“Where do you see this going?” He knew what he wanted, but he needed to know whether they were on the same page. Yes, she loved him, but did that include working toward something more permanent?
She seemed to contemplate her next words before speaking. “I’ve tried not to think about it too much because I don’t want to jinx anything. But I do know I don’t want us to end up where we did before.”
He lifted the heart charm and ring. “Neither do I. I’m in this for the long haul, Tasha. I want us to do all those things we dreamed about.” Antonio stopped short of mentioning marriage. While he intended it to be his end goal, he still had a few things he needed to work out first. The admission was freeing in a way. All those years when he’d been angry and thought he was over her, she remained somewhere in the dark recesses of his heart, occupying a space no other woman could claim, not even his ex-wife.
Natasha sat up and searched his face. “Are you talking about us starting a business together?”
“Not sure how realistic that would be, but having our offices near each other sounds good to me. However, I can’t say how much work I’d get done because I’d find every excuse to steal a few minutes with you each day.”
She smiled. “You’re pretty distracting yourself. And yeah, not certain how that whole business would work.”
“But that’s not what I’m talking about. I meant the dreams we had as they related to us.” His cell buzzed in his pocket, but he ignored it.
Natasha leaned over and checked her phone. “That must have been your phone. Aren’t you going to see who it is?”
“If it’s something important, they’ll call back. I have to leave soon, so I want to spend these last minutes without interruption. Whoever it is can wait.”
She snuggled closer to him. “That’s one of the sweetest things a guy has ever said to me. I think I’m going to keep you.”
Chuckling, he kissed her forehead and let out a sigh of contentment. He planned to keep her, too. Until the end of time.
CHAPTER 28
Antonio didn’t get around to checking his messages until the next morning. He had one from his brother with a photo attached of a grinning Noelle holding another drawing she’d done. Smiling, he replied that he’d stop by later to pick it up. At this rate, he’d have a wall by the end of summer, but he didn’t mind. He loved that little girl.
Antonio finished his smoothie and left to meet Gabriel. They tried to get together every couple of weeks or so to shoot around on the basketball court or go running. Today they planned to do both and had invited Jon to join them. He sensed Jon and Terri might be going through something, but he didn’t know for sure.
Gabriel was waiting at the start of the trail when Antonio arrived but stood at Antonio’s approach. “Jon canceled. He said something about going to the Bay Area with Terri.”
“I’m not mad at that. She’s the priority. You stretch yet?” Antonio asked as he went through his own routine.
“A little.”
“Ah, you might want to do a little more, old man. I don’t want Serenity to blame me when you come home hurt.”
“Who’re you calling old?”
He chuckled. “You’re two years older than me, and there’s no one else around.” He made a show of looking around the area. “So…”
Gabriel snorted. “I see you’re starting early. Let’s see if you can back it up. Midnight Hills Trail?”
“Easy.” They started on the path at an easy jog, then increased the speed until they’d reached a sprint. The slip slap of their running shoes hit the pavement in a steady, coordinated rhythm. “Taking the hill?” Antonio asked. There was an alternate route for people who didn’t want to climb the hill.
“Yeah,” Gabriel said, winded.
Because he’d been running the hill almost daily for the past three weeks, Antonio had no problem with the incline, but Gabriel lagged behind a few steps until they started back down on the other side. It took about half an hour for them to make the complete loop.
Gabriel gestured to a picnic table near the lake. “I need to catch my breath.”
Antonio took a moment to do a few stretches, then dropped down on the opposite end of the bench. He leaned back and rested his elbows on the table.
“You and Natasha seem to be doing well. Are you in love with her yet?”
“I’ve always loved her. Now I want more, though.”
“Let me know if you need some help with anything. Natasha helped me when I was ready to propose to Serenity, so I want to return the favor.” Gabriel shared the details of how she’d helped to set up a private picnic and brought Serenity to the spot under the guise of needing to take photos for her portfolio.
He laughed. “My baby goes all out for others.” Natasha had a big heart, and Antonio loved that about her. “I’ll let you know if I need some assistance.”
