Falling Into Love with You (The Hate-Love Duet 2)

I take a deep breath and turn around. “I’m right here. And I’ve got great news for you.” I pull a second chair to Mimi’s bedside, next to the one Laila is now sitting in. “Mimi, I was able to get a copy of the first episode of Sing Your Heart Out, so we can watch it together.”

“Oh, how exciting.”

“Oh, come on, honey, tell Mimi our really good news,” Laila says, her eyebrows raised. And when I look at her blankly, she leans into my ear and whispers, “Tell her we’re engaged.”

My heart lurches. “Ooooh, yes. Of course.” I shoot Laila a grateful smile and she winks at me. And then, I take my grandmother’s hand in mine and say, “We were going to wait to tell you this on Christmas, but I think Laila’s right—we shouldn’t wait.” I smile broadly. “Laila and I are engaged, Mimi.”

Mimi gasps and her eyes prick with tears, as Sasha behind me whispers, “Oh my God.”

I continue, “I asked Laila to marry me three nights ago at our house. We were having a nice dinner and, suddenly, I realized I don’t want her to be my girlfriend. I want her to be my wife. So I asked, and she said yes.”

“Of course, I did,” Laila says, gripping my free hand. “And it was the easiest decision I’ve made in my life.”

Tears flood Mimi’s dark eyes. “Praise God,” she whispers. Her eyes drift to Laila’s hand, presumably looking for a ring, so I say, “We don’t have a ring yet. We’re going to get one when we get back home.”

“Adrian figured I’d want to help pick the ring out,” Laila explains.

“Well, that and I asked Laila, spur of the moment, without a plan. You know me, Mimi.”

The skin around Mimi’s eyes crinkles, letting me know she’s thinking, Yes, I do.

And just like that, it hits me like a ton of bricks I wish this story were real. I wish I’d asked Laila to marry me, spur of the moment, over dinner the other night. I wish I’d been smart enough to realize, back then, that I can’t live without her. That I don’t want her to be my girlfriend—I want her to be my wife.

“I did have one condition for Adrian,” Laila says. “One thing I told him he’ll need to do before we say ‘I do.’” She looks at me. “I told him, ‘You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met and I don’t want anyone else, ever. But if we’re going to have a shot at living happily ever after, without some of the traumas of our childhoods getting in our way, then I think we should both agree to go to therapy.’ I think Adrian could use some help with anger management, honestly. And I could certainly use some help dealing with a few things from my childhood, as well.”

My heart is galloping. “I had no problem saying yes to that, Mimi.” I look at Laila. “I told her, ‘No problem. I’ll do anything to make this work.’ I wanted Laila to know she can always trust me—that I’d never hurt her or do anything to push her away or scare her. I wanted her to know I screw up sometimes, yes, but I want this more than I’ve ever wanted anything, ever, so I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Holy fuck,” Sasha whispers.

Laila’s flushed. She says, “When Adrian said all that, I told him, ‘Well, it’s not like I’m perfect or anything. I’ve got some major hang-ups and insecurities I haven’t dealt with very well. So, I think this idea would be good for both of us.’”

“I’m so proud of you both,” Mimi says, patting Savage’s hand. “Don’t let the past rob you of the future you both deserve.”

“We won’t, Mimi,” I say.

“Good.” Mimi looks at Laila. “I’m guessing you’ve started to figure this out, sweetheart, but, still, it’s worth mentioning. When Adrian promises something, he sometimes messes up and breaks his promise. But once he does that, if he promises again, that’s when his word becomes unbreakable. He sometimes needs to make a mistake, once, to figure himself out.”

Laila looks at me and says softly, “Yeah, I’m starting to realize that about him.”

“Don’t put up with his crap, Laila,” Mimi says quietly. “But when you can, show him patience and grace, and you’ll be greatly rewarded.” With that, Mimi’s eyelids flutter, and it’s clear she’s exhausted her energy for now.

“Sleep now,” I say, gently caressing her cheek. “When you wake up, we’ll watch the first episode of the show.” I sing softly to her—the little lullaby I always sing to her—and soon, it’s clear Mimi has already drifted off to sleep.

I address Stuart, Mimi’s caregiver. “She’s gonna wake up, right?”

“I’m sure she will,” Stuart replies.

I exhale a long breath and look at Laila and my cousin. “Do you two ladies want to go downstairs, drink some whiskey, and smoke a big, fat blunt with me? Because fuck me, I need to unwind.”