Page 55 of Lonely Heart

“It’s definitely the second one,” he confirmed.

A rush of air left my lungs with relief. At least he was willing to pursue this with me, to explore it. I’d have been devastated if he had brought me out here for dinner only because he felt bad after what I’d said the other day and wanted to be a good guy.

“So, this is the real deal for you, then?”

His lips twitched. “This is the real deal. I really like you a lot, Ivy.”

How I contained my excitement at hearing that, I didn’t know. There was still some worry lingering there. “I really like you, too. I don’t want us to have issues with my brother.”

Marco’s fingers stroked over the skin on my hand. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This is just our first official date. I think it’s okay for us to see where things are headed between us before we get all worked up. Who knows? You might decide after tonight that you don’t want to explore this further with me.”

It was a wonder my eyes didn’t fall out of my head. “You’re joking, right? There’s not a chance of that happening.”

He laughed, but before he could respond, our server showed up with our appetizer and salads.

After she walked off, Marco held my stare for a few beats before he said, “Just so you know, there’s not a chance of that happening on my end, either.”

I beamed at him.

I might have waited years for this date, but it was easily the best of my life. And I had a feeling that long wait was going to be worth it.

16

MARCO

“Okay.Time for this. Happy birthday, Marco.”

This was too easy. It felt too good.

I’d only just scratched the surface, and I already felt like I was getting far more than I deserved, especially when I hadn’t taken notice of her the way I should have all these years. I didn’t typically sit with regret, but when it came to Ivy, it seemed to be something I couldn’t avoid.

And now that Ivy and I had just finished our appetizers and salads, she seemed intent on doing things to make me realize just how much of a fool I’d been. Because she was holding out a gift to me that she’d apparently kept tucked away in her purse.

It shocked me to see it.

Not because I believed Ivy was the kind of person who’d miss my birthday or hadn’t ever gotten me something before, but because I knew how much she’d already done to prepare for the party yesterday. This was too much.

Plus, if I was honest, it was entirely unnecessary. Having her here with me felt like more than enough, better than I deserved.

From the moment she agreed to this date, I felt like I’d gotten an incredible gift. Ever since, things just got better and better. Over the last couple of weeks that I’d spent time with Ivy, itbecame clear to me that I’d been missing out on so much with her.

But even that realization, that understanding there’d likely be a whole lot more to come, hadn’t been enough to prepare me for what tonight was like.

I wasn’t quite sure I had any words for how it felt. Would I ever be able to tell her what it was like for me?

To see her open the door dressed up all for me. To have her step fully into my arms and press that gorgeous body against me. To have her look at me like she did. To know she was thinking about me at least as much as I was thinking about her.

I could still recall how tightly I’d gripped that bouquet in my hand when she first opened the door and the way my free hand balled into a fist at my side. I remembered the way my pulse pounded, and how the blood rushed in my veins as my gaze traveled over her body.

There was a flutter in my stomach nearly all day as I anticipated seeing her, and the second my eyes were on her, I ached with a need to touch her.

The sensations were the most I’d ever experienced being around her, and it was taking me a moment to adjust. But despite the quickened heartbeat, warmth, and undeniable attraction I felt ever since Ivy opened her front door until now, there was one thing I felt relieved about when it came to her.

I was glad that she now knew where I stood, that I wanted to see where things could go between us.

Sure, we were bound to have some obstacles to overcome—one of those things we’d discussed only minutes ago. And while it was important to acknowledge those potential challenges, I believed it was best for us to figure out where the two of us were headed first. The only thing that mattered to me at this point was Ivy. If things went as I hoped they would with her, I was prepared to face whatever came my way.

I reached up and took the wrapped gift box from Ivy. “This was unnecessary.”