorway of my room. “Whatever you say. Can I order some pizza?”
“I already told you, Aunt Juni’s bringing over dinner.”
He tilts his head to the side, considering that. “Right. ’Kay. Then can I go play some vids?”
“Sure.”
He hops off my bed and leaves my room, and I turn my attention to picking the right pair of earrings.
An hour later, Charlie’s still in his room playing video games and Juniper is watching me put the finishing touches to my makeup. Luca’s due to pick me up any minute, and the nerves I thought I’d laid to rest are back. Only this time, I have a far too knowing best friend watching me.
“Okay, how do I look?” I turn away from the mirror and twist back and forth for Juni’s inspection.
“Absolutely stunning. Just don’t forget to breathe.” She stands and places her hands on my shoulders. “Enjoy tonight. You deserve a romantic date with your handsome man. And if you decide not to come home, that’s just fine. Charlie and I are all good here.”
It’s tempting to take her up on that offer. Going back to Luca’s place, making love and falling asleep in his arms, sounds dreamy. And not so realistic. I shake my head.
“That’s not exactly the kind of impression I want to set with Charlie. Every time I go on a date, I stay out all night? Nope.”
“It’s not every time, but it could be this time.”
I fix Juni with a look. “Stop. I’ll be home by midnight. Luca and Charlie need to have some more time to get to know each other before sleepovers happen.”
“Fine, be all responsible and stuff,” she huffs.
Just then, there’s a knock on the door, and Juni’s eyes light up. “He’s here. Quick, let me see your teeth.”
After checking that I don't have any lipstick on them, and my breath is fresh and minty, I hurry to the door and open it.
Luca’s standing in the doorway, wearing similar clothes to what I see him in at the office: charcoal slacks and a light grey shirt. But the top two buttons are open, baring a bit more skin, and his demeanor is less professional, more relaxed, and entirely too sexy.
He steps forward, cupping my chin and kissing me sweetly. “Hey, wonder woman, you look gorgeous.”
“Thanks,” I whisper, stepping back so he can come inside.
“Hey Juniper, how are you?” he greets my friend warmly.
“Good, thanks. You two have big plans for tonight?”
Luca turns to me with a soft smile. “Sort of, but they’re a surprise for Isla.”
“Hi boss man!” Charlie comes barreling in, stopping just short of the couch. “Hey Mom, Miles wants to know if I can go to the movies with him and some guys from the team tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’m sure that’ll be fine, let’s talk about it more in the morning.”
“Okay. Have fun tonight. Bye Mom, bye Luca.” He turns and leaves as quickly as he came in.
“Love you,” I call out, earning a muffled “love you” in return before his bedroom door closes.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he gets off the video games and out here to play Monopoly with me soon.” Juni starts ushering us toward the door. “You kids go and have fun.”
“You’ll want a warm coat, maybe some gloves.” Luca stops me when I go to get my lighter jacket. I look at him questioningly, but he just shrugs. “Surprise, remember? But warmth is important.”
I move to pull down my winter coat, grabbing a pair of faux suede gloves as well. Glancing down at the booties I spent way too long hunting for, I ask Luca, “Are my shoes okay or do I need snow boots?”
He chuckles and says, “Those will be fine.”
Once we’re in his car, driving toward the highway that leads out of town instead of toward the waterfront like I expected, I break down and ask, “Okay, where are we going?”
Lifting one hand from the steering wheel, Luca rests it on my leg. “Don’t you like surprises?”
“Not really,” I reply honestly.
“Okay, I’ll tell you part of it. But can you trust me enough to let me keep some of it a surprise?”
I relax back into the heated seat. “Fine.” I don’t really want to ruin whatever he has planned, but I truly don’t like not knowing what to expect.
“We’re heading up the mountain for dinner. That’s why you needed a warm coat. We’ll be inside to eat, but I thought we could check out the stars while we’re up there. There’s meant to be a meteor shower later.”
“Oh,” I say softly, absolutely enchanted by the idea. “That sounds incredible.”
He flashes me a quick grin and squeezes my leg. “Good. I’m glad. There’s more, but I’m holding onto the details for later. Is that okay?”
“Yes.” I cover his hand with my own and settle back.
It’s more than okay, it’s perfect. The lodge up at the top of the small ski hill just outside of town has a restaurant I’ve wanted to go to but haven’t yet.
From what I hear, it’s small, intimate, and romantic.
I should’ve known Luca would think of something that is both public and private.
We aren’t hiding anything, but he’s easing me into this by having our first date somewhere that’s not too crowded.
Not much later, we pull into the parking lot up on the mountain. With it being early February, there’s still plenty of snow up here. The ground is a dirty white, and I don’t argue when Luca tells me to wait for him.
He opens my door, helping me out and immediately into my coat, which I do up with a shiver. “It’s so much colder up here,” I say, stating the obvious.
“I’ve got a blanket in the back for stargazing later, and we’ll take some hot chocolate or tea out with us. And if it’s too cold, we can skip that part.”
I lean into his side. “Luca. I’ll be fine, your date night planning skills are top-notch.”
He exhales a small laugh. “Good. I want tonight to be perfect.”
“It doesn’t need to be perfect. It’s already more than good enough because I’m here with you.”
He pulls us to a stop just outside the door to the lodge and tips my chin up so he can kiss me.
“Nice line, Forrester.”
“Well, I am good at knowing how to appeal to an audience,” I tease. “A good one-liner is marketing 101.”
His throaty chuckle follows us inside the warm, cozy lodge. We’re escorted to a table next to the window, with a perfect view of the mountain and the twinkling lights of the town below.
Once we’ve given the waiter our drink order, I reach over and take his hand. “Thank you, Luca. This is incredible.”
He doesn’t answer right away, instead, he stares into my eyes. Then, less than a minute later, Luca blurts out, “Isla, I’m in love with you.”
The horror that flashes across his expression is comical simply because it’s so opposite of the calm, confident man he usually is.
“Shit. I didn’t mean to say that. I mean, I did, but not like this.
” He’s adorably flustered, and as stunned as I am by his confession, I hope he can see the truth shining through the emotional tears building behind my eyes.
“I love you, too.”
His shoulders drop in an exhale as he gives me a shaky smile, so at odds with the mature, steady man I’ve fallen for. “Thank fuck for that. I had it all planned. Later, under the stars, I was going to tell you. I’ve wanted to for a while, but I wanted it to be—”
“Perfect?” I interrupt, sniffing away my tears. “What did I tell you earlier? It doesn’t need to be perfect.”
Luca’s up and moving around the table in an instant, and without a care for who might see or what they might think of our display. I stand to meet him for a long, slow kiss.
“I love you,” he murmurs against my lips.
The sound of a throat clearing nearby has us parting to see the subtly smiling waiter with our drinks. “Sorry to interrupt.” He sets the glasses down and then swiftly retreats, leaving us staring at each other, giddy and punch-drunk in love.
I let Luca guide me to sit back down, then, to my surprise, instead of taking his seat across the table, he moves his chair around beside mine, his back facing the rest of the dining room.
Draping his arm over the back of my chair, he takes his other hand and gently cups my chin, leaning in and kissing me again.
“Good thing we’re not trying to keep this a secret any longer. I’m pretty sure everyone saw that,” I whisper, letting my head fall to his shoulder.
“A billboard downtown would’ve been more subtle,” Luca cracks and we both start laughing quietly.
When our amusement settles, I lift my head, raking my fingers through his hair until my hand rests on the back of his neck. Staring into his eyes, I can see his love for me. And it makes my heart so full, it feels like it could burst.
“This was better than a billboard.”