CHAPTER 36
THEA
The private dining room at Le Bernardin feels like stepping into a fairy tale.
Floor-to-ceiling windows look out over the Hudson. The tables are draped with cream-colored cloth and topped with fresh orchids. Soft jazz drifts in from the main restaurant, while candlelight casts everything in warm, golden hues.
The sight is gorgeous enough to make me forget, even if just for a moment, that there is a small army watching us. Gabriel’s men are present but invisible. If I try hard enough, I can almost pretend that we’re just a normal couple having dinner.
Almost.
“Dio, you look extraordinary,” Gabriel says as he helps me into my chair.
I’m wearing the emerald dress that Lara picked out weeks ago—one of the runner-up gowns for the gala. It hugs every curve in a way that makes me feel powerful instead of apologetic. Gabriel hasn’t stopped staring at me since I came down the stairs back at the mansion.
“Thank you.” I smooth the fabric over my stomach. My middle is still flat, but I can feel the difference, the life growing in there. I look out the window, my gaze tracking the glow of a boat out on the water. “I still can’t get over the fact that two months ago, I was cleaning bathrooms.”
Gabriel smiles. “Come now, the job couldn’t have been all bad.”
I laugh. “You want to give it a shot? Trust me, if I told you about some of the things I’ve seen, you wouldn’t be so excited about dinner.”
Gabriel reaches across the table and takes my hand.
“Two months ago, I didn’t know my life had yet to begin.”
His words move me in a way that I wasn’t ready for. Tears form in my eyes, but I quickly blink them away. I squeeze his hand.
Before things can get too mushy, the sommelier arrives with wine. He pours something ruby red and delicious-looking for Gabriel, sparkling cider for me.
“To new beginnings,” Gabriel says, raising his glass.
“To surviving long enough to see them,” I reply.
His expression grows serious. “We will. I promise you that.”
I want to believe him.
Maybe by the end of tonight, I will.
Dinner arrives, each course more delicious than the last. Gabriel orders for both of us, which should annoy me but doesn’t. Afterall, he knows what I like. He knows I have a sweet tooth, that I don’t like anything too spicy, and that I can’t stand fish now that I’m pregnant.
“It’s good to see you eat so well tonight,” Gabriel says as I polish off the last of the duck, spearing it onto my fork with a bit of sweet potato. “You’ve been eating light the last few weeks.”
“You noticed?”
“Of course I did. I was worried.”
It feels good to know that he has been looking out for me, that nothing escapes his attention or care.
“Well, that was mainly because of the morning sickness. It’s gone for the most part, at least for now.”
I reach over to pluck a piece of duck from his plate and pop it into my mouth. He watches with amusement.
“See? Appetite back. And thank God—I’d almost forgotten how good food tasted.”
He flashes me a smirk. “You know, there’s not a person on this planet other than you who I’d allow to steal food from my plate.”
I match his smile with one of my own. “In that case, I’ll savor the privilege.”