I held him close as warmth suffused my body. I was falling in love with this man. “Okay.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
GREG
I took a deep breath and stretched. Damn, Tony’s bed was comfortable. I turned on my side and snuggled into his big, warm body. “Good morning,” he said hoarsely.
I kissed his cheek. “Good morning.”
I saw the sun trying to peek through the shades. “Looks like it’s going to be a nice day. Maybe we can go to Bryant Park before we head to Brendan’s art exhibit.”
He lifted his head. “The what now?”
“Brendan’s art exhibit,” I repeated. “Remember, I asked if you wanted to go when we were out last night.”
His brow furrowed in concentration. Then he nodded slowly. “Yeah. Now I remember. With everything else that happened, it slipped my mind, sorry. What time does it start?”
“The doors open at four and it goes until ten.”
He sat up. “That works for me. We can go to the park for a while, head up to the school, and then get dinner afterward.”
My stomach rumbled. “But breakfast now.”
He chuckled and patted my belly. “Let’s feed you. You go shower, and I’ll start the coffee.”
We ate a leisurely breakfast of French toast and bacon, then decided to walk up to Times Square.
We hadn’t gotten far when, out of nowhere, Tony asked, “Have you ever been to the top of the Empire State Building?”
I shook my head. “Every time I thought about doing it, I was too busy.”
He took my hand. “Let’s go now.”
A laugh burst from me as we hurried down 5th Avenue toward the iconic building. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d done something spontaneous. We stopped outside the entrance so Tony could buy tickets on his phone. Luckily, we got in right away.
The ride up the elevator was an adventure all its own, but when we got out on the 86th floor and walked onto the observation deck, it was something else entirely.
“Wow,” I breathed.
The wind blowing back our hair was cool but not too cold. The late April sun was warm on my skin. The sounds of the city below us were muted. I hurried toward the concrete wall with its tall steel bars to get my first look.
The view was spectacular. From where we were standing, I could see the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. All the buildings clustered in neat rows made a living map of the vibrant city. As we walked around the wall, different vistas presented themselves. I stopped to admire the Chrysler Building, my personal favorite. I loved the art deco design, especially the stainless steel spire with its curved sunburst-patterned layers.
I’d always loved New York City. I’d dreamed of living here while I was in college. That dream died when I left Rutgers and was only rekindled after I began playing the piano again. I had so many things to be grateful to Jeremy for, and this was one of them.
Tony stood behind me and put his arms around me. I leaned back into his warm body with a sigh. “Thank you. This is amazing.”
He leaned in and kissed the back of my neck. “Anything for you, baby.”
We spent another hour enjoying the view and learning some of the history of New York and the construction of the Empire State Building. Then we decided to continue our walk toward Bryant Park. We had lunch at a cute little French café at the edge of the park that had the most delicious hot chocolate I’d ever tasted.
“I think the hot chocolate in Italy is better,” Tony said a little smugly.
“I wouldn’t know,” I replied. “I’ve never been there. I’ve never been out of the country.”
His brows rose. “No way. Well, I’ll just have to take you to Italy. And we can take a train to Paris so you can make a fair comparison.”
I opened my mouth to say I didn’t know what, then shut it again. Finally, I said, “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
