Where I Wanna Be (19 page)

So do you
, Simone thought. Eli D’Amato. His dark hair was trimmed, a far cry from the ponytail he rocked when he was younger. He’d put on some weight, but that was a good thing; he was always so skinny in high school. There were several tattoos on his muscular arms and he completely filled out his simple attire of jeans and a shirt.

And those warm, hazel eyes. His eyes were always so welcoming and loving, turning strangers into best friends within a few minutes. Out of the five brothers Simone could remember, Eli was always the friendliest one. Not that the others weren’t but there was just something special about Eli. He was always willing to go the extra ten miles for someone.

A quick scan of Eli’s frame and Simone felt her heart get lodged in her throat. She knew it was too good to be true. Glaring back at her was a platinum wedding band. Maybe it was white gold. Hell, it could’ve been silver. It didn’t matter. Whatever metal it was, it said one thing loud and clear: unavailable.

“
I’ve been good. I moved back to New York recently and am trying to build my business here after being gone for so long.” Simone warmly smiled.

“
Oh yes, you’re the head of Simone Harris Events?” Eli lightly licked his lips. “I read your profile online. Very nice company you’ve built, Moni. Very nice.”

Simone hated the nickname Moni. Only a few people called her that but she specifically remembered how Eli would huskily say it to her during their youth. He would whisper it; almost tongue-fucking her ear with his low grumble.
“Are you okay, Moni?”Eli stopped moving and looked down at her. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

She snapped her thoughts back to the present. “Well, you haven’t done too badly yourself.” She looked around Madre’s. There were several small tables and chairs with portfolios and faux centerpieces on them, all different from the last table. The glossy painted walls boasted several pictures of A-list celebrities, athletes, and other noteworthy people with Nicola and her sons.

“
I would take some credit but this is really my mom’s doing.” Eli stood next to Simone as they looked at a picture of Nicola standing next to a high-profile Hollywood actress, “she had the vision and just needed the money to do so.”

Simone inhaled a deep breath of Eli’s cologne. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like how it made her nipples stand at attention. She didn’t like how it made her G-string panties dampen with desire. And she definitely didn’t like the soft contraction her sex made. She exhaled and quickly refocused on the subject at hand. “The lottery helped, I’m assuming?”

“
Big-time,” Eli shoved his hands in his pockets, “but it was really my mother’s vision. She always loved flowers and I could remember her gardening in the backyard whenever she had a free moment. She was always trying to fix up the house in some nice way.”

“
Yes, I remember,” Simone nodded. Although Eli and his family didn’t have much money, one would never know that by the way the house was done. Nicola always did arts and crafts, creating beautiful things and constantly making little knick-knacks. She still had the doll Nicola had given her years ago—a creation made out of buttons, corn silk hair, and wood.

“
Did you want anything to eat? Drink? We have pastries and tea.” Eli asked.

Simone turned around and smiled at Eli. “You have pastries and tea?”

“
Yes.” Eli’s hazel eyes sparkled. “Compliments of the house.”

Simone met Eli’s eyes and a slow smile spread on her face. It seemed that he always knew what angle the light would hit his face so the focus would be on his eyes. “You always knew how to pull out all the stops.”

“
You always seemed to bring it out of me,” he quietly spoke.

“
I could say the same about you,” Simone smiled.

Over pastries and tea, the pair conversed about their lives. Simone learned Eli was married and had a son. Eli found out Simone and her family moved a few more times before they settled back in Houston. Simone learned the updates of all Eli’s brothers and their respective situations.

“
So why did you come back home? It seemed like you were doing pretty well in Savannah.”

There was a major reason why Simone high-tailed it out of Savannah. She could still hear the whispers of people calling her a home-wrecker and a whore, when that was the farthest thing from the truth. Apparently just having a simple dinner and conversation with a betrothed client was seen as blasphemy in the Bible belt. “I just needed a change of scenery.”

“
I hear that,” Eli took a sip of tea. “I wish I’d traveled a bit more before I got settled down.”

“
You never left Staten Island?” She nibbled on a cookie.

“
I’ve been to a few places—L.A. to visit Kieran, Italy to visit our relatives after mom won the lottery, visiting other states for their flowers.” Eli shrugged. “But I always wanted to travel a bit more.”

“
Doesn’t Faith want to travel?” Simone inquired.

“
She does but she’s afraid of leaving Nathan for too long,” Eli’s eyes lit up when he thought of his son, “I can’t blame her, though. I don’t like leaving him alone too long, either.”

“
Sounds like he’s got you both wrapped around his little fingers.”

“
Oh, definitely,” Eli pulled out his cell phone and showed Simone a picture of Nathan and Faith, “would you want to leave this face?”

Nathan was a beautiful child. He was a replica of Eli with tawny skin and hazel eyes like his father. She almost wanted to caress the photo and briefly wonder what children between the two of them would look like. Just as her mind wandered into that thought, Simone quickly snapped herself out of it when she noticed Faith was in the picture. “You sure do make some beautiful babies…” she murmured.

“
Of course, I do. I’m a D’Amato.” Eli smiled.

“
How old is your son?” Simone asked.

“
He’s four. Just entering pre-school.” Eli smiled. “So unbelievably smart, it’s ridiculous. It’s like he knows how the world works, already.”

“
He knows more than I do.” Simone laughed.

“
Tell me about me it,” Eli shook his head. “He’s always teaching me new things every day. Like he recently discovered Scooby-Doo and that’s all I’m watching and hearing for the past few months. It’s like, when you see it in the eyes of a kid, your perspective completely changes.”

“
Sounds like you’re in love with your boy,” Simone commented.

“
Always, all the time.” Eli said proudly. “What about you? Don’t you want children one day?”

“
One day,” Simone commented. “I just don’t know when. I’m more focused on getting my business off the ground before settling down and popping out some kids.”

“
You make it sound like it’s a bad thing?”

“
No, it’s not. I love the idea of having a family. I love the idea of being hopelessly and ridiculously committed to one person. I love the idea of Capri-Suns and orange slices on hectic Saturday mornings. I love all of that. But right now, I’m in love with building the best damn event-planning business New York has ever seen.”

“
I hear that,” Eli agreed, “now let’s talk business.”

For better part of the afternoon, the pair negotiated on flowers, arrangements, and different prices Eli could offer to Simone. He showed her some dummy bouquets and brought out several portfolios of various centerpieces and other events they had done in the past. With every picture she saw, Simone was more impressed with Eli. He knew the best flowers to complement the bride’s dress and skin tone, which flowers were in season, and which ones would make the best impression on the guests—giving the
wow
factor that so many brides wanted.

Furthermore, Eli was passionate about his work. He knew flowers. He knew arrangements. He knew what worked and what didn’t. He could tell the difference between succulents, coxcombs, and calla lilies. He knew what flowers would be overbearing and what could work instead. And with his gorgeous looks and warm demeanor, there was no question why he was a big reason—if not the sole one—why many brides recommended Madre’s to their friends and families.

Simply put, Nicola was a genius.

“
So, are we good to go?” Eli asked. “I need to head out of here but if you have any questions, just give me a call.” He quickly wrote his number on a card to Simone and gave it to her.

“
Yep, we’re good,” Simone handed Eli her business card. “I have a few new brides, so we’ll definitely be in touch, Eli.”

Eli looked behind Simone and noticed it was already dark outside. “Hey, let me walk you to your car. I don’t want you walking out there by yourself.”

“
I can see my car from here, Eli.” Simone mentioned. “I’ll be okay.”

He refused to listen. Eli walked to the door and opened it for Simone. “After you, milady.”

Simone gathered her things and walked to where Eli held the door open. “You do this for all the event planners?”

“
If I answer that question, you might accuse me of not being fair,” he winked.

Simone started walking to her car with Eli right beside her. “So, I’m assuming that’s a yes.”

They arrived at her car and Simone unlocked it. “I think I’m fine now, Eli. Thank you for walking me to my car.”

“
Not a problem. Call me anytime you need anything.” He gave her a warm embrace. “It was good to catch up with you.”

Simone closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Eli’s back. He smelled good. He felt even better. His muscular build enveloped her small and curvy one. She had already formed a schoolgirl crush on him and she knew it was going to be difficult to keep their relationship professional.

His wife is so damn lucky.

****

She looked up at her kitchen clock; it was nearly nine and her husband was more than three hours late. He was running late on their wedding anniversary. She huffed momentarily before she sipped on a glass of wine. When he walked through the front door, there had better be a gift that accompanied him.

Faith D’Amato didn't know when Eli would get in, if he was going to be in before midnight. No matter how hard he tried, he never seemed to have good luck getting out of the shop at a reasonable hour. Most of the time, he stayed behind to clean up and map out the following day. Sometimes, he went to Happy Hour with his brothers, coworkers, and friends. But no matter what, Eli always came home. He might have been a little drunk. He might have been frustrated by a bride or two. But no matter what, he was home.

The thought of it brought a smile to Faith’s face. She always considered herself lucky she got the “good D’Amato” in Eli. All of the brothers were nice and would go out of their way to help someone, but there was something special about Eli. If they were walking down the street, he would make a point to say hello to everyone they passed. He would make conversation with the servers when they went out to dinner, wanting to get to know them and find out who they were behind the uniform.

Faith had known Eli for almost half of her life, long enough for him to practically raise her. She knew the moment she saw him delivering pizza to her she was in love with him. She merely waited for him to return the same feelings. When they did get together, their love was unstoppable.