Page 52 of Forever Love-Reimagined

“I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Blake, too.” David handed me the bottle of wine. “This is for you. I wasn’t sure what you liked, but the owner of the winery said this was their number one seller.” David’s thoughtfulness was swoonworthy. He had a lot of the same qualities as Leia.

That was a weird thought, but when it came down to it, I guess Ty and I were alike, too.

As we walked to the dining room, I placed the bottle on the table and then went to grab the food.

“Hey, babe. Could you grab the wine and opener for me?” I asked as I set everything down.

She strolled over and kissed me on the cheek. “Of course. Does anyone need anything while I’m up?” She was always so considerate and asked that every time she got up. It didn’t matter where she was going. If she was on the move, she’d get whatever you needed, and it was another reason I loved her.

“No, we’re good. But you can spill some tea if you want. Blake has been a locked safe that I can’t crack.” Ty spoke loudly as Leia walked into the kitchen.

She returned with the wine and opener and raised a questioning brow in Ty’s direction. “And what tea is that? I assume you’re familiar with Blake. So, you want me to tell you my secrets?”.

“Not just you. I’m curious what your intentions are with my friend.” He chuckled, but the heaviness that had lifted off my shoulders for a minute was back with a vengeance.

“Ty! You are not my dad,” I scolded, but Leia sat beside me, resting her hand on my thigh, sending calming vibes coursing me.

How could her touch work like a sedative and relax my entire body?

“It’s okay, babe. My intentions are to continue dating Blake, and hopefully, one day, we’ll have what we had in our dreams. I want to take things slow, but I could see a wedding in the future if we continue down this path.”

I swallowed hard. Marriage wasn’t something I ever believed in. It seemed more like a contractual agreement between two people and not a show of love.

“Ha! I’d love to see that!” Ty scoffed, and my face went white as a sheet.

Why would he say that? He was aware of my stance on marriage, but to say it out loud when I hadn’t discussed it with Leia yet was the worst thing he could have done.

Leia appeared confused. “Do you not see a future with me?” she questioned, and that was the last thing I wanted her to think.

“No! That’s not it at all. I’ve already seen so many futures with you, and each one was better than the last. But marriage…” I was unsure of the best way to describe it, so I let that sentence float in the wind.

I wasn’t ready for this conversation, but I had put it off long enough. “Is marriage that important? Isn’t the commitment to each other what matters?” Surely, she didn’t need a wedding to prove that what we had would last throughout this lifetime.

She moved her hand from my leg and seemed a little stiff. “To be honest, I never thought about marriage before you. Blake, I wanted to tell you this last night, but I fell in love with you before we even met. I want to spend my life not only telling you I love you but showing you. If you don’t want to get married, we don’t have to. But?—”

“Lay, I love you, too. I wish we had this conversation before. I didn’t want our first time saying those words to be in front of other people.” In my peripheral vision, I could see Ty staring like he was watching a made-for-TV movie, but I refocused on Leia.

She sighed, and I could see her eyes glistening a little. “I don’t care who is around. I’m just glad we finally said it. I didn’t like holding back because I was scared I was moving too quickly. But when it comes to the heart, you can’t put a time limit on things.” She leaned in and kissed my forehead.

That gesture always turned me into jelly. The gentle caress of her lips against my skin offered me comfort and safety.

“I’m sorry the idea of marriage triggers me. But I told you about my parents. It has tainted that kind of union for me.”

“I just want you to be happy. And if I can be the person to make you happy, that’s all that matters.” Her voice sounded different, but maybe it was all in my head.

We continued with lunch, but I couldn’t help but think the energy had shifted.

After Ty and David left, I hoped to have more time with Leia and continue our earlier conversation. Even though we had exchanged I love yous, we still needed to discuss things.

Then we could physically express ourselves. We had both been hesitant to do it, but tonight might be the night.

As we were cleaning up the mess from lunch, I saw her staring at her phone, and she had a confused expression.

“Hey?” I tried to get her attention to see if I could read her better.

She slid her phone into her back pocket before giving me a booty bump and smiling.

“What do you want to do?” I walked into the kitchen, and she followed.

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