Forever Destiny Read online

  “It did?”

  “You made me realize what I had been searching for all of my life.”

  “What is that?”

  “Understanding.”

  “What?”

  “You once asked me what I looked for in a woman, remember?”

  “Caring, kindness, and intelligence.”

  “I left out understanding.”

  “Understanding?”

  “We fit, Valeria. We're a perfect fit. You understand who I am and I understand who you are. My love for you goes way beyond how physically attractive you are. You see me, really see me, and I see you.”

  A knot squeezed her throat. “Yes, I see you. I really do.”

  “There’s a reason destiny keeps putting us together over and over again, and it’s not just because I find you so irresistible. There was so much Kate didn’t understand about me.”

  “Leonel couldn’t make heads or tails out of me either,” she said quietly.

  “We make sense, Valeria.”

  “We do.”

  “I’m convinced that I loved you even before I met you that day at school. It seems like I've loved you forever.”

  “I love you too, Lorenzo,” she returned.

  He suddenly pulled her to him and she could feel his lips take her in further than they ever had. She could feel his light breath breathing inside of her, his feel so gentle and so much becoming a part of her, and his touch embracing her whole self.

  Chapter 62

  When Lorenzo had requested a date from Valeria, his voice had shaken awkwardly. It was an embarrassment for him not having control of his own speech. Feeling as nervous as a teen-ager asking the most special girl at school out, he sheepishly invited her to dine with him. She had readily agreed, letting the air out of his inflated jagged nerves. Fortunately, Mrs. Loya was only too happy to take care of Ofelia.

  “I know this isn’t the most romantic restaurant,” Lorenzo remarked as soon as they arrived at Antojitos.

  “Don’t apologize, my love,” Valeria responded quickly. “This is our place.”

  “I knew you’d understand.”

  When they were seated and had placed their orders, Valeria turned to him. “I could get used to date night.”

  Lorenzo cleared his throat. “I’ve got to admit that I asked you out for more than just a date night.”

  Her deep eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Why did you ask me out?”

  Lorenzo moved out of his chair as she watched him with a baffled look. Smiling quietly, he kneeled down on one knee. The whole restaurant turned silent, but he ignored the surprised stares aimed at them.

  “Marry me,” he articulated, pulling a bright-yellow sunflower from inside his coat.

  “Lorenzo,” Valeria said, taking the flower with astonishment, “we’re already married.”

  “You were drunk when you married me. This time I want you sober and knowing what you’re getting into.”

  Valeria flung her open arms around him, squeezing him so tight he almost lost his breath. “Yes, I’ll marry you again.”

  A wave of loud applause started throughout the restaurant. He pecked her firmly on the lips, wanting a deeper kiss but willing himself to wait for when they'd have more privacy.

  “We’ll have a real wedding—one that’ll blow your parents away,” he asserted, chuckling lightly and sitting on his chair again.

  Valeria laughed with him. “We’ve got to get the Acapulco one out of their nightmares.”

  “You haven’t taken a good look at the sunflower, have you?”

  “What?”

  “Look at it, Valeria,” he requested, his eyes raking over her.

  She noticed a shiny object on the stem. Pulling it out, she stared flabbergasted at the glistening diamond ring—a perfect band of striking silver with a sizeable flickering rock.

  “How do you like it?” he questioned, his heavy sight on her.

  “I love it, but you didn't have to get it for me. I’ve already got a ring,” Valeria asserted, showing him the family ring on her finger that he had furnished her with.

  Lorenzo took the new band and slid it over the old one.

  “This is your engagement ring. I don’t want for Leonel to be the only man to have given you one,” he remarked dryly. “Besides, it was important for me to give you a new ring—for our new life together.”

  The Ballad of Forever started blaring softly from the radio in the corner of the restaurant. Their eyes snapped to where the music came from and then to each other as they burst out in laughter.

  “It’s our song,” Valeria commented.

  Lorenzo took her hands gently in his own and glided his lips over them with supple, miniature kisses. “Yes, forever our song.