it would be better if I found out sooner rather than later.
After we wrapped up with the last few auditions, Leah slipped her hand into mine and rested her head on my shoulder as we walked out of the conference room where the interviews were being held. It was at the Killen satellite offices in Rome, near our hotel.
It was late afternoon and the sun was sinking low over the red roofs of the buildings in the center. Chatter and music from the street-side cafés drifted over to us, and the air was scented with the fragrant smells of dinner being started in kitchens all around.
Leah glanced up at me as we walked down the block our hotel was situated on. “What do you feel like doing for dinner? I thought we could maybe get room service, unless your surprise includes dinner?”
“My surprise includes dinner,” I said. “You can stop fishing for clues now. I’m not giving you any more than that.”
She laughed but shrugged as she accepted what I’d said and went back to talking about the auditions we’d had. On our way back to the hotel, my phone rang.
“It’s Jefferson,” I said, then answered his call.
Leah kept glancing up at me curiously while we spoke, and when I finally hung up, she elbowed me in the ribs. “What was that all about? You didn’t give anything away.”
“He’s invited us for lunch next week when we’re back in the city,” I said. “You up for it?”
“Definitely. I look forward to seeing him.” Despite how rocky their relationship had been at times, I believed her now when she said she looked forward to seeing him.
We’d spent quite a bit of time with him whenever we were in New York, and the two of them had bonded. At first, it had been over the campaign but now they really seemed to enjoy each other’s company.
But as we neared the hotel, I pushed Jefferson out of my thoughts and focused on the night ahead. The room Leah and I were sharing this week was the Royal Suite of the hotel we’d booked, and it had private rooftop access with its own hot tub out there.
We’d left the suite looking like a bomb had hit it this morning in our rush to get to the auditions on time, but when we stepped into it again now, it had been completely transformed. The lights had been dimmed and the bed was covered in rose petals.
Electric candles had been left on the floor to form a path outside and they’d set up a table with our dinner on the roof. Our hotel was in the heart of the old city. The view from the roof was incredible at any time of day, but at sunset, it couldn’t be beaten.
Leah gasped when she walked in and saw it. Then she spun around and stared at me with her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You don’t really have a ring this time, do you?”
“Nope,” I said, grinning as I led her outside and poured us each a flute of champagne from the bottle that had already been opened for us. I’d sent the head waiter a text when we’d arrived at the hotel, and he’d come to make sure everything was fresh and ready.
“That’s too bad. It would’ve been difficult to call you crazy for doing it so soon if you had been planning on proposing here,” she said, accepting the champagne and sighing as she looked out over the view. “God, this is beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you,” I said honestly, but Leah chuckled and rolled her eyes.
“Jeez. You’re really getting soft on me, aren’t you?” she teased.
I went up behind her, wrapping my free arm around her waist and pulling her back to my front. “I’d never go soft on you.”
She rolled her head to the side to give me better access to her neck as I started nuzzling it, leaning back to rest against my chest. “I don’t know how you use all these lines and still manage to make it sound genuine, but you get away with it pretty damn well.”
“Thank you,” I murmured against her skin, my heart hammering when I decided to take the leap right now instead of waiting until later as I’d originally planned. “How’s this for a line? I love you, Leah James. Having you serve us that day at Rick’s restaurant was the best thing that ever could’ve happened to me, and while I don’t have a ring