“Yes, you are.” His voice was hoarse, like something I said had touched him. “Also, you listen better than anyone I know, and you know how you pointed out that the lawyer always sends Lu flowers?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I get flowers from you and your mom every opening night, and I know that’s you and not her because she thinks plants are better than daffodils.”
“She does,” I agreed, leaning in to kiss his forehead.
“And Lu gets white roses, but I always get daffodils.”
“Daffodils are your favorite.”
“Yes, they are,” he replied, choked up over what, I had no idea.
“I just don’t want to screw up.”
“You won’t, Eli. I won’t let you.”
“Okay,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief. “As long as you’re keeping an eye on us, we should be good. I just worry.”
“Don’t.”
“Look at me.” When Cel lifted his head, I saw his swimming eyes. “What did I do?”
“You’re so in love with me, Eli, and I can finally hear it. I think we both can.”
I took a breath. “I just don’t want you to be disappointed because I’m not a sweep-you-off-your-feet guy.”
He was laughing through his tears.
“But I promise, I’m a stick-like-glue guy, and I want you to let me.”
“You want me to let you stick?”
“Yes,” I answered and thought about it a moment. “You know, that sounded a lot better in my head.”
He was chuckling. “You are, in fact, a sweep-you-off-your-feet guy, Eli Kohn, because I’ve felt that way since the day you walked into my life.”
“You have?”
“I have. And when I tell you you’re romantic, I mean you’re possessive and jealous of my time, and I love that.”
“You do?”
“I do. You just get told a lot by other people that you’re not attentive or romantic because you’re not that way with them. It’s because there’s no deeper connection, there’s nothing real. But with us, it’s already in there, built over time, all charged up and ready to go.”
I nodded quickly, and I saw it in his eyes, how moved he was.
“We’re gonna be okay, Cel. I promise.”
And he nodded at the same time his phone rang.
12
CELSO
Did I want to leave Eli’s arms and be driven to Lincoln’s condo at seven at night? No, I did not, but honestly, I had no desire to go at any time. The fact that I was leaving in the middle of having a moment with the man of my dreams, who was unburdening his soul, put me in a murderous rage that was not at all conducive to pretending to seduce Lincoln Palmer. But by the time Special Agent Stafford was explaining how they were going to turn on my phone and use it as a listening device, and that I would have an earpiece shoved so far down my ear canal they’d have to use tweezers to get it back out, I decided that being anything but truthful with the man was a waste of time.
I was surprised when I reached the hotel’s concierge that he buzzed me up so quickly. Inside, I understood immediately why he didn’t care.