I took the cans from his hands, while mine began shaking like I’d never been this close to a man before. “Thanks.”
“I’m Major.”
“Like a military major?”
He smiled, displaying two sugar bowl dimples and a set of perfect teeth. “No, like my grandfather had the name and passed it on.”
“I’m Bailey.” I shoved all the cans to one side of my body to extend out my hand. “I’m sorry to meet you under such stressful circumstances. As you can see I’m having a terrible day. I’m usually not this much of a mess. I just came from a horrible date, and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and shovel ice-cream down my throat until the self-shaming goes away.”
He let out a deep laugh and then brought the back of my hand to his lips. I could feel the slight bit of stubble from atop his lip as it touched my tender skin. “The pleasure is all mine, Bailey.”
When our eyes met it was an electric connection. Chills ran through my body sending jolts of excitement to every limb. I can’t say for sure how it was even possible, but I swore I fell in lust with him immediately. Perhaps I was so desperate from my failed date attempt that I yearned for it to be something worthwhile. At any rate, this guy had my undivided attention, and from that moment I think I knew I needed to know him, I just couldn’t bring myself to understand what that meant, and how it would impact my future.
Chapter 2
Two years had gone by.
Two years of late night phone calls.
Two years of dinner dates.
Two years of weekend movies.
Two years of sleepovers.
Two years of spending every waking second falling in love with Major Valero.
There was no denying it. My focus had shifted from work to a real relationship with a wonderful man. I sat across the table from Major imagining back to that first date.
It had all started at the grocery store. After helping me collect my groceries, he gave me a ride across the busy street to my home. Instead of insisting on coming inside, he simply thanked me for allowing him to help me. When I assumed he’d drive off into the sunset and I’d never see him again, he ran up the sidewalk until he caught me at the first step to the porch. “Hang on a minute. This might be out of line, seeing as we just met, but I was wondering if you’d like to go out sometime.”
“Like for coffee?” I couldn’t believe I was actually going to consider that, but this guy was way too handsome to let a setting ruin my chances.
“I was thinking dinner. Do you like Italian? I know this place…”
I didn’t let him finish explaining. Like a teenage girl being asked to the Valentine’s Day dance, I interrupted abruptly. “Yes, I’ll go.”
It was obvious to me how desperate it sounded, though I refused to let it stop me. After my failed attempt to have a drink with a man from a shady dating site, I needed this type of interaction.
He smiled, displaying deep dimples on both sides of his face. Major took one step down to be standing on the sidewalk. “How does tonight sound? Am I overstepping? Should I take your number first?”
All I could do was stand there shaking my head while trying to read this guy who’d come out of nowhere. “Is seven too late?”
He let out a thankful sigh. “No. It’s perfect.” For a second our eyes met. Perhaps I was horny, or maybe it was the excitement of all that had transpired, but I felt my cheeks beginning to burn with heat. Flustered, and now more embarrassed than before, I took another step up to the porch, distancing myself from the sexy man.
“Are we meeting somewhere?”
He became alert, as if he’d snapped out of a haze. “I’ll pick you up.”
I bit down on my lower lip for a second, while contemplating how to say goodbye. For the first time in my life I wanted to invite him inside. I feared that this was too good to be true. Maybe I’d tripped and become unconscious. It was possible I was still on the pavement of the parking lot, dreaming this scenario out of a desperate attempt to shield my pathetic love life.
Major lifted his hand. “I’ll see you in about two hours then.”
When he climbed into his black Camaro and drove away I sunk down on the wooden porch floor. “Holy crap.”
Shawna opened the front door of her old Victorian style home. “His pictures don’t do him justice.”
I covered my face with my hands and burst into laughter. It was all I was able to do. What had transpired was unbelievable.
Shawna sat next to me obviously because she wanted details. “What’s wrong?”
“That’s not the guy I had drinks with.”
“What? Who is he? Spill.”
“I met him across the street at the grocery store. My bags busted and cans rolled all over the place. He helped me retrieve them and gave me a ride.”
“So he’s just a nice guy who gave you a ride? I’d believe that if I wasn’t seeing the color of your skin.”
“We have dinner plans in two hours,” I muttered, still in shock. “He asked me to dinner. I don’t know why, but it happened.” Then it really hit me. “This is insane, right? He came out of nowhere.”
“You’re not backing out. I don’t care what kind of theories you have running through your head. That guy was into you. I could see it through the window.”
I pushed her playfully. “I should have known you were spying on me.”
“Whatever. You’re the one with two dates in one day, you hussy.”
We both laughed. “I’m not going to get my hopes up. The first date was horrible. He was disgusting.”
“You can tell me all about it after you shower and change. This outfit won’t do for dinner. You need to knock this one out of the park. Kudos by the way. You did this one all by yourself.”
I hadn’t done much of anything except for dropping my groceries. The rest happened on its own.
For the next two hours I told Shawna about my failed first date. She gave me pointers about the second one, not that I would follow her instructions. Something about this guy was genuine. It made me want to be completely honest upfront about being the most boring woman on the planet. Since I knew nothing could be worse than the date before it, I promised I’d at least enjoy myself more than the catastrophe earlier.
At six fifty there was a knock on the front door. I turned to Shawna, who was lingering around in my room waiting for me to comment on what I was wearing. I twirled around in front of the mirror, gazing at my reflection while feeling sexy. “Are you sure this dress isn’t too much?” The black satin fabric felt amazing, though I feared I was overdressed for the occasion. It was only a dinner, not a ball.
“You look stunning. He won’t be able to keep his eyes off you.”
“That sounds creepy for a first date.”
She pulled me out of the room as we ventured down the stairs to answer the door. “Just do what I said. He’ll be back for more. Remember, you can totally make out, but no ass. I don’t care what he promises, you make his butt wait.”
I rolled my eyes while her back was turned. If she thought I’d sleep with a guy on the first date she was painfully mistaken. “Just let him in and get it over with.”
I stood there completely motionless as he came into view. Wearing a dark pair of slacks and button up dress shirt, Major stood in the threshold. Our eyes met and that warm sensation from before returned. His eyes, a more hazel than brown, stared into mine. “Wow.” It was the only thing he said.
Shawna turned to me and mouthed the words holy shit, as if she was just as captivated as I was. I stepped forward, breaking the distant between me and the front door where he still stood. “Am I overdressed?”
He raised his brows and smiled, displaying those irresistible dimples. It sent my mind into a frenzy wondering how many women he took out like this. There was no way this man wasn’t involved already. “You look great. Are you ready?”
“Sure,” I said as we walked out of the house, leaving Shawna to pick her jaw up off the floor.
“Have a good time,” she called out to us. I didn’t turn around, mostly because I feared the heels I was trying desperately to walk in would be the death of me and the form fitting black dress.
It wasn’t until we approached a dark sedan accompanied by a professional driver that I began to wonder who this man I was about to go out with was. He was obviously important enough to be driven around in style. His driver was dressed to a T. He greeted me professionally, offering his hand as I climbed into the backseat. Major entered second, watching as the door closed and our driver made his way to the front of the vehicle. “That’s Frank if you’re wondering.”
“You have a personal driver?”
“Sometimes. He’s not mine per se. I’ll explain more at dinner,” he said as the man climbed into the driver’s seat and we began moving. “So tell me about yourself.”
“There’s not much to tell. I work in a lab. I wear a little white coat all day and bring work home with me at night.”
“What exactly do you do in this lab?”
I played with my hands to hide the fact that they were shaking profusely. “Blood work and a bit of plasma research. I specialize in drug research.”
“Are you the person my blood goes to when I get a physical?”
I smiled and shook my head. “No. I’m the person you come to when there’s a viral outbreak. I’m contracted through John’s Hopkins, but our lab is here in the city away from the main campus. It’s probably not interesting. My best friend made me promise I wouldn’t discuss it.”
He snickered. “I find it fascinating actually. It lets me know you’re a smart woman.”
“Thank you,” I shyly replied.
“You look beautiful by the way.”
I could feel my cheeks becoming flushed. The waves of heat that started to overcome me made my body feel as if it were floating. “What about you?” I tried to change the subject, and redirect the questions to put him in the spotlight. “What do you do?”
“I work with money mostly. I have a business and finance degree. I run a small firm about a mile from your house.”
“So you’re an accountant?”
“I am.”
“I’m always looking for someone to help me do my taxes.” I couldn’t believe I said that, because I certainly didn’t want this sexy man knowing what I spent my money on.
“I can probably answer questions, but I mostly deal with corporate accounts. I’m hands on with my clients, and unlike personal accounts that are managed once a year, I need to be available for mine year round.”
“My mistake. I just assumed.” I looked down feeling as if I’d overstepped.
His hand touched my knee, causing me to react by moving it away. He folded it back into the other one as he spoke. “You’re supposed to ask questions. Isn’t that what a date is?”
I shrugged. “I suppose. I’m not an expert.”
“What about the date earlier?”
“That was a momentary lapse of judgment.”
Major let out an air-filled laugh. “Just so you know, I don’t usually hit on frantic women in parking lots. Not only do I lack the personal time to do it, but I’ve been away for a few months.” When I seemed intrigued he continued. “My family is from Sicily. Messina. I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of it. Anyway, some of my family still resides there. I went to help my uncle. He opened a chain of bakeries and I’ve been helping his son get the books in order after he passed away. He did everything by hand, so it’s been a long transition to get it digitalized. Then, of course, I had to teach my cousin the system, so he’d be able to manage his expenses on a day to day basis.”
“I hear it’s beautiful there, in Sicily I mean.”
“It is. We have beautiful beaches for as far as the eyes can see. My family vacationed there when I was a kid. We’d stay with my grandparents. Most of us still visit when we can.”
“Do you have a large family?” It was small talk, necessary to get to know this handsome man in front of me.
As he spoke I admired his bright white teeth. “Yes. I have three brothers and two sisters. There’s Tony Jr., Vic, Oden, Teresa and Tessa. My sisters are twins. I’m in the middle followed by my brother Oden. We’re only a year apart. Oh, there’s also my buddy Vince. We grew up together. He’s kind of been adopted. His parents died when we were kids, right after each other. Since then he’s been a permanent fixture.”
“Holy crow. Holidays must be chaotic.”
He chuckled. “They are, but I wouldn’t trade it. All the nieces and nephews are close. It’s kind of tradition. We’re a close knit group.”
“So you speak Sicilian?”
“It’s basically Italian. My family is originally from Italy. My grandfather moved to Sicily when he and my grandmother married.”
I bit down on my lip before asking the most obvious question. “Say something in Italian.”
He looked down and smiled, displaying large sugar-bowl dimples on each cheek. “L'adorerai. È interessante, intelligente, e bella.”
It sounded like he’d just come off the boat. The accent was precise, and he didn’t even have to think about it first, proving he really knew it expertly. Not to mention that I felt something awaken between my legs. “What did you say?”
“She is interesting, smart, and beautiful.” This time he looked down when his own olive skin became flushed.
I was flattered, utterly and completely in awe of this man. While I struggled with what I could say in response, the car came to a stop. We were out front of a well-known restaurant located in a part of Baltimore known as Little Italy. “We’ve arrived Mr. Valero.” The driver got out of the car and opened the rear door for us to exit. He once again took my hand and assisted me out of the vehicle. Major followed and took my hand. It caught me off guard, but I wasn’t about to pull away. He led me inside, and perhaps I should have been alarmed when we walked through an awaiting crowd of people. He greeted the hostess by name and continued moving through like he knew every inch of the place. We stopped in front of a set of double doors. Major let go of my hand and used both to open them, displaying a large table full of people. “It’s about time you got here,” a gentleman yelled across the room. “We sent Frank to get you an hour ago.”
Major took my arm and folded it inside of his. “I had to pick up my date. Everyone this is Bailey. Bailey, this is everyone.”
I looked at him curiously. “Everyone?”
With the most pleading grimace he gave his attention to only me. “My family. This is our restaurant. Since I couldn’t wait for another night to take you out, I had to combine the two.”
My mouth dropped. We were having dinner with his family, and when I explain that word I mean huge family. There were at least twenty sets of eyes all staring at us. This was our first date – one of so many that would come after. I don’t know why I was okay with it, or how I could look at each of those strangers and feel welcomed, but I had.
Just thinking back to that first date put a huge smile on my face. I peered around the large room filled with his family members that we had a meal with once a week. His parents, Tony Sr. and Vicki, both stared in our direction, while the rest of his giant family followed suit.
“Did you hear me, bella?” He’d called me that since the night of our first date when I asked him to speak Italian. Major sat across from me with a box opened displaying a huge diamond ring. “I just asked you to marry me. I’ve spent the past two years falling in love with you. My family loves you. I want you to be my wife. I want to have children with you. We can vacation in Sicily. I’ll give you anything you could ever want, just say yes. Say you’ll love me forever. Say you’ll be my better half. Let me give you a beautiful future.”
Warm tears flooded down my cheeks. I knew my makeup was a mess, because I could feel some of it burning my eyes. I felt like I’d waited two years for this proposal. It was perfect, genuine, and the beginning of the rest of our lives together. Of course I’d love him forever. He’d never have to ask
that. This man, this perfect man was everything to me. “Yes. Yes,” I repeated. “I’d love to be your wife.”
The room filled with cheering, whistles and celebration as I turned to look at the family I would soon be able to call my own. We were officially engaged, and I’d never been happier. The man of my dreams swooped me up into his arms and placed tender kisses over my lips he’d memorized so many times before.
Chapter 3
When life becomes chaotic it is necessary to stop and smell the roses, even if it is only for a second.
“Babe,” I said while perusing through my disarray of a closet. “Have you seen my white slip?”
Major was in bed shirtless, reclined by pillows while watching a basketball game. I could hear him typing on his laptop, attempting to get all of his work finished before we flew out to Sicily for our upcoming nuptials. He seemed at ease about the whole ordeal, while I was losing my grip on everything. “No. Maybe you should think about throwing some of your old things away. You’re the only woman I’ve ever known who still has clothes from grade school.”
In my defense they weren’t that old. Yes, I still had my formal dresses from high school. They were mementos. “We leave tomorrow. What am I going to do if I can’t find it?”
“Go without it,” he announced from the bed.
I stuck my head out of the walk-in closet. Since moving in with him two months after we started dating, I’d accumulated so much clothing that he’d moved his things into the guest room to allow me more space. I wasn’t a clothes hoarder; at least I didn’t think so. “Seriously. Can you pause that and help me?”
He popped a chip into his mouth and snickered. I hated when he ate in bed. Sometimes I wondered if he did it to get under my skin. Major loved to annoy me until we ended up naked, forgetting why we were wrestling around in the first place. Our sex life was healthy, and since we were about to wed, I’d gone off the pill in hopes of getting pregnant as soon as possible.
Major closed his laptop and stuck the bag of chips on his nightstand. He climbed out of bed and looked underneath it. When he pulled out my slip I gasped; remembering why it had been kicked underneath. “I recall you being in hurry to take it off the last time you wore it.”
Happily Ever Never Page 2
