I stood. “Come on, Becky. Birthday girl’s choice.”
I slipped my arm over her shoulders and pulled her toward me. Then, I stilled because we hadn’t spoken since this morning about my confession. I waited a moment to see if she’d pull away, but when she let me lead us to the front of the pizza joint, I smiled.
“Are you having fun?” I asked her, getting close to her ear and noticing the little shiver that went through her. I tried not to get too excited or hopeful.
Her smile was infectious. “Yeah. The girls are just so funny. I didn’t realize how competitive Mary could be at such a young age, and Sarah, she’s very meticulous about games. I swear she thinks there is a method to hit each game and maximize how many tickets you get.” She leaned into me, and my heart started racing like a teenager. “She’s a genius, Charles. Very bright. You should be proud.”
I nodded. There was no doubt that I’d hit the jackpot with my kids. Above being good students, they were kind. My kids were part of the future generation who were going to change the world.
“So, I know this is a nontraditional birthday party for a sophisticated woman like yourself,” I said with a chuckle. “But the girls wanted to give you the royal treatment, so thanks for going along with it.”
Becky laughed. “Please, this is great. I’d rather do this than go out for a fancy dress-up dinner any day.” She motioned to what she was wearing. “If you haven’t noticed already, I’m a jeans and gym shoes kind of girl.”
I’d already known this about her, which was one of the reasons I was attracted to her. She wasn’t the type of woman who tried so hard, which made me wonder why the hell I had engaged with Vivian for so long.
“So, taking you out to a nice dinner is out of the question?” I wasn’t the nervous type, not usually, but shit … I held my breath, waiting for her answer.
She visibly stiffened in my hold. “Charles … about earlier.”
I automatically went on the defense. “I get it. I pushed too hard and surprised you way too fast. That’s one of my faults. I can be a little aggressive sometimes. It’s the no-bullshit CEO in me, and I’m sorry.” Please don’t say no.
Her gaze went to the floor.
Which wasn’t a no … so I tried again. “We still have a lot of things to discuss and sort out, but first things first. Will you go out to dinner with me?”
Her eyes met mine, and I read her reluctance in her features. “Charles, there are things about me, about my past, that I don’t want to revisit, which means they’re off-limits.”
I swallowed. I didn’t like that answer. Normally, it would be a dead deal right here. But she was being honest, up front, telling me what she needed from me before she moved forward. The ball was in my court now, and I still had hope. We could revisit her past when she trusted me more.
I put on my most confident smile. “Dinner. This weekend. Just say yes.”
She glanced at me for a long moment, a slow smile spreading across her face. “Is it my birthday or your birthday, Charles?” she joked.
I shook my head and chuckled. “Well, it could essentially be an early birthday present from you. Mine isn’t too far off.”
It felt like forever, standing there, staring at each other until, finally, she nodded. “Okay. Dinner. One condition.”
I reined in the victorious full-on grin that wanted to take over my face. “What?”
“I still get to wear my favorite jeans.”
The grin broke through anyway. “It’s a deal.”
Twenty minutes later, our pizza came. I sat back and watched the interaction of my family. I was amazed at how Becky just fit. And so easily too. She was laughing with Sarah while Mary played with the toy she had just won with the tickets. Mason was quietly annoyed with Janice. Again.
And Brad was on his phone, laughing.
“Who are you texting?” Mason asked, narrowing his eyes at him.
Brad cleared his throat, looking a bit guilty. “Sonia.”
Mason’s nostrils flared. “Why are you texting your secretary after hours?”
Brad hadn’t looked up from his phone, still smiling. “Because I told her we were going here, to Pete’s Pizza Palace, and she didn’t believe me. So, I sent her a picture of me and Pete the Pizza. The picture is pretty ridiculous.” He lifted his head, smiling bigger,