Page 58 of One Last Chance

Out of her sight, I poke Rowland.Behave. She’s trying.

“Yeah. It’s been really nice,” he says dryly and squeezes my hand with a smile. “Jared must be missing you, so don’t keep yourself. I’ll tell Mina you said hi.”

Hope shifts on her feet, trying to keep up a polite smile.

“He’s umm…been out a lot. It’s for the best, I think,” she mutters. Rowland told me about Jared apparently not reactingvery well to his step-daughter being ‘one of them’. Not at all unexpected, I thought, but it was apparently unexpected for Hope. And the fact that she might reconsider her relationship, maybe even views, because of Mina, has been a surprise to Rowland.

Hope’s still far too low on his list to consider forgiving her, but this is a good first step.

“Sorry to hear that,” I say, lowering my brows. A prick or not, Jared’s still someone Hope married and presumably thought would stand by her for the rest of her life, so it must sting.

She gives me an appreciative glance. “Anyway, I should say goodbye to Mac. You two…” she pauses, facing away briefly as if to brace herself. “You two seem to fit well together,” she says gingerly and immediately walks off, like she couldn’t possibly face the consequences of that compliment.

Rowland and I look at each other in disbelief.

“Wow. That’s…growth, right?”

“Mhmm,” he makes a somewhat agreeable grunt. “She still has ways to go, but she’s right on this at least,” Rowland says, pulling me closer by the waist. “Wedofit well together. Coincidentally, we also fit right into today’s eight o’clock slot in the most expensive restaurant in the city. Happens to be inside this very nice hotel, too,” Rowland muses enticingly with a sleek smile.

I frown playfully. “You know that thirty-two isn’t some big milestone, right?”Besides me being one step closer to death, that is.“Isn’t that a bit much?”

“You deserve ‘a bit much’. Too much. All of it, in fact.” He holds my chin, kissing me softly while our bodies press tightly together. His pheromones seep under my skin. “Unless you don’t want to?” he opens his eyes, getting more serious. “I didn’t want to make you feel overwhelmed. I just thought we could enjoy some special treatment. I’m happy to stay home with you, if that is what you want.”

I sigh. “You’re just too darn perfect, aren’t you?” I say with an annoyed grimace.

Rowland smiles softly. “It’s been said before.”

I pull him into a deeper kiss by the back of his neck. We make out until the familiar sounds of ‘aaawww’ing from the other side of the room. Our mothers are looking at us, hands over their heart and all, like we’re the cutest thing they’ve ever seen.

“God, not this again,” I mutter, rolling my eyes, and Rowland lets out an understanding laughter. Being platonically ogled like that makes me feel like I’m a teenager again, telling my parents about my first boyfriend. Sends shivers of cringe down my spine. “Fuck it. Let’s get out of here then,” I announce with conviction. Rowland looks pleased. “What about Mac?”

“Shawn promised to look after him if we went.”

“Mhm, you thought of everything."

“Of course. Let’s get ready. Wear something nice, and pack some swim shorts,” he says, discreetly patting my ass.

I raise a brow. “Swimming?”

“Wemiiightbe staying in the hotel’s penthouse. With an infinity pool, only for us, overlooking the city. No big deal,” he boasts, not at all hiding how proud he is of himself. I have to admit that he has a reason to be confident. My knees are already weak.

“I guess it is my birthday. And it would be a shame to let the reservation go to waste,” I reply in a similar, laid-back tone. I spent my last birthday with a takeaway at home after lying to my moms about going out because I was so depressed about my life prospects and shitty love life.

Looks like this year is going to be a little different.

And my god, is itdifferent.

When Rowland mentioned the most expensive restaurant in the city, I didn’t realize he actually meant the Perez Plaza.The tallest building around where celebrities, millionaires and politicians stay. Hotel rooms the size of small mansions, big brand name pop up stores on the lower floor, on-call masseurs, private chefs and personal trainers to help within the hotel gym—all that at the price of a stay. And, of course, the renowned restaurant overlooking the plaza outside the building with the massive, beautifully lit water fountain extravaganza.

I’m too speechless to even converse with Rowland much at the beginning. He seems amused, and I think he almost enjoys showing me off as we walk down those ornate halls, his arm around my waist.

Our restaurant table is in a perfect spot to watch the fountain, its multiple streams rising into the air in various tempos, creating something resembling an art installation with the lights passing through the water. Especially at night.

Rowland orders some ridiculously expensive red, even though I ask him not to. I have to apologize to him moments later because it’s the most damn exquisite thing I’ve ever tasted.

One of the chefs comes to chat with us at the table, as seems to be the custom in this establishment. I barely hold in a smile when he talks about specials, best quality ingredients, and his utmost care, making sure the food is to my dietary requirements—it all feels like I’m a part of some sort of joke. Me, the little ol’ me, being treated like I’m the most important person in the room.

I could get used to it.

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