The Daddy Box Set

“Dining room, please,” Jess said.

“This way, please,” the hostess said, scurrying off toward our tabl

e.

Jess struggled to keep up.

Unfortunately, there weren’t any tablecloths, but we were set back enough that Jess could take her shoes off with anyone noticing.

Our server came over right away and took our drink orders.

“Have you eaten here before?” I asked.

“Not in a long time. But the food here is fantastic. It beats several of the places in Minnesota, in my mind.”

“How come you didn’t want hibachi?” I asked, recalling how quick Jess was to turn it down when the hostess asked.

“There’s not a lot of privacy,” she said. “And I don’t want to have a loud meal.”

“I agree,” I said.

“We get enough screaming and cheering from Gina,” Jess said with a laugh. “I mean, I love her to death, but I also enjoy quiet time.”

“Me too,” I said.

Jess scooted closer to me in the booth, and she pointed out several items that she remembered loving. Too bad for me, there now were a lot of choices since she liked almost everything on the menu.

After I had made the tough decision about what to eat, I sat back in the booth and lifted my glass of wine to toast Jess.

“To a successful move and a successful date night.”

“It’s barely started,” she said, clinking my glass.

“I have high hopes,” I said, grinning.

I leaned over and kissed her. She hummed against my lips.

When we broke apart, she said, “I’m so happy. I never thought I’d feel like this. Ever. Especially after breaking the cardinal rule of not sleeping with your boss.”

“Well, I was the one to initiate it,” I said.

“I didn’t stop you,” she said.

Brandon’s words from weeks ago filled my mind. If I wanted me and Jess to be something that lasted forever, I had to open myself up completely to her. And before I could stop myself I said, “I hadn’t felt like I did that night for anyone since Wendy.”

Jess nodded.

She never prodded me about Wendy, even when Gina mentioned her birth mother. There was so much Gina didn’t know about Wendy, but selfishly, I kept most of it to myself. I never wanted Gina to feel sorry for missing her mom, and at the same time, I wanted her to feel open to love someone like Jess. But opening up to Jess felt right.

“I felt like I lost everything when Wendy died during childbirth. In one day, I lost one love and gained another. It took me a while to wrap my head around it. I had to plan a funeral while I had a young infant. Then balancing work with Gina was tough.”

“I can imagine,” Jess said.

I took her hand in mine. “But I’ve never been happier than I am with you. Wendy had my young years, and she gave me the most special person in the world. But you get to have me and Gina.”

“And I’m the luckiest girl alive.”

The words on the tip of my tongue were muted by the arrival of our appetizers. Then, I decided to wait. I wanted it to be special and just us when I told her the three most important words in the world.