Page 48 of Yours, Finally

He pointed to his wife, who smiled and caressed his face in a quick pass of the back of her fingers.

With warmth overcoming my chest at her gesture, I couldn't help but to steal a glance at Vi. She gazed at her parents with love and pride on her face.

She also looked spectacular in a mint green dress with a marked sweetheart neckline, long sleeves that seemed to cling to her shoulders like they needed her the same way I did, and a thick gold metal belt cinching her waist. Best-slash-worst of all, was that her long, flowy skirt had a long slit up her thigh. Or so it seemed, from the glances I'd taken in the direction of her thighs. I probably shouldn't have let it occupy so much of my brain, but I failed to prevent it.

I cleared my throat as subtly as I could, and directed my eyes to Tío Raúl again.

"We're all here thanks to the work we do together. The Sotomayor Group wouldn't be what it is without the support from Sonia when the company wasn't more than a small business operation and we had two toddlers at home. It also wouldn't be what it is without my children and their friends, who have invested money, time, and hard work into it."

Max and Javier came from money, and they had invested heavily in the Group through the years. It allowed the Sotomayor's business to grow to the international level it held, while maintaining the social-forward practices they wanted. And with Gabe, Vi, and I working there every day, the conglomerate was truly a family affair.

"This week," Tío Raúl continued, "two men I am proud to have seen grow up are positioned to take over the Sotomayor Group. Sonia and I couldn't be happier that we're surrounded by the next generation, people we trust and admire, and love like a family. We couldn't be luckier to let you all take over and lead the next era. So this toast is to all of you, and to Gabe and Jake in particular with their recent promotions."

"And to you, too!" Vi added before we could all raise our glasses for the honorary sip. "You two make all our lives amazing, and have built something incredible— as a family and as a business."

"It's absolutely for you too," Gabe said as well, and we all nodded. "None of us would be who we are without you both."

"To all of us." Max lifted his glass high. "To Tío Raúl and Tía Sonia, and Gabe and Jake."

"Salud!" Tío Raúl exclaimed.

We all echoed him and sipped from our glasses.

Vi gave her dad and mom a kiss on the cheek. "Love you, guys."

"You're going to London tomorrow, right?" Gabe asked as he hugged his parents, too. "Using the fundraiser as a way for all of us to get together isn't enough."

"I heard you're all going to the lake house?" Tía Sonia asked. "That's good. We should plan one when we can all be there."

"Of course. We should always have one planned." Javier took another sip from his drink. "Galas are a good patch but not the real thing."

In what seemed like an automatic gesture, he took his phone out of his pocket and checked for notifications. He frowned at the device before putting it away.

It was odd behavior on his part, but I didn't mention it.

"I can't wait to have you all visit us in Laguna Island. When might be a good date?" Max asked in Tío and Tía's direction.

Their conversation turned into background noise, and I only half-listened as my eyes sought Vi again. She chatted with Eva, her smile brilliant and her hair cascading down one of her shoulders.

The ribbon that kept me tied to her went taut. It pulled and begged me to approach. For once, I wasn't bent on resisting it. The part of me that reminded me of my worries, that made me hesitate— it remained quiet, pushed into a corner of my mind. Its mouth had been taped shut.

I was a VP. Rules had changed. There was no plan to prevent all the things that could go wrong. No way to guarantee her family would be happy for us. But that night, I was ready to leave it as a problem for Future Jake.

That night, I was determined to make something happen between us.

Vi caught someone from the corner of her eye and her face shone even brighter with joy. My sight didn't stray to the new person; my eyes were glued to Vi. She told something to Eva and left the group to chat with someone. A friend, probably. Someone she hadn't seen in years, as she tended to skip galas as well. I didn't pay much attention, because all I could process was the way her leg peeked through her dress slit with every step.

I took a sip of my drink and cast my gaze up to the ceiling. Following her and finding a secluded corner wasn't an option yet. If I parted from the group in her pursuit, I'd go like a rutting animal, or a hunter tracking their target. I didn't want that to be the family's first impression of my feelings for Violeta. True as it was to how I felt, there was much more to it than that. If I were brave enough to show my heart first to them, they might have a better opinion of me when they realized we were together.

Vi disappeared into the crowd with her friend, and I did my best to chat with my own friends there in the group. When Tío Raúl asked me about my first week as a VP, my heart stayed inits place in my ribcage— it didn't sink to my feet, like it often did when I remembered that they didn't know I had romantic feelings for their daughter.

Maybe it was the past few weeks, and the way we had been on the brink of finally exploring whatever was between us. Or, fuck, the extra therapy I had had over the past two years. There was something different about that night, and I wanted to act on it.

The drive to do something had me ticking my jaw and drowning my drink.

"You okay, Jake?" Lina asked near me. "You don't come to the gala often. Too stuffy for you?"

I nodded. "All's good, though. It won't kill me to wear a tux this one time."