“That was a ruse,” he says as my mouth drops open. “Dhara and I have been in cahoots to get you and Miss Evelyn out here.”
“So, she’s not going to the concert?”
“Oh no,” his eyes go wide, “She is, but you’re not unless you want to.”
“I don’t think I want to. And you’re here the whole time we are?”
He nods, leans forward, and kisses me on my cheek before dropping down to his knees to face Evelyn. “Hi, do you remember me?”
Evelyn turns shyly into my leg. Ajay shows her the stuffed Minnie and she takes it slowly. “I’m Ajay, a friend of your mom’s.”
“I know,” she says.
“And I was wondering if you’d like to go meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse tomorrow.” My eyes go wide, but he’s not even paying attention to me. “You see, they’re friends of mine and have asked me to ask you if you’d like to come have breakfast with them tomorrow?”
Evelyn looks at with the widest eyes possible. “Mommy, can I?”
I nod and crouch down. “I think you have to tell Ajay that you want to go.”
“I do, Ajay. I really, really do.”
“Well okay, then. But first we have to go to my house. I have some friends who want to meet you. Do you mind if I carry your suitcase for you?”
“Nope,” she says happily. Ajay points to the car we’re going to ride in — it’s a limo where the man standing by the car is sure enough holding a sign with our name on it. “See, Mommy,” she says when she reaches the man. “It is for us!”
Ajay steps closer and hands me the roses. I lean in and smell their heavenly scent. “These are beautiful.”
“Not nearly as beautiful as you.”
“You’re biased,” I remind him.
He nods and reaches for my bag. “I’m happy you’re here, Whiskey.”
I turn in front of him and place my hand on his side, clutching at his t-shirt. “I almost didn’t come but the thought of seeing you for five hours when I haven’t seen you for six weeks was too good to pass up.”
“I’ve had some things that I needed to take care of here first,” he tells me. “But now I’m all yours until you decide to leave.”
Until I decide to leave. Not when I leave or at the end of my trip, he’s just left our relationship completely open ended with one comment.
Ajay and I get into the limo, only to find Evelyn sprawled out on one of the bench seats. I remind her that she still needs to put her seatbelt on, and she does, along with putting one on Minnie Mouse. I send a text to Dhara, thanking her and promising that we’ll find a way to meet up later. She sends a picture back of her and Fletcher, drinking champagne in the back of a car and tells me to have fun and enjoy the drummer and his stick. She’s utterly ridiculous.
But she’s right, I do want to enjoy him. I put my phone away and rest my head against the back of the seat, angling myself so I can stare at him. It takes him a moment until he mimics my position. My hand reaches for his and he holds it without hesitation. It feels good to hold his hand, and while I know Evelyn’s watching me and I need to explain to her that this man is the love of my life and part of our future, I don’t want to stop looking at him.
With my free hand, I reach over and stroke his cheek. He leans into my touch and kisses my palm.
“We’re almost at my place,” he says.
“I thought you lived with your friends.”
He shakes his head. “I rented a condo. It’s not on the beach, but it has a pool and a playground. It’s a gated community so people can’t just come and go. There are sidewalks so Evelyn can ride her bike.”
“Ajay, I didn’t bring her bike. Just enough clothes for a few days.”
He nods and smiles. “I bought her a bike with training wheels and a helmet. She has clothes hanging in her room. Miss Katelyn bought them for her, along with Elle and Peyton. They also bought you some clothes, with Dhara’s input, in case you want to stay longer.”
He’s left me speechless and in complete awe. When I last saw him, he was unsure about how this would work between us, but it seems like he’s pulling out all
the stops to show us that we can live together as a family.