“I suppose you’re right,” I tell him.
We talk about anything and everything on the drive down. As we get closer to Santa Monica, the air becomes salty and I swear I can smell the ocean.
“Almost there,” Ace says as he drives into a serene obviously wealthy neighborhood.
I was impressed by Park and Rachel’s neighborhood, but compared to this, theirs is normal. Homes here are huge with expansive front lawns. Ace slows down in front of a Hampton style home set back from the road.
The long drive to the house is surrounded by a lush green lawn. You’d almost think that you’re at a golf club. Of course, I know that the world is full of wealthy people, but I’ve never personally known any. And I’ve definitely never been to such a home.
“Is this where you grew up?” I ask, staring at the home. It’s the kind of place you see in magazines.
“Yes,” Ace says.
I knew they were well off, but I never imagined that the Carter home was anything like this. I swallow a lump of saliva as Ace stops the car in front of the imposing house.
Ace kills the engine and turns to me. “I want to tell you something, Lexi. Don’t ever worry whether my parents will like you or Luna. It doesn’t matter. What matters is us. The three of us and what we feel for each other.”
My insides tremble.
“I love you, Lexi. I love our daughter with all of my being. My opinion is the only one that counts.”
Did Ace just say that he loves me? Oh, God. Or maybe I’m hearing things. No human being has ever told me that they loved me. Not my mother and certainly not a man.
“I love you, Lexi,” he repeats as if he knows that I need to hear it again to believe it.
Tears fill my eyes and then spill out. Ace snaps his seatbelt open and reaches out to brush off the tears with the back of his hand.
“Don’t cry my beautiful, Lexi,” he says.
I smile. This is something that I secretly hoped for but never expected to happen. Love was huge. I stare into his gorgeous brown eyes. I’m the luckiest woman in the whole world. How else would you explain a gorgeous, sexy, kind man like Ace falling in love with someone like me?
As I stare at him, my chest fills with syrupy warmth and I realize that the void that I’ve always had in my heart is finally filled. “I love you, Ace.”
He cups my face and softly kisses my mouth. It’s an awkward angle in the car and we have to twist our bodies, but I don’t care. I don’t feel the discomfort. The sound of a door opening jolts us back to the present.
Mrs. Carter is waving from the front door.
“Let’s go,” Ace says. “I’ll grab Luna.”
“Hello,” Mrs. Carter says moments later as we walk up the massive steps that lead to the entrance. She air kisses me on the cheek and then goes to Ace to look down at a sleeping Luna. She kisses her softly on the forehead.
“She’s so precious. Come in. Dad is at the back.” she says.
I’m glad that I’m trailing after them as we pad through the house as I’m sure that I’m dragging my jaw on the floor. The foyer alone is the size of a small apartment. We cut across a massive living room a dining room that can seat at least thirty people, through French doors that open up to the back.
I feel as though I’m at an exclusive hotel. My sandals sink into the rich grass as we walk across the lawn to join Mr. Carter at a table set in the middle of the garden.
He puts his newspaper down and stands up. “Your mother was growing mad with impatience,” he says with a laugh. “Welcome to our home, Lexi and I hope you’ll come to regard it as your home too.”
“Thank you,” I say, touched by the words.
“Is that the little angel?” he says.
Luna looks at him with undisguised interest. He touches her nose with a single finger, and she giggles. Their friendship is formed. He reaches for her and she allows her new grandpa to take her from her father.
“I want to show you around the garden,” Mr. Carter tells Luna. Luna wriggles and he lowers her to the ground. “Did you come with a swimsuit to test out your new pool?”
My heart skips a beat. Ace and I talked about it. Luna hasn’t started swimming lessons and we’re not comfortable letting her enter a pool without one of us just yet.
“Some other time, Dad,” Ace says easily.
Mr. Carter takes Luna’s hand and takes her to a small trampoline near the edge of the garden.
“We got a small trampoline for her,” Mrs. Carter says. “I hope she likes it.”