Page 33 of Desperate Valentine

“Are you ready yet, Veronica?” Mila hollers up to me as I’m finishing my makeup.

“Coming!” I close the mascara and toss it into my bag.

“He’s blowing my phone up,” Gunner says as soon as I get downstairs.

“I’m sorry. I thought Suzanne might be able to distract him long enough,” I reply.

I booked a dinner for us all tonight, in celebration of the bar being fully paid off. Jude has no idea, but I bought the bar back from the bank and tonight, I’m telling him what I did.

Suddenly, as we walk out the door to get into my car, Jude calls me.

“Babe? How’s things?” I ask, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

“Why are all of you being so weird today?” he asks, a hint of cockiness to his tone.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I sharply reply. “We’re getting ready for our dinner. Are you almost done work?”

“Just got done. Do you want me to meet you all at the restaurant now?”

“That would work,” I say. “We’ll be there waiting.”

As soon as I end the call, Mila starts to laugh. “He’s the most impatient person I’ve ever known. Aside from you, that is.”

“You’re not wrong. Honestly, I don’t know how we put up with each other. He’s such a dick.” I chuckle, loading my purse into the front seat beside Mila’s feet.

“He’s obsessed with you,” Mila sighs, buckling her seat-belt.

I let out a chuckle and head off toward the restaurant.

* * *

“What’s the occasion tonight, folks?” the waitress asks, flashing us all a friendly smile.

“Nothing special,” Jude replies, briefly glancing up at her before diving back into the menu.

“Actually. There might be something,” I say, catching Jude’s attention right away.

His eyes widen and I start to slowly clue into what he’s thinking.

“No! Babe, not that! I’m not fucking pregnant!” I holler out, nearly loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear.

“I wouldn’t be mad if you were, though,” he smiles.

“Enough of that. Do you want to know?”

“Tell me!” he says, pretending to slam a fork down onto the table.

“I may have made a large purchase.”

“On?” He narrows his eyes and tilts his head in confusion.

“Your bar…”

I swear I see tears form in the corners of his eyes as he leans over and grabs me, hugging me so tight it squeezes the air from my lungs.

“Are you serious? I told you a long time ago not to do that for me!” he says. “You’re the fucking best, babe.”

“Only for the best, baby. I love you, and I know you loved that bar.” I smile, running my fingers down his back. “You didn’t deserve to lose that bar. Quit your damn job and get back to it!”

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