Page 31 of Saffron and Secrets

“It’s okay. I’m not going to ask you to marry me tomorrow and have my babies.”

She leans back into the chair, and I chuckle before saying, “But if I had my choice. It’ll be you.”

“Oh.” She blinks, looking down at the table and then back at me with a tinge to her cheeks.

“There is something that has drawn me to you, and I know I’ve never experienced the feelings I have for you with anyone else. So, if I can tell my parents who my future is with, I’m going to say your name, Ruby. It might seem forward, but I haven’t waited thirty-five years to meet my other half to just let her go and not say a word. No. You deserve my honesty.”

Our eyes clash, swirling with unbridled emotions, and her chest moves up and down. I don’t say anything else; I give her the space to digest and breathe.

The waitress comes when she’s about to speak, so she closes her mouth and picks up her glass of wine and we toast before she takes a big sip. We order food before continuing our conversation.

“That was deep, and I’m totally lost for words, so just give me a second to find the right ones,” she says with a warm smile.

“You don’t need perfect words. I just want to know how you feel.”

Holding her glass in her hand, she looks at me with a new smile. It reaches her eyes and shows her lines of maturity, and I want to know what she is thinking right now. I’m tapping my foot under the table impatiently, but I can’t hurry her. No, she needs to do this in her time, and I hope I get what I desperately want to hear; I’m her future and she chooses me. And finally, I’ll get my future of having a wife I love.

But even if tonight is all that she’ll give me, then I’ll take it, but I’m hoping she sees a future with me too.

“I’m not getting any younger either, and I have a career I’ve dreamed about and while it’s fulfilled me, I still feel lonely,” she says with a laugh, but it’s strained, and I know it's to cover the pain. But what pain? I need to know, so I sit here, unmoving, and let her continue talking.

“I go home to my empty house and I want to tell someone about my day.”

“What about when you go to parties like engagements or weddings, and they give you a plus one, but you don’t have one?” I add to her thoughts.

“And you go alone, pretending you’re okay, but deep down, you wish you could find your person like them,” she says with a sigh, but there is an intensity in her gaze that matches mine.

“I also haven’t been this attracted to another being. It scares me,” she whispers.

I swallow, knowing what she means. “It scares me too.”

We stay silent for a beat.

“But I guess you’ve met my family already.” She breaks the silence.

“And you’ve met my mother, but you haven’t met the rest. Oh, when my mother discovers you’re my girlfriend, I’m sure you’ll see a different side.” I laugh.

“I don’t know whether to be relieved or worried.” She smirks.

I see the waitress coming back for our meal order, so I say, “You’ll be fine,” before she interrupts.

“Will you go back and work for your business?” She swirls the noodles on her fork, and I watch her eat it. And damn, she is so seductive when she eats.

“Well, I’ve been playing around with a new app. And I should thank you.”

She frowns. “What?”

“It’s about security after what you went through. It’s in the planning stage, so I don’t know all the details, but when I have them all, I’d love to run them past you.”

She blinks rapidly and softly shakes her head, as if clearing it.

I frown and ask, “What was that for?”

“You’re so smart. I seriously don’t think I’ve met a guy who invents anything or is driven to do his own thing.” She chokes on a laugh, and it makes me smile. It’s nice knowing I impress her with my brains and not my wallet.

“You’re smart too.” I wink.

“Thanks. But you have more than enough money and you don’t have to work, but the passion and drive to keep working are sexy.”

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