54. Lark

Chapter fifty-four

Lark

“ B e good today, Rex; Gianni’s gonna stop by to take you on a walk later,” I tell him and blow him a kiss. As usual, he glares over his shoulder at me and goes back to napping like his usual grumpy self.

I lock the door and head downstairs with Tiny. My phone vibrates in my pocket as we make our way to the parking lot so we can head to work.

“Hey, Dad,” I say as I open the back door for Tiny to climb inside.

“Hey, do you have any plans for tonight?”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry, I do, actually. It’s Kira’s birthday, so I’m going out to dinner with the girls.”

“You think Kira and the girls would mind if I tagged along?” It takes all of my restraint not to burst out laughing. He has known since we were in high school that Kira would never mind having him around .

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem. I’ll send you the name of the restaurant when I get to work.”

“Sounds good, little bird. I can’t wait to see you and the girls. Have a good day at work,” he tells me.

“You too, Dad. Love you.”

“Love you more,” he says before hanging up.

***

We’re seated on the patio of a restaurant Kira’s uncle owns, and the sun is starting to set, creating the most beautiful halo around us.

“I’m surprised Daddy Hughes asked to join us tonight,” Kira muses beside Madison and Jade, knowing damn well it annoys me when she calls him that. She also knows that it’s her birthday, and I won’t say anything for that reason alone.

“Speak of the devil,” Madison whispers across from me as she peers over my shoulder to where the parking lot is. “And it seems he isn’t alone.” She laughs quietly.

That gains my attention. I turn to figure out what she could be talking about, and sure enough, Shay is walking hand in hand with my dad.

Finally .

I knew they had a thing for one another.

Dad and Shay approach our table, Shay’s bronze cheeks literally glowing in the sun with the massive smile she’s wearing.

He releases her hand just long enough to shoot me a wink and bend down to hug Kira. “Hey there, birthday girl. Thanks for letting me crash your party,” he tells her, planting a kiss on her cheek and handing her the massive balloon bouquet he has tied to a small black-and-white gift bag.

“For you?” she asks, waving him off. “Anything.” She turns her attention over to Shay. “And Shay, my favorite realtor! How are you?”

“Happy Birthday, Kira. I’m doing really great,” she tells her, taking a seat beside my dad, who plants himself to my right. Shay worked with Kira to find the salon she now owns.

“I bet you are,” Kira hums suggestively. My cheeks heat, but I roll my eyes, ignoring her antics.

Jade interjects, always acting as the peacekeeper. “Hey, Dereck. I’m glad you made it. I feel like we haven’t seen you in forever.”

He meets Jade’s round eyes with a warm smile. “Unfortunately, that’s because you haven’t. We really need to bring back the days of trash-talking soccer players and binge eating junk food at the house.” He chuckles.

“I’m pretty sure we haven’t done that since undergrad,” Madison chimes in. “But I agree, it was my favorite part of the sport.”

“You wound me!” Dad says, clutching his chest. As the owner of a soccer team, he takes it rather seriously.

The waiter comes out moments later, bringing out waters and taking everyone’s drink and appetizer orders.

As soon as he heads back inside, Kira turns her attention to my dad. “Alright, Dereck. Let’s get to business. What’s this all about?” she asks, jutting her chin out toward where Shay and Dad have their hands interlocked under the table.

Dad’s smile spreads, and he turns to look at me. “Shay and I are in a relationship,” he tells me.

I roll my eyes, smirking as I say, “Obviously. ”

“I considered talking to you about it since she’s the first woman I’ve dated since your mom left, but Shay convinced me that you’d just roll your eyes at me and tell me I was being ridiculous. It turns out, she knows you pretty well.” He laughs.

Shay leans across him. “To be fair, I told him he absolutely could have a private conversation with you about it, but I really thought you’d think that was absurd, so I guess I was banking on it.”

A smile spreads across my face, and my chest feels like it’s expanding. “Well, you were definitely right. I’m really happy for you both,” I tell them, honestly.

“Good,” Kira says, leaning back in her chair. The waiter cuts her train of thought short as he delivers our drinks.

“As I was saying,” she starts the moment he’s left. “I’m glad Dereck’s found love.” She winks at him. “And our Larky has too.” She leans forward on her elbows, cupping her cheeks in a cartoonish display.

“She has, has she?” Dad questions, his voice light as if he’s holding in a laugh.

“Isn’t it Kira’s birthday? Shouldn’t we be talking about her favorite subject?”

“Herself!” Madison finishes for me.

The whole table erupts in laughter, but Kira takes her fork and gently taps it against her wineglass to get our attention.

“Ha ha ha, very funny. As it turns out, my favorite subject is actually the latest gossip. So spill the beans, Larky.”

“Yeah, little bird. Tell us all about you and Gianni De Laurentiis,” Dad goads me.

Of course he’d have figured it out. Not that I was trying to hide it .

My cheeks turn pink as I’m suddenly reminded of all the things I’ve done with and to that gorgeous man.

“What exactly do you want to know?“ I ask, stalling as I prepare myself to let out all the things I’ve been thinking for months now.

“Oh, you know better than that, little bird. We want to know everything, but please save the sex talk for when I’m not around,“ Dad explains.

I lean back in my chair and feel a chill quake through me now that the sun has officially set. Shifting my body so my back is to the patio heater, I get started from the beginning.

Several minutes pass as they all eat, watching me intently and hanging onto my every word as I tell them about Gianni, how selfless he is, and how he immediately came to check on me the day I passed out on the field. I tell them about how he’s purchased himself several diabetic rescue kits that he keeps in his car, backpack, and apartment.

They’re floored by the time I get to the art studio he made me and how incredibly perfect it was. Kira begs to see pictures now that I’ve had a chance to hang up some of my art. She’s particularly invested since she’s been holding that secret close to her chest for a little while now, as she was the one who helped him with it.

“It’s perfect,” she says in a hushed tone. “Absolutely beautiful.”

Madison grabs the phone from her, taking it all in, and I see the moment her eyes snag on the painted stool. Jade leans over her shoulder, and a smile turns her lips up.

“My turn,” Dad says when he can’t wait any longer. He snatches it out of Madison’s hand, causing her to giggle .

He and Shay take it all in as I wait in silence. His eyes finally look up to meet mine. “Lark, this is…” His words get cut off as he chokes back emotion. “That man loves you,” he says, his tone reverent.

And at precisely that moment, I realize the truth behind his words. As if hearing someone else point them out was just what I needed to get them through my thick skull. More than that, I realize I feel the same.

I’ve fallen for this man. So deeply that I don’t know how I’d ever dig myself out of the valley of my despair if I had to go back to living in a world without him.

Sudden sadness starts to seep in, the feeling crushing me as I think about how my dad must’ve felt to lose the love of his life. I look over his shoulder to see how relaxed Shay is with him, her hip connected with his and her eyes filled with all the love she’s been holding back all these years as they fought their emotions.

“I’m so glad you two finally gave in to each other,” I tell them, my voice sounding strange to my own ears as I hold in the tears clawing their way up my throat.

Dad looks over to Shay, squeezes her hand and kisses the top of her head. “I am too,” he admits. “And it looks like my little girl has found the one who makes her heart happy too. And that absolutely thrills me,” he tells me. “Even if he is one of my players,“ he jokes with a wink to lighten the mood.

The next couple of hours are a lot lighter as we eat dinner, bullshit with each other, and eat tons of dessert.

Once we’ve walked Kira and her mountain of gifts to her car, Madison and Jade leave with her. Unfortunately, I have to head to work for the night, so I won’t get to join them for movies and a sleepover .

Once they’ve pulled out of the parking lot, Dad brings Shay to his car, opening the door for her and buckling her seatbelt.

It’s nice to see him happier than usual and, of course, always the gentleman.

Once her door is closed, he rounds the car to start it for her, calling over his shoulder at me, “Just one minute, little bird!”

“Take your time, Daddy-O,” I tell him.

He walks me over to my car, stopping to open the door of my Firebird for me. He pulls me in for a tight hug before I get in, but instead of releasing me right away, he tells me, “Gianni is a good guy, and he clearly makes you happy. I’m not sure what’s holding you back, but based on the way he’s come out of his shell for you, I think it’s safe to say he feels the same. Maybe it’s time you make a move, just like Shay did.” He chuckles.

That surprises the hell out of me because Shay has always been the quiet type. My eyes bug out of my head, and I pull back to see his shit-eating grin. “There’s no point in waiting when it feels so damn good to finally claim them as yours. Find those big-girl panties of yours and put ’em on, little bird. I’m pretty confident in saying that you won’t regret it.”

“Thanks, Dad. I’ll figure it out soon,” I promise.

“Glad to hear it, little bird,” he says, releasing me. I bend down to get into my car and buckle my seatbelt. Before he closes the door, he says, “One last thing before I head out.”

My brow lifts in interest. “You work too damn much, and you shouldn’t be missing girls’ nights with your friends because you don’t have the staff available to cover a shift for someone else. I’m paying to hire two new docs, and don’t worry, you can hold all the interviews. ”

I start to interject, but he holds up his palm to stop me. “Please, Lark, just let me do this for you. It’s a literal drop in the bucket for me, and it would make me feel better to know you aren’t working all hours of the night and missing out on life.”

I give him a smile, resigning to this because it would be nice to not constantly have to turn down plans with my friends or Gianni.

“Okay, fine. Thank you,” I tell him.

He goes to close the door, but a mischievous smile quirks his lips before he does. “Oh, and I fired Val. Betty called me to complain, and you know I can’t say no to that woman. Besides, Val needs to get her head out of her ass.”

That makes me burst out laughing as he slams the door shut, heading back to his car with Shay waiting inside.

***

It’s late, and there’s no one in the waiting room, so I should sleep, but I can’t stop thinking about what my dad said before he left.

As usual, he knows exactly what he’s talking about.

Gianni is the most thoughtful person I’ve ever met. The constant stream of red and pink peonies on my counter, which he miraculously refreshes just before they start to get droopy, is just one of the seemingly insignificant reminders of just how good he is. To his core, Gianni is a good man.

Everything about being with him feels so right.

I feel more comfortable with him than I ever have in my life, and I can actually see a future with him. I can picture us eloping, surrounded by no one except our closest friends and our immediate family members. I can see us having children, one way or another, and I can definitely picture all the ways in which we’d try to get pregnant.

These are all things I’d never thought about with Tyler. I always played it day by day with him, and I guess that’s because, deep down, I never had any plans for a future with him.

The soul-crushing, gnawing feeling I get in my gut at imagining going back to a life without Gianni is reason enough to tell him exactly how I feel.

“I’m in love with Gianni Elisio Amato-De Laurentiis,” I whisper into my dark office.

And I want him to know it.