I spare a glance at her painting and then return my eyes to her face. “Perfect.”
I love everything about this woman. It both scares me and excites me. She makes me want to be a better man, to find how to make a living doing more than fighting on the docks. Maybe I’ll go back to school and get a degree to help her with her foundation. There are more Howard Sterlings out there that are going to be knocking on her door. Maybe I’ll take child care classes and be her stay-at-home nanny. I’m open to anything. I don’t know much about being a better man, but I can learn, and for her, I’d do anything.
The unanswered question at the back of my head is what’s going to be enough.
CHAPTER 18
TINSLEY
“Are you okay?” Sol gives me a suspicious look.
She’s sitting on the side of her bed helping me pick which dress I should wear. I brought three into her room after I returned from getting my hair and makeup done. I’ve gotten all dolled up, and I can’t wait to see what Leo thinks.
I don’t care about how I’m going to look in the photos that I’m sure will be taken tonight. Nor do I care what everyone else might think. Only Leo. His opinion is the only one that matters to me right now.
“Why do you think something is wrong?” I adjust the bracelets on my wrist.
“You’re fidgeting all over. Didn’t you do a lot of these events with your parents?”
“Not really.” I’m starting to understand why my mom went to a lot of charity events. Growing up, I thought it was just an excuse for her to get out of the house.
Now I realize it’s because you need to rub shoulders with other people. It’s not always about throwing money at something. Howard Sterling said it would be good for me to show up for the Justice Fund.
It’s a charity run by a handful of women that help give legal aid to women in need. He says I need to start getting my face out there more if I’m wanting to take a leadership role with the New Arch Organization, which I do. I never thought I would, but the more I work on the project the more invested I get. I find myself wanting to get my hands in it. I want to make a difference with the money I have and not just be in the background.
“Is it because Leo is going with you?”
“No,” I say immediately. “Well, maybe.”
“You don’t want me to go?” I spin around to see Leo standing in the door.
Damn, he’s handsome in a suit. It’s crazy because I swear he keeps getting hotter every time I see him. Over the last two weeks, he’s been an utter sweetheart to me. It’s been night and day really from where we were. Each day, I fall more and more in love with him. He’s been helping me too with the New Arch Organization. He thinks of so many things that I don’t. I’m pretty sure he can relate to the children in a way I’ll never be able to.
“I don’t have to go.” He tries to mask his hurt, but I see it. Leo isn’t so good at hiding his feelings anymore. I’m getting better at reading him.
“No, I just…” Crap, how do I say this? “Wait here.” I brush past him, but he grabs my hips, stopping me in the doorway.
“I hate to tell you this, babe, but…” His eyes rake over me. “You’re not going anywhere without me. You should have thought about that before you went and got all dolled up.” He leans down and brushes his mouth along my jaw. “And married me. You’re my wife.” I can’t help but love when he says stuff like that to me.
“I want you to come,” I say breathlessly.
“Always do with you,” he whispers in my ear.
“Leo!” I hiss, knowing Sol is right there.
“What are you two whispering about?” Sol asks. At first, she was worried Leo was going to break my heart, but now she seems happy about us being together.
“Let me grab something from my room.” Leo gives me a long look before he releases my hip. He doesn’t wait for me to return. He follows me back to my bed. I guess it’s our bedroom, considering he hasn’t left me since he made love to me.
I walk over to my desk and open a drawer to pull out a small box. I hand it over to him. He takes it, looking at it for a long moment before he opens it. He stares at the black wedding ring inside before meeting my gaze.
“I thought you might want to wear that.” When I went shopping for rings, I originally picked one out for Sol. I still gave her the one I bought her. She’s wearing it on her right hand even now. Same as I am. “It’s going to get out that we’re married tonight,” I say when he stares back down at the ring inside the box. “You don’t have to wear it or anything. It’s nothing crazy fancy. It’s some really strong metal so you don’t have to worry about nicking it or anything. I just thought—”