“Fine. Thank you for asking,” she said politely. “We should have another ice cream date.”
“We should,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.
“Good. I know how to fix the flowers,” Lilyanne announced before hurrying off to her mom and dad.
Jensen stood up, and I got a full view of him in a tuxedo. I heard the other girls scurry back upstairs. They would follow us to the party later.
“Wow,” he said when his gaze found mine. “You look amazing.”
I smiled, grabbed my jacket, and strode toward him. If I was going to give him a chance, then I needed to give him a chance. Be the confident, sexy woman he claimed to love.
“You look pretty good yourself.”
“That dress though.” He ran his hands down the silky material of the emerald-green dress, which matched my eyes, that I’d borrowed from Kimber’s closet.
I blushed at the way his eyes devoured me. “Thanks.”
He seemed to get himself together and then gestured to the door. “After you.”
When I stepped outside, I gasped. A black stretch limo was waiting on the street.
“What? Are we going to prom?” I joked.
Jensen arched an eyebrow. “Didn’t you go with Landon?”
“Oh, yeah. Twice.”
“Then, nope. No prom for you.”
“Fair enough.”
Jensen opened the door to the stretch limo, and I sank into the leather seat. He followed behind me. It was jet-black and swanky on the inside. A bottle of my favorite champagne was chilling in a bucket of ice. Soft music filtered in through the speakers, and I laughed when I realized it was Mariah Carey.
“Mariah Carey?” I asked. “You’re playing Mariah Carey?”
“Look, I know she made a fool of herself, but she is our singer now.”
“Oh my God, it’s ‘Always Be My Baby.’”
“And?”
“This is a good choice.”
He had clearly put some thought into all of this. He was taking this whole business of making things right serious. Between the limo, champagne, and a nod to our first date…we were off to a good start.
He reached over to pour me a glass of champagne.
I downed it before he had finished pouring his and handed my glass back to him. “More, please.”
He grinned, flashing me those irresistible dimples. “Don’t get face-plant-on-the-concrete drunk on me.”
“I’m a good girl,” I crooned.
“Don’t bet on it.”
Jensen took a sip of his champagne and then set it down. “Now, before we get there, I do have your Christmas present.”
“My what? But it’s New Year’s and I thought we weren’t exchanging gifts.” We had decided on Christmas Eve since our relationship had been on the rocks that we would hold off on presents.
“Yes. Then, fine, your New Year’s present.”
“But I don’t have anything for you.”
Jensen leveled me with a flat look. “I absolutely do not need anything.”
He procured a black velvet box from his jacket, and I stared at it in awe. When he tried to hand it to me, I just continued to look at it. I’d never gotten anything like this in my life, and I didn’t even know what it was. He was taking this making-up thing to a new level.
“Go on. Open it,” he instructed.
I gently took the box in my hand and popped the cover open. Inside was a simple chain with a round diamond encased in a halo of diamonds. It was soft, elegant, and probably cost a fortune. It looked as if it cost more than my Forester.
“I can’t…”
“It’s a present. You can.”
“Wow. Okay,” I whispered. “Will you put it on me?”
I slipped the necklace out of the box, pulled my hair up, and then let him clasp it into place. It felt like a weight sitting in the middle of my sternum, but it didn’t overpower the dress. It was as if he had known. Or the man just had amazing taste in diamonds.
“Thank you. It’s really too much though.”
“Emery, for you, it’s never going to be enough.”
I leaned toward him, letting the necklace dangle between us, and then kissed him deeply. “A girl could get used to this if you’re not careful.”
“I’m not planning on being careful. Kid gloves are off. You might have to endure fancy dinners and random presents and unplanned trips on my private jet. This is the man I am, Emery, as much as the man I am when I’m with you. I’d like to have you in both worlds.”
I nodded, suddenly speechless. Jensen was offering me his world. I’d be a fool not to take it.
The limo stopped in front of the Overton, and we were whisked out and down the breezy walkway inside. The room was already packed with people, but I could see that much of his family was already there. We meandered over to their table, and Jensen left me with Morgan before he went off to get us drinks. Apparently, our table had bottle service, but champagne wouldn’t be passed out to the room until right before midnight.