bonus love petal hiding on the back of the flower head, waiting to be discovered. He still hasn’t spoken. And I turn to walk away.
A firm hand grabs my shoulder, spinning me back. Strong arms surround me, pulling me close. His gaze burns into mine, his hands cupping either side of my face. “Yes, Katie Kat. I love you. I’ve loved you ever since you snuck into that buffet line in my hotel. I love you, and I want you for my own.”
And his lips find mine. He’s kissing me, and it's a kiss marking the beginning of something, and the end of something else.
Our charade is over.
Our love is real.
And Tiffany and every single one of her Instagram trolls can take to the internet and say whatever they want to about me. Because I’m the one who’s found the happy ending.
He loves me as I love him.
He pulls away, his hands still holding my face. His gaze should be happy, matching the elation that I feel, but it's not. His dark brow is furrowed.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” I search his eyes.
“It’s just that... well. This is awkward for a man like me to ask, but... do you feel the same way?” His brow knits as he studies my face.
A choked laugh escapes through my tears of joy. “Of course I do! I love you to the moon and back. You’re my…” I go to hold the word in but my heart wells in my chest so much I fear it will burst and it comes rushing forward, “you’re my daddy.”
And he’s kissing me again. A deep kiss with his arms around me. One that tells me he loves me, and he doesn't care who knows it.
The rest of the evening is spent snuggled into his side, his arm never leaving my shoulders. Tiffany and Rawley have disappeared, taking with them their sour air of disappointment and jealousy. Thankfully, the rest of the guests are polite enough to pretend the drama they witnessed never happened.
I meet his cousins, aunts, and uncles. His friends from college, from high school. They tease me for saying I’m from Ne-VAD-uh, I playfully reprimand them for mispronouncing my home state. He has such a full life here, such a loving community, I hope for his sake that one day he’ll make peace with the pain of his past and reconnect to his people.
Because it’s obvious from the smiles on their faces that they love him.
And he loves me.
They bring out the cake. Three layers with chocolate frosting and eighty sparkling candles, all lit up, threatening to burn the town down. Happiness shines from Gran’s face as we sing Happy Birthday to her. Her family helps to blow out the candles as she declares this to be the best day of her life.
Internally, I tell myself the very same thing. Today is the best day of my life. I look up at Darius, just to be sure this is real, that he's real, and he smiles down at me, kissing the top of my head.
My dream daddy.
The rest of the evening is a blur. At the end of it, I find myself overtired, Darius carries me up the stairs to bed. He helps me change, tucking me under the quilt. He leaves me with a kiss on my forehead. “I love you, Katie Kat.”
“I love you, too,” I murmur as I fall asleep, visions of wedding dresses and white picket fences in my mind.
In the morning when it’s time to leave, Gran pulls me aside. “It sure was lovely getting to know you, Katie. I declare, I’ve never seen my boy so happy as he is when he’s with you.”
“Aww, thank you. I’m quite happy myself.”
Her sparkle dulls as her gaze grows serious. “There is one thing I feel like I should tell you.”
I bristle, half expecting Tiffany to come up again. To find that she and Darius have some secret lovechild or were married before or—
She stops my overactive writer's imagination with a soft hand to my arm. “Katie dear, I know you two aren’t really engaged. I saw the news report.”
“But Darius said you don’t watch television. How did you…”
She gives me a pointed look. “It was sent to me.”
“Ah.” The Peach Queen strikes yet again. Shame fills me at his grandmother knowing about our escort beginning. But then I remember his words of love and I feel happy, and proud. “Well, all relationships have to start somewhere, don’t they?”
“That’s exactly what I