How Much I Love by Marie Force

Chapter 15

DEE

Wyatt and I are ravenous for each other, like two people who’ve been separated for years and finally found our way back to each other. By the time daylight begins to filter into the room, I’m sore, tired and exhilarated after the most fantastic night of my life. It’s even better than the first night we spent together because now I know he loves me, and he knows I love him.

Love makes all the difference.

I’m lying on my side, facing him, holding his hand as we stare at each other in a state of stunned disbelief. At least that’s what it is from my end.

“Is this real?” I ask him, breaking a long silence.

“So real and so perfect it’s not even funny.”

Smiling, I raise my head to look over him at the clock on my bedside table. “Your interview is in two hours. Do you want to sleep for an hour?”

“I can sleep on the flight home.”

The reminder that he’s leaving this afternoon is like a pinprick to my good-mood balloon. I feel deflated and sad, and he hasn’t even left yet.

“Don’t do that.”

“What am I doing?”

“Thinking about me leaving and things getting messed up. That’s not going to happen.”

“How do you know?”

“Because neither of us will let that happen. You’re the most important person in my life, and we’re going to make this work. I promise.”

His sweetness and certainty have me choked up, overwhelmed with all the emotions.

He slides closer to me, puts his arm around me and kisses me. “Don’t worry about anything.”

“What? Me worry?”

“You have to take your own badass warrior princess advice and stay optimistic. I’m going to get the job at Miami-Dade, I’m going to move here, we’re going to live together, and we’re going to be so fucking happy that people will be jealous of how happy we are. And that’s how it’s going to go. You got me?”

I release his hand and place mine on his face, feeling the subtle tickle of his whiskers against my palm. “I got you, and I’m not letting go.”

“Don’t you dare. I’d never forgive you after you talked me into falling in love with you.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

We stay there for another half hour, whispering, kissing, making plans. I want to exist inside this bubble with him forever and never come out.

“Come help me in the shower,” he says. “I need you to wash my back.”

Laughing, I drag myself out of bed and immediately feel shy when the sheet falls away.

He’s right there, wrapping his arms around me and holding me close. “Don’t ever, ever feel self-conscious around me. I think you’re a fucking goddess come to life.”

“You make me feel very good about myself.”

“You ought to feel exceptionally good about yourself.” Smiling, he adds, “I feel exceptionally good about you.” He takes hold of my hands and walks backward toward the bathroom, bringing me with him as he feasts his eyes on every naked inch of me.

My entire body is on fire with embarrassment and arousal and desire, although I can’t fathom any more of what we’ve already had repeatedly.

The warm water raining down on my sore muscles feels like heaven, as does the sweet massage he gives my back and shoulders.

When I turn to face him, I trace a finger down the center of his pectorals over the faint scar from his surgery. “Who designed the image?”

“I did. It was how I saw myself after the surgery, spreading my wings, ready for anything that might come my way.”

“It’s beautiful. Have you drawn other things?”

“Lots of stuff. It was how I stayed sane during the months in the hospital.”

“I want to see it.”

“I’ll show you everything when you come to Phoenix.” He runs his soapy hands over my breasts and belly, making my legs feel weak and rubbery beneath me. “I was thinking about Phoenix. I know you said you have to work next weekend, but could you fly out next Sunday? I’m going to give two weeks’ notice at work, and we can drive back the following weekend. That way, you could meet my parents before we leave.”

My head is spinning but in the best possible way. “As long as my mom is doing okay, I should be able to do that.”

“If she needs you, don’t sweat it. I can drive back by myself.”

“I have no doubt Maria and Carmen would be happy to cover for me with my parents so I could make the drive with you.”

“That’d be very nice of them.”

“They’ve been saying for a while now that they wanted me to find my Jason or Austin. They wanted me to have what they do. I know they’ll do anything they can to support us.”

“It makes me feel lucky to have their support. I know how much that matters to you.”

“It does. They’re my ride-or-die girls.”

“I’m glad you have them.”

“We both have them. If I love you, they will do anything for you, too.”

“That’s good to know.”

I kiss him and leave him in the shower to shave while I get dressed in leggings and a T-shirt that leaves one shoulder bare. Before I dry my hair, I check my phone, looking for an update on my mom, which Maria has provided.

Checked in with the nurses this morning. Mommy had a good night, and the antibiotics are doing the trick. Her fever has broken, and she should be released later today with a new prescription for more potent antibiotics. It seems the current crisis has passed.

I respond to the group text that includes my brothers, Vincent, Vivian, Francesca, Nona and Abuela. That’s such a relief. Thanks for the update. I’ll handle dinner for them tonight. Taking care of my parents will give me something to do after Wyatt leaves.

And just that quickly, my chest aches from the thought of him leaving. I know it’s temporary, but after this whirlwind weekend, all I want in the entire world—other than my mother’s complete recovery, of course—is to be with him.

I decide to let my hair dry curly because I’m too tired and lazy to bother with the drying-and-straightening ritual. I put it up in a bun to keep it from making my shirt wet.

Wyatt emerges from my bedroom wearing a gray suit with a white dress shirt and a navy patterned tie.

I’m rendered utterly speechless at the sight of him in a suit.

“Earth to Dee? You okay?”

I lick my dry lips. “You… You’re so handsome.”

His smile lights up his eyes. “Thank you. You’re looking rather handsome yourself.” He comes toward me with intent that can’t be mistaken after the time we’ve spent together.

I hold up a hand to stop him. “Slow your roll, pal. You’ve got somewhere to be.”

“I hate having somewhere to be, but if it allows me to relocate to my girl’s hometown, then I guess it’s worth it.”

Hearing him call me his girl makes me feel light-headed and happy. So damned happy. “Good news—my mom’s fever has broken, and they’re sending her home today.”

“That’s fantastic news.” He checks the fancy watch on his wrist. “I guess I should call for an Uber.”

“I’ll take you. I can visit Carmen’s office while I wait for you. She’s been telling me to come by for months now.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to mess up your day.”

“You’re going to mess up my day by leaving later. I don’t mind driving you. We can stop for a cortadito at our favorite ventanita.”

“Um, translation please?”

“Cuban coffee.”

“Ah, sign me up for a decaf.”

“Oh crap. Sorry. I forgot you don’t do caffeine.”

“It’s no big deal, babe.”

I roll my lip between my teeth. “I need you to give me a full list of what’s off-limits for you so I don’t tempt you with things you can’t have.”

“I like when you tempt me.”

“You know what I mean. I don’t want to cook something bad for you or take you for coffee you can’t drink.”

“I bet there’s a decaf option. Let’s go find out.”

“And you’ll make me a list of what we need to avoid?”

“I’ll make sure you have all the info you need.”

He grabs a leather portfolio, and we head out with me driving to Juanita’s ventanita, which is a hole-in-the-wall at a gas station. On the way, I describe the four types of Cuban coffee—cafecito, colada, café con leche and cortadito.

“Which one do you think I should try?”

“Since you’re not a regular coffee drinker—and honestly, I don’t know how people function without it—I’d try a decaf café con leche. It’s milder than the cortadito, which Abuela says puts hair on your chest.”

“But I don’t want hair on your beautiful chest.” He pretends to make a note in his portfolio. “Note to self. She needs kick-ass coffee to start her day.”

“She does, or she isn’t responsible for her crankiness, especially after almost no sleep last night.”

“Best night ever,” he says, glancing over at me. “Even better than the first one, and I wouldn’t have thought that was possible.”

“I was so embarrassed about that night afterward.”

“What? Why?”

“It was just so unlike me to, um, behave that way with a man I’d only just met. It was like I was outside myself or something. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Whoever you were that night, I liked you a lot. So much that I constantly relived it over and over and over again until I thought I’d go mad if I didn’t see you again as soon as possible.”

“Really?”

“Really. And that’s never happened. I’ve never been obsessed with seeing someone again the way I was with you. I think I was already well on my way to being in love with you before you made me fall the rest of the way.”

“I didn’t make you do anything.”

“Yes, you did. You made me believe, and you have no idea what a big deal that is for me. Before this, before you, I thought I was a pretty optimistic kind of guy. I didn’t dwell too much on the uncertainty that’s such a big part of my life, but I can also see that I was missing out on some pretty incredible things by putting limits on what I allowed to happen. So yeah, you made me see some things just shouldn’t be missed, and I’ll always be thankful to you for pushing me on that.”

I flash him my best saucy grin. “I made out pretty good, too.”

“Don’t remind me of that, or you’ll send me into my interview with a boner that won’t quit.”

“I’m surprised it still works.”

He takes my hand and places it on the rigid column of his erection. “Works just fine.”

“Stop!” I sputter, trying to pull my hand away, but he isn’t having it. “Wyatt…”

“Yes, Dee?”

“We’re here.”

He looks up at the gas station, his brows furrowing with confusion.

I give my hand another tug. “You’ll see, but you have to let me go.”

“I’ll let you go. For now.”

We get out of the car and join the line for Juanita’s magical coffee and pastries. It moves slowly because Juanita makes everything herself and takes the time to talk to each of her customers. We’re doing good for time to get Wyatt to the hospital for his nine-thirty appointment, but he keeps checking his watch.

“I’ll get you there on time. Don’t worry.”

“What? Me worry?”

I love him. I love being with him and how easy it is. It’s easy, like breathing. I take hold of his hand with both of mine.

He gives mine a little squeeze.

I look up from our joined hands to see Juanita watching us, a big smile lighting up her pretty face. “Hola, amiga ¿Cómo estás? ¿Dónde encuentran tu hermana, tu prima, y tú estos chicos tan atractivos y cómo puedo conseguir uno para mi hija?” Hi, friend. How’re you doing? Where do your sister, cousin and you find these hot men, and how can I get one for my daughter?

Laughing, I glance at Wyatt and say, “Lo encontré en la boda de Car.” I found this one at Car’s wedding.

“Ah, sabía que no me hubiera ido a mis vacaciones para ir a esa boda.” Ah, I knew I should’ve skipped my vacation to be at that wedding.

“Why do I feel like you ladies are talking about me behind my back?” Wyatt asks with a grin.

Juanita fans her face. “We’re talking about you, all right, but we’re doing it right in front of your very handsome face.”

“Oh, um, thank you.”

“Juanita, this is Wyatt. Wyatt, meet Juanita.”

“Very nice to meet you,” she says.

“Likewise.”

“I’ll have a cortadito, and Wyatt would like a decaf café con leche.”

Juanita makes a face that lets me know what she thinks of the word decaf and gets busy making our drinks. She asks how my mother’s doing, whether Carmen is pregnant yet and not telling her, and how Maria and the sexy baseball player are doing. “His little girl is adorable. She likes the decaf café con leche, too.”

“She’s so cute.”

Juanita brings our drinks to the window. “A cortadito and a decaf café con leche for the chico sexy.”

“Did she just say I’m sexy?” Wyatt asks.

I sputter with laughter. “Like you didn’t already know that.”

“Me gusta éste, cariño,” Juanita says. “Es bueno verte sonreír de nuevo.” I like this one, honey. It’s nice to see you smiling again.

“Gracias, a mi me gusta él también.” Thank you. I like him, too.

Wyatt pays for the coffees and accepts the bag with delicious pastelitos that come with every order of coffee. I’m not sure if he’ll eat one, but I hope he’ll at least taste the buttery goodness.

“What’s in here?” he asks, holding up the bag as we walk back to the car.

“Heaven.”

“Heaven in a bag, huh?”

“Yep.”

In the car, he takes a tentative sip of his coffee. “Wow, that’s good.”

“I told you.” I take the bag from him, retrieve one of the pastelitos and offer him a bite. “I feel like Eve in the Garden of Eden, offering Adam something bad for him.”

“One little taste won’t hurt anything.” He takes a bite, and his eyes roll back in his head. “Yeah, that’s fucking awesome. I can’t believe she works out of a gas station and sells the best coffee in Miami.”

“She does a huge business out of that little hole-in-the-wall. People come from all over the city every day and wait in line for what she’s dishing up.”

He takes another sip of his drink. “I can see why. I usually could take or leave coffee of any kind, but this could become a habit.”

“I’m glad you like it.” I feel proud to have introduced him to something that’s been such a big part of my life. “You can’t grow up in Miami with close Cuban relatives and not have some sort of history with coffee. It’s a cornerstone of our social fabric.”

“I’m intrigued by the cultural aspects of Miami, and by the way, it was super sexy listening to you speak fluent Spanish.” He fans his face dramatically. “I didn’t know you were bilingual.”

“That comes with growing up here. Everyone speaks Spanish. You can live your whole life here and never speak English.”

“Did you take Spanish in school?”

“I did, but I was fluent by the time I was in middle school. I have so many close friends and cousins who speak Spanish that I learned just by being immersed.” I glance over at him. “If you want, after your interview, we can poke around in Little Havana a bit.” His flight isn’t until five-thirty, so we have all afternoon to spend together.

“That sounds great. I’d love to poke around with you.”

“I’m talking about walking, just in case you’re thinking about other things.”

“When you’re around, I’m always thinking about other things, but in this case, I knew what you meant.”

When we arrive at Miami-Dade, Wyatt takes a critical look at the place and says the landscaping is beautiful. “I can’t get over the difference between here and Phoenix. Everything there is so dry and barren, and here, it’s so lush and green.”

“We’re all about the landscaping in South Florida. Everything is beautifully landscaped.”

“I love it.”

I’m so glad he loves my town and wants to be here, because I don’t think I could bear to leave again, not after having done it once before. Now that I’m home, I’ve realized how painfully homesick I was in New York, even having my cousin there with me. It wasn’t the same as being here, surrounded by most of the people I love and being with them anytime I want.

We park in the visitor lot and walk inside together, taking the elevator to the executive offices, where Carmen works across the hall from the hospital president, who, along with the medical director, chief of surgery and head of cardiology, will meet with Wyatt.

“Maybe you should go in before me, so it doesn’t look like you brought a date to an interview.”

Smiling, he says, “I don’t care if they think I brought a date to an interview.”

“You need to get this job, Wyatt. I can’t move to Phoenix.”

“I know you can’t, but don’t worry. If I don’t get this one, I’ll apply to others. I’ll find something.”

“I want you to find something that makes you happy.”

“I want to be with you. You make me happy.”

Before I can reply to that, we’ve arrived at the hospital president’s suite. I’m delighted to see Carmen in the reception area, speaking to a woman seated at a desk. I recognize her from the wedding, but I can’t recall her name.

Carmen lights up at the sight of us. “Mona, you remember my cousin Dee from the wedding, as well as Jason’s good friend Dr. Wyatt Blake.”

“Nice to see you both again,” Mona says.

Car hugs Wyatt and me. “I was hoping to see you before your interview, Wyatt, so I could wish you good luck.” To me, she adds, “This is a nice surprise.”

“I figured this was a good time to take you up on the invite to see your office. If you’re not busy, that is.”

“I’ve got time,” she says.

“You look fantastic, by the way.” She’s wearing a black suit with a red silk blouse and sky-high heels. “You’re rocking that suit.”

“Aw, thanks.”

Mr. Augustino emerges from his office. I remember him from the wedding.

Carmen introduces us to him, and he shakes hands with both of us. “Good to see you again. Dr. Blake, we’re ready for you in my office.”

“Lead the way.” Wyatt trails a hand over my back as he follows Mr. Augustino into his office.

I’m a nervous wreck watching him go, hoping and praying he can land this job, the first step in making our plans a reality.

“Come in.” Car nudges me out of my stupor toward her office, closing the door. “Look at you.”

I take a seat in one of her visitor chairs. “Huh?”

She sits next to me. “You’re all dewy-eyed and besotted.”

“Am I?”

“Oh yeah, and it’s very nice to see. Tell me every single thing, and don’t leave out anything.”

“Don’t you have to work?”

She waves her hand as if to say forget work. “This is far more important. Tell me, Dee.”

“I love him. Like really, really love him.”

Carmen lets out a squeal and claps her hands. “This is the most exciting thing since Maria landed herself a hot baseball player.”

“What about your hot neurosurgeon?”

“That was so last year.”

I laugh at the face she makes. “So you feel better about this since you slept on it?”

“I like to see you so happy, and I’d never do anything to take away from that for you.”

“Thank you. That means everything to me.”

“It doesn’t mean I won’t worry about you—and him—but I can see how in love you guys are, and it’s so sweet.”

“I can’t believe this is happening, Car. I mean, the night of the wedding was crazy, but I never expected to see him again. Now I can’t imagine life without him.”

“I so hope he gets the job. I put in a good word for him, and so did Jason.”

“You did? That’s amazing!”

“Of course we did. He’s great, and Jason says he’s one of the best doctors he knows. They’d be crazy not to hire him.”

“I’m all wound up in knots. I feel like everything I’ve ever wanted is right within my reach, but I’m so afraid of something messing it up.”

“It’s going to be great. I know it. And I couldn’t be more thrilled that my parents offered you the GM job. I’ve been after them for years to slow down and smell the roses. It took your mom’s illness to get their attention.”

“I’m so excited and nervous and humbled that they asked me.”

“You were the only one they wanted. We talked about it, and we all agreed it should be you.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence. I’m looking forward to starting and learning the business side of things.”

“I’m looking forward to my parents having some time to themselves. They’ve worked so hard. They deserve it.”

“They sure do.”

“So you haven’t told me everything yet.”

“He wants to get a house and live together.”

“I think it is so awesome that you’re cutting straight to the good stuff.”

“We have no time to waste.”

“About that…” She seems to choose her words carefully. “I made Jason explain it all to me in terms I’d understand.”

“And?”

“It’s kind of frightening. I wish I hadn’t asked. How are you coping?”

“By pretending it’s not an issue and just moving forward with our plans. And before you ask, I’m not in denial. I understand the odds aren’t in Wyatt’s favor, which is why we’re trying to live in the moment as much as we can. That’s all we can do.”

“You’re so brave, Dee. I’ve always thought so, but never more so than I do now.”

“You’ve always thought I was brave? Seriously?”

“Hell yes. You picked up and moved to the biggest city in the country. I was so envious of you for that. I couldn’t imagine leaving my safety net here to do something like that.”

“You could’ve done it.”

She shakes her head. “I couldn’t have, especially after I lost Tony. I needed the support of my people to keep moving forward. I wouldn’t have done well somewhere else.”

“You’re the brave one. You survived something that would’ve killed a lesser person.”

“I survived because I had no choice, and you will, too, if the worst thing happens.”

“I hope so.” I refuse to let thoughts of that possibility into a day so full of promise.

“Enough about that. Where will you live?”

“I want a house with a yard and maybe a pool. Where should we look?”

“I saw something for sale on the way to Maria’s the other day.” She pulls out her phone, calls up Zillow and, in a matter of minutes, has me booked to tour a three-bedroom, three-bathroom house tomorrow afternoon.

I laugh at her quick work. “You don’t mess around, woman.”

“You’re the one who said there’s no time to waste, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Here’s another one close to Maria’s. You can look at both tomorrow before work.”

I blow out a deep breath. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Believe it. You deserve it after, you know…”

She doesn’t want to say Marcus’s name. “Have you heard anything about how he’s doing?”

“Just that he’s in rehab, but you know that.”

“I can’t believe I had no idea he was an alcoholic. How did I miss that?”

“You didn’t miss it. He just did an excellent job of hiding it from you.” She pauses before she adds, “You might be blaming yourself for staying in New York and putting that strain on your relationship. But I was thinking about that last night, and it occurred to me if you hadn’t done that, it probably would’ve blown up much sooner because you would’ve realized he had a problem with drinking. You would’ve been here to see it.”

“Part of me feels like I should’ve been here with him.”

“No, that’s not true. You wanted that time for yourself before you made a permanent commitment to him. You have no reason to feel guilty about that. He also had a choice to continue or not continue your relationship after you decided to stay. He chose to come back to you after the time you spent apart, which makes what he did that much worse, in my opinion.”

“It’s all so hard to fathom. Even after all this time.”

“Bianca told Maria he’s still determined to fix things with you.”

I’m shocked by that information. “What does he think there is to fix after he married someone else?”

“No idea, but apparently, that’s his only goal in life.”

“I really can’t hear that. I’m not available to be his only goal in life.”

“That’s right. He had his chance and blew it epically.”

“I don’t want to talk about him. Let’s talk about something else.”

“Such as how I’m starting to think your brother has a thing for Sofia?”

“I’ve noticed that, too. Maria and I called him out on it last night, and he claims they’re just friends. We let him know we’re watching him, and he’d better not pull any of his Nico shit with her.”

“I’m glad you guys said something. I’ve been kind of worried about that.”

“He swears his intentions are good, and he understands we’ll kill him if he pulls any crap with her. But here’s the thing… I think he likes her.”

“As in really likes her?”

“Yep, and he has no idea what to do about it because he’s only ever been a player. He has no idea how to do a real relationship. He’s never had one.”

“Except for Tanya. Remember her?”

“That was, like, eleventh grade.”

“But he liked her, and she blew him off. After that, he started acting kind of shitty when it came to girls and women. Like he wasn’t willing to make an effort and have something like that happen again. He was going to be the one to do the leaving.”

“Huh, I hadn’t thought of it that way, but you may be right.” I glance at the clock on the wall behind her desk. “How long do these interviews take, anyway? Do I have time to pop in on my mother?”

“She was released already. I went to see her this morning, and they were on their way out.”

“Oh wow, that’s earlier than she expected.”

“Sorry, I figured you’d already heard that.”

“No worries. How’d she seem?”

“Good. Eager to get out of here and get home.”

“That sounds like her.” I text the update to my siblings and the others, letting them know my mom should be home by now.

Everyone responds with relief to hear the news.

A new message arrives from my mom to our family group chat. I’m home and feeling much better. Thank you for all the good wishes. After she heard I was in the hospital, Mrs. Lopez brought over a casserole, so we’re set for dinner. Everyone take the night off. All is well here. Love you, Mommy

I show the message to Car, relieved that yet another crisis seems to have passed.

“She sounds good.”

“She does, and I’m off the hook for dinner tonight, which is kind of a bummer because Wyatt is leaving, and I was glad to have something to do.”

“Come to dinner with us.”

“That’s okay. You guys don’t need to babysit me.”

“We don’t mind at all. I’ll get reservations somewhere fun, and I’ll invite Maria, Austin and Everly, too. We’ll keep your spirits up.”

“That sounds good. Thanks, Car.”

“Anything for you, kid. When do you plan to see him again?”

“I need to clear it with your dad, but provided he gets the job here, I’m hoping to fly out there next Sunday and spend the week in Phoenix to meet his parents and help him finish packing. Then we’ll drive back together the following weekend.”

“This is so exciting!”

“Is it normal to feel like you have bats flying around in your belly when something like this is happening?”

“Perfectly normal. I felt that way the whole time I was first with Jason until I knew for sure he was going to work here, and we could make a go of it.”

“I remember that. It was a roller-coaster ride for you.”

“But so worth it in the end.”

Her desk phone rings, and she gets up to take the call. “Sure, Mona, tell him to come in.” She puts down the phone and goes to open the door for Wyatt.

My heart does this crazy somersault thing at the sight of him. I need to ask him if I should be worried about that, but I’m too busy staring at him to put the thought into words.

“How’d it go?” Carmen asks.

“Great,” he says. “I think they liked me. Because my schedule is so crazy at home, I’ve already done several meetings and toured the facilities remotely, so today was kind of a formality. But we’ll see.”

“When will you know anything?” Carmen asks.

“Mr. Augustino said he’d call me as soon as they make a decision.”

“Fingers crossed that it’s soon, so you aren’t twisting in the wind.”

“That’d be nice.”

I appreciate Carmen doing the grilling for me.

Wyatt smiles at me and reaches for my hand. “What’ve you ladies been up to?”

“Just talking.”

“And shopping for houses,” Carmen adds. “We found two possibilities near Maria’s that might work.”

“Let me see.” He leans over the back of my chair, surrounding me with his warmth and the subtle scent of his cologne.

I show him the two houses we found, and he loves them both.

“I like the one with the pool,” he says. “We could have some good parties in that yard.”

We visit with Carmen for a few more minutes, and then she walks us to the elevator. “Fingers and toes crossed for you, Wyatt. Let us know as soon as you hear anything.”

“Will do. Thanks again for the good word.”

“Hope it helps.”

When the elevator chimes, I hug my cousin. “Thanks for keeping me company.”

“Anytime. Call me about dinner.”

“Will do.”

“You guys are doing dinner?” Wyatt asks as we ride to the main floor.

“My mom is home, and their neighbor took care of dinner for tonight. I said I was sad about you leaving and wouldn’t have something to keep me busy. She immediately organized dinner so I’d have something to do.”

“I’m glad your mom is home, and I sure love your family.”

“They’re pretty great.”

He puts an arm around me as we walk to the parking lot. “I have a good feeling I’ll be back here very soon.”

“I so hope you’re right.”