Page 33 of A Lifetime of Afters
I’d been there many times with my family. Mom and Dad brought Max and me there for our 18th birthdays, high school and college graduations, Mom and Dad’s 50th birthdays, any occasion worth marking, you could not go wrong at Ayana’s.
I’d never, not ever, been there on a date.
Over the years, I lost count of the number of proposals we witnessed. Max always sneered at the public nature of it, declaring it a spectacle.
I disagreed.
Like a sponge, I soaked up the emotions. Hope. Disbelief. Excitement. Beginnings. Awe. Love.
I dreamed of being asked, of saying yes.
The elaborate script on the sign for Ayana’s beckoned me, but only when I was nearly under it, my mittened hand tucked into the crook of Hawkley’s arm, did I realize we were going in.
My hand flexed involuntarily. My eyes stung.
In every fantasy, he’d been the one on bended knee.
Immediately, Hawk covered my hand with his. Tipping his chin down to look at me, he searched my eyes. “What’s the matter? Do you not like this place? I made reservations but I can cancel them.”
I gave myself a shake. “No, no. I love this place.” I touched my free hand to my chest. “I’m just touched you went through so much trouble.”
His eyebrows rose in surprise, then he dipped his face closer to mine. “Noelle, you’re worth any and every amount of trouble.”
Unable to speak, I stared back at him mutely, my lips pressed tight.
His mouth tipped up in amusement, but it did not dispel the sadness in his eyes. Before I could question it, he straightened, and with a gentle hand to my back, led me inside.
Crushed velvet, sparkling crystal, soft lighting, the kind of music you wanted to make love to. Rounded tables, curvy chairs, a sensual snow globe.
Conversation flowed easily between us through a truly delicious dinner as we reminisced about the past and filled in the missing decade between us.
“Was there ever anyone serious?” he fiddled with his napkin, systematically tearing it into confetti.
Why did this question make me wary? “There was potential a couple of times, but that potential was never realized before one of us broke it off.”
“The fact that you’re not married with kids is shocking to me. You were always so excited to watch the weddings at Sage Ridge.”
“I still get excited when I see a wedding. I love weddings.” I looked out the window. “They’re beginnings and endings.”
“What do you mean?”
I cocked my head to the side. “Well, romance novels often end with a wedding. It’s the end of the journey.”
“What’s the destination?” he teased.
“Happily ever after,” I blushed, my lips curving into a slightly embarrassed smile.
The frown I’d become accustomed to marred his forehead. “If anyone should have that, it’s you.”
I dropped my gaze to the table. “I’d have liked to have been married and had a couple of kids by now.”With you.“It’s what I want most,” I admitted. “I can’t seem to get past the initial couple of phases of a relationship before I call it off. I got closer with the last guy I think.” I trailed off at the flash in his eyes.
“What happened?”
How much to tell? “We simply weren’t in love in the end.”
“Have you ever been in love?” he asked.
Chapter Fourteen - Eyes on Me
