much.”
Chapter 10
Then
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Valentina
“Are you excited?” Dad asks me as he takes out a Tupperware from the fridge with last night’s lasagna in it.
“Excited is an understatement,” I reply enthusiastically, gaining one of his deep belly laughs.
“Understandable. You only turn eighteen once, kiddo, so enjoy it.”
That’s not the only reason why I’m excited, but I leave that tidbit out. I’m sure my father wouldn’t let me out of the house today if he knew what my intentions for tonight were. Unbeknownst to Logan, Quaid, and Carter, tonight I am finally losing my virginity, and I’m going to make sure they are the ones to take it. No way would I be brave enough to tell Dad that.
“Do you know where the boys are taking you out to dinner?” he asks curiously, after he’s put his own meal to cook in the microwave.
“Quaid was able to book Lorenzo’s in the city, I think.”
“Fancy place.” My dad whistles exaggeratedly. “That boy is going all out, huh?”
“They all are.” I bite the corner of my lower lip in anticipation. I have never been more excited and terrified in all my life, but the butterflies in my belly win out over trepidation.
“Well, I hope you have fun tonight, sweetheart. Just be home by one, okay?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of two.” I wiggle my brows.
“You were, huh?” he chuckles.
“Dad, I only have one more week of school. All my exams are done, and these last days are just a formality until graduation. So it won’t hurt if I stay out just a little longer. And besides, it’s Friday night. I can sleep in tomorrow.”
“You have this all figured out, don’t you?”
“I do.” I wink mischievously at him.
“Fine, two it is. But I will be staying up until you come home.”
“Dad, you don’t have to.” I roll my eyes.
“I want to. You’re my baby girl. Whether you turn eighteen or eighty, you will always be my baby girl. So let your old man stay up and wait to make sure you get home okay. Lord knows I won’t be able to do that when you go off to college.”
“Fine,” I relent, knowing he’ll end up doing it whether I want him to or not.
He points at the kitchen clock, my gaze following his.
“You should be getting ready. If I know those boys as well as I think I do, they will be here any minute now.”
“Oh crap, you’re right,” I yelp, giving my dad a kiss on the cheek before rushing up the stairs to get ready.
I can still hear my father laughing from the kitchen as I close my bedroom door and rush into the bathroom to shower.
Tonight has to be perfect. The boys have no clue about my plans, but once I’ve laid my intentions on them, I hope they’ll be on board. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t made out with all of them at one point or another. This is just the big game we have been practicing for years. Unless of course, they don’t see me that way. What I’ll ask of them today, I have never had the courage to do. To be loved by all three of them at once.
“It will be fine, Val. They love you and you love them,” I mumble to myself, hoping to ease my nerves.
This is just the next step into our relationship. Next year when we go off to college, we won’t be able to see each other as much as we want. Logan will be off to Princeton. Quaid to Alabama, and Carter on his tour through the U.S. I’ll be over at Berkeley. Maybe I’ll be able to sneak a few visits with Quaid since he’ll be closer, but Carter and Logan I’ll probably only get to see on the holidays. I can’t even think of how painful that will be. This will be the last summer we have together. The one that we will make our most treasured memories. And what better way to kick the summer off, with giving in to our feelings for one another? I just hope they see it that way.
After I’ve taken a shower, I blow dry my hair and leave my long wavy black locks on display over my shoulders. I walk into my room, my red spaghetti backless dress lying on top of the bed, promising that this will be a night I will never forget. The moment I saw it at the mall, I knew it was perfect for what