Page 161 of Titus

We continued watching in silence. The only sounds were the television and Amelia’s muffled sniffling into her tissue.

I looked down when my phone vibrated against the coffee table. The smile that appeared on my face came before I could stop it.

Titus. Finally. I’d been dressed and ready to go to dinner with the man for over an hour, waiting for him to finish his meetings for the day.

I reached for the phone, and my smile disappeared as quickly as it came:

Titus: Preciosa, I’m so sorry. The acquisition meeting is still going. I’ve attempted to leave twice.

I’m not going to make dinner tonight. I promise I’ll make it up to you.

For a moment, I simply stared at the screen. The disappointment hit instantly, not because I was angry, thought he was lying, or doubted him. I knew exactly how hard he worked. I knew what his life looked like, and I knew he wouldn’t cancel unless he genuinely had no choice.

Still, that didn’t stop the sting.

Jessica quietly watched me over the rim of her wine glass. “He got delayed?”

I nodded. “Apparently, an acquisition meeting has become the meeting that never ends.”

Amelia frowned. “That sucks.”

I stood up. “It is what it is,” I forced a smile. “Let me go change into something more comfortable, and I’ll just heat up leftovers.”

“Sis,” Amelia said, “this is the first and, I think, the only time he’s done this.”

“I know,” I forced another smile, begging myself not to see this as everything I knew it was.

This was how it all started. I knew shit was always too good to be true. Fairy tales were in storybooks, not in life. Life taught you hard lessons so you wouldn’t make the same mistakes twice. And if you did? It would make the second lesson harder, so you’d finally pass that particular test of resilience.

And here it was. Not because Titus had done anything wrong. The man truly was not at fault. But did I want to be in a relationship with a man whose business commanded every aspect of his life? This man didn’t clock out. I knew that, but hell, I really wished he could.

I truly didn’t think my last horrific relationship had made me bitter, but maybe it had, and I didn’t recognize it.

By the time I’d gotten into my satin pajama set and reheated and eaten the leftover takeout I’d ordered for the girls, they’d put on The Notebook, and I was ready to drift off to sleep.

Today had been a long day of work and everything that came with it. I yawned, unsure I’d make it through the first half of the next movie the girls had lined up for the night, and I settled further into the couch when the doorbell rang.

Amelia glanced toward the front entry. “Are you expecting someone?”

I frowned. “No.”

Three firm knocks followed, and my stomach flipped.

“There’s no way,” I said, first hoping then doubting that it was Titus.

“Who else would it be? One of our imaginary boyfriends?” Jessica said with a laugh.

I stood up and walked to the door, opened it, and every horrible, insecure thought I’d had since reading Titus’s cancellation text vanished the second my eyes met his.

A rush of warm energy washed over me, instantly removing the toxic thoughts and criticism I had earlier about a relationship with this man.

Titus’s suit jacket was gone, and his tie was nowhere to be found. The top buttons of his shirt were undone, and his dark hair looked slightly disheveled, as though he’d spent the better part of the day running his hands through it.

More importantly, he looked exhausted.

“Hey,” I smiled. “This is a much-welcomed surprise.”

A slow smile appeared. “I’ve missed you, and I couldn’t end my day without at least kissing you good night before I went home.”