Booth Three

17

I never should've agreed to this. I thought it would be good. We could get it over and done with and I could use the opportunity to figure out how serious Diego is about us. By the looks of things, he's very serious. But the perspective of his family would definitely be useful. I'm starting to think it's not worth it, though. I was fine in the car, but now that we're actually on the property, I'm not so sure.

The place is huge. It's surrounded by a tall, brick wall, but I can't even see where it ends. The house isn't in view yet, either. All I can see is the garden, and it's big — a football field to the left and another to the right. No, more than that. It's like a national park, except the grass is perfectly cut and there's not a leaf out of place.

It's more well-kept than my apartment. Not Diego's, though. His place is spotless. We spent most of the day there. It was a mess when we left, but he assured me his cleaner would be stopping by, anyway. He's been so considerate all day. He's always considerate.

I didn't expect us to spend the full day together, even after he invited me to his family dinner. I'm glad we did, though. It definitely worked to my advantage. There's no way I could meet the Ferrari family without looking my best. I had to shower and bathe the girls, too. If Diego hadn't invited us over to his place, we would've had to go to Karla's.

Diego's apartment is exactly what I expected — a luxury penthouse suite in the heart of Soho. It has five bedrooms, six bathrooms, three living rooms, a theatre room, a massive terrace, and only one resident. He's definitely made it his own, though. It's not as white and bright as the apartment he got me. His has a lot more dark tones — blacks, greys, and silver highlights. It's far more masculine. The girls had a blast running through the place. Diego played hide and seek with them while I showered. He found Penny crying in the wardrobe of an empty bedroom. She got lost and couldn't find her way back. Diego is good with them, though. By the time I'd gotten out of the shower, she was back to running around. I wouldn't have even known she cried if he hadn't told me.

"Look!" Hayley calls from the back seat. "It's a castle!"

Sure enough, the house has finally come into view. And it is a castle. It's massive. It looks like a combination of Versailles and the house from The Great Gatsby. It's beautiful. I'm surprised it's not a museum. It's... incredible.

"You grew up here?" I ask Diego.

"Yep," he nods. "My dad built this house for my mum. They got engaged here, too."

"That's pretty cool."

It would be a dream of mine to have that for the girls — one stable home in their life that they could keep coming back to, one consistent place for them.

Diego brings the car to a stop, parking alongside an orange sports car. There are a few other cars out here, each looking more luxurious than the next.

"Are you ready?" Diego turns my way.

"No," I shake my head. I wasn't even this nervous for our first date.

"It'll be okay," he puts his hand on my leg. "Everyone will love you."

"They do know we're coming, right?"

"Of course," he nods. "I texted mum this morning."

"Okay, good."

"We can leave whenever you want, okay? All you have to do is ask."

"Alright," I nod. "Just don't leave me alone with your parents in case it's awkward, okay?"

"Okay," he chuckles. "I'll stay by your side."