Page 90 of Lodged

“The world is your oyster, baby girl. I’ll make sure of that.”

“Oh, Gio. You’re too good to me,” she says, hugging me. I hug her back, feeling all the love I have for her seeping through my pores.

“You’ve gone through so much, baby girl. I just want to make sure your life, ours, is as smooth as possible from now on.” Ruin melts in my embrace, and I hug her tighter, if that’s even possible. “I know this is all new and there’s a lot to think about and plan to make this a reality, but have you considered goingback to school for something completely different than what you’ve studied so far?”

“Yeah,” she says as she releases a deep breath. “I know there’s going to be lots of changes, and I’ll have to start from zero if I want to become a counselor, but I think it’s worth it, you know?” She removes her arms from around my shoulders, and I immediately miss her warmth. She’s looking at me with those soulful eyes of hers, and I just know she’s going to do amazing things, no matter how long it takes.

“Yeah, baby girl. I know.” I give her a quick peck on the lips as I get up from the couch, carrying her bridal style.

“Gio, what are you doing?” Ruin asks with a nervous laugh, wrapping her arms around my neck again.

“We need to eat before the food gets cold. Then, I have some ideas on how to spend the night.” She giggles all the way to the kitchen, and my heart has never been happier. I get to make my dream girl’s dreams her reality.

On our way back to Azalea Creek, I make a detour, and it takes everything in me not to tell Ruin what we are doing. She had been practicing driving my car from our home to the diner and the grocery store. I want her to have a reliable car so she can feel safe while driving.

“Gio, what are we doing here?” She hesitates when she sees the BMW sign. They have an assembly factory in North Carolina, and I knew this would be the perfect place for Ruin to choose her next ride.

“You’ll see,” I reply as we drive into the factory. After I park, we are greeted by the Vice President of Public Relations.

“Dr. Bianchi, what a pleasure.” He shakes my hand, then Ruin’s, and guides us to a showroom featuring every single BMW model you could ever imagine.

“What are you all looking for?” he asks, and I look at Ruin.

“Her dream car.”

Her eyes grow as big as saucers, not a word coming out of her mouth.

“Excellent. I’ll give you both some time to walk around and see what tickles your fancy.” I nod as I murmur my thanks. Holding Ruin’s hand in mine, I start walking around the showroom.

“What kind of car do you want?” I ask her, and she still doesn’t say anything.

“You don’t like BMWs? We can leave. We don’t need to buy a car here if you’d prefer another brand.”

She stops walking and turns me to face her.

“No, it’s not that. I don’t know, Gio…this is just too much.”

“We’re together, right?”

She nods.

“Then it’s not too much, it’s what every person in a relationship would do. You need a car, we’re getting you a car.”

“But these cars are way too expensive,” she whispers, and I chuckle.

“They’re not that expensive. I’ve seen cars that go for millions.”

Her eyes widen again, and I bite my lip to avoid laughing. She’s so cute when she’s startled.

Slowly, we make our way around the showroom. Ruin sits in most of the cars, letting out plenty of “ohhs” and “ahhs” and repeating, “This is too expensive,” until she finally chooses the BMX XM—a slick, safe SUV model, perfect for her.

“Are you all ready?” The vice president asks as he returns to find us inside the vehicle.

“Ready for what?” Ruin asks, panic rising in her voice.

“For a test drive, or course,” he says simply, and she looks at me expectantly. I give her a reassuring nod, and she takes the fob key from him. This surprises me, considering I practically had to beg her the other day to get behind the wheel to drive us to her family’s place. But maybe all she needed was a little push. I can’t begin to imagine how traumatic that car crash must have been for her—especially after losing her dad the same way years ago.

“Simply follow the blue arrows, Miss. They’ll take you to the test drive zone.”

---