Sofia:
She did have a huge smile on her face this morning. And if it’s any indication, by her outfit, they didn’t make it very far.
“Everything okay?” Stefano asks me, and I look over at him.
“No,” I growl between clenched teeth. “I was told not to come into work this week.”
“Oh, good,” he says. “See, now you can relax and unwind.”
I put my phone down, my head spinning, when I hear, “I’m hungry.”
Stefano puts his hand up to get the attendant’s attention. She comes over and talks with Avery, who orders a turkey sandwich and fries.
We eat lunch, and by the time we look out the window, it looks like we are descending. We sit in the seat with Stefano next to Avery, his arm reached in front of her to stop her from flying out, apparently. The landing is perfect and Avery claps her hands as soon as the plane stops. “Are we here?” She looks out the window as I unfasten my seat belt.
I stretch my legs, watching Stefano grab Avery and put her down in front of him. “I’m going to go out first,” he tells her, “and wait for you. But hold on.”
“Okay,” she says, listening to his every word. He walks down the steps, looking back every single step to make sure she is okay.
A black truck is parked on the side with the driver standing by it. I walk down the five steps to the tarmac where Stefano waits with Avery holding his hand. He slips his other hand in mine before walking over to the truck.
“Welcome,” the driver greets, opening the back door of the truck, “to San Francisco.”
The minute he says where we are, I stop in my tracks and gasp, “What?”
“Surprise,” Stefano says over his shoulder as he places Avery in her car seat. I look around to make sure I heard what he said and to be sure I’m actually in San Francisco. The tears fill my eyes, making my vision blurry, and I blink them away but one escapes anyway.
“They have a TV in here!” Avery shouts, making me laugh while I wipe away the tear.
Stefano comes over to me, grabbing my face in his hands. “Hey,” he says softly, his thumbs rubbing my cheeks.
“This is—” I start to say without letting the lump in my throat bother me, but the tears come anyway. “This is too much.”
“No.” He smiles as he kisses my tear from my cheek. “It’s never going to be enough.” I look up at this man, who was just a memory to me not long ago, but now the man is reality and he’s everything you could wish and hope for. Maybe even more than I wished for. “Now, let’s go. There is one more surprise.”
“Please, I don’t think I can take it,” I say, putting a hand on my stomach. This is all more than I have ever dreamed of. I get in the truck and look out the window, taking everything in. We pull into the hotel, and I look up when I see the name. I close my eyes, not even trying to think about how much this is going to cost him. The door opens on both sides, the man holding out a hand for me to help me out. “Thank you,” I say, stepping down and walking around the truck to see Stefano with Avery. His hand is always holding hers.
“Mr. and Mrs. Dimitris.” The man comes up to us, and I don’t correct him and neither does Stefano. “Welcome to the Fairmont. We are honored to have you.”
“Excited to be here,” Stefano says to him.
“If you will follow me, I’ll take you to your floor,” he says, and I look around seeing the hustle and bustle of people. We walk up the four steps toward the brown doors that are opened for us. My mouth hangs open as I walk into the lobby. The beige marble floors are shiny, with the ceilings high, and the molding looks like artwork painted in gold, and pillars are all over the room. It’s the prettiest hotel I’ve ever been to. I don’t even hear what the man is telling Stefano as we walk to the side, going straight to the elevator.
“Don’t we need to check in?” I ask him, and he just shakes his head.
“Already done,” he replies, getting into the elevator after the man. I watch him press the eighth floor out of nine. “Also, my parents are in town.” My mouth hangs open. “Or will be. They should be arriving shortly. They will give us tonight.” I tilt my head to the side. “They probably won’t because they want to see Avery.”
I don’t say anything because the elevator doors open and facing the car are two brass doors.
“Welcome to the penthouse suite.”
stefano
. . .
I watch her face when we walk into the suite. Her eyes roam the living room with the baby grand piano and I have to roll my lips to stop from laughing. “You okay?” I ask her when I walk to her.