Page 95 of No Summer Hotter than You

She nodded, stiffly. “He tries since he’s not afraid of her. But the problem isn’t how she is when she’s in front of my dad, it’s when he leaves for work and we’re alone. There’s nothing that will quell her anger.” She sighed. “My mom is a stubborn woman. When she believes the world works a certain way, you can’t change her mind until she’s proven wrong. Usually by someone else that’s not my dad, brothers, or me.”

“But Lee and Sai could at least try, even if she may not stop. Why should you have to deal with her treating you like this all the time?”

“I know they rather not be in the path of that anger, so that’s why. My dad’s the only person who can stop her before she goes overboard. So, thank you. I think she was embarrassed that you saw her like that.”

“Stop making excuses for your brothers. They didn’t want to protect you because it was easier for them that way.” I frowned, squeezing her hand. “Also, you don’t have to thank me. It’s something I should already be doing.”

“Anthony—”

“I’m serious, Shoua. If I’m going to be with you and be your man, protecting you is the bare minimum.” She turned to me with these glimmering, emotional eyes. Her lips parted, but I spoke up before her. I motioned to an empty lot two blocks away from my parents’ house. “We’re here—at my next major project site.”

“What?” Her brows crumpled together, glancing at the bare lot of land I jutted my jaw toward. “This is the secret place you wanted to show me?”

For as long as we could remember, there was an abandoned home with a rotting roof and peeling white paint in this lot, giving it an eerie presence. Decades ago, we believed it was haunted and always dared Julie to run by it after school. But Andy always did it for her instead like some gallant knight. The home was eventually torn down when we were in high school.

I found out then that an elderly couple had lived there before moving to Florida, leaving it to their children. But the house naturally fell into disrepair after many years of neglect and being empty. Some delinquents set it on fire as a prank a few years ago, leading to its eventual demolition.

Shoua flashed me a look of exasperation as I pointed at the sun-bleached for sale sign that had been up for several years. As I grinned from ear to ear, I felt a hot, searing flush creep up my neck. I looked her straight in the eyes.

“Baby, I want to build a home with you.”

CHAPTER 37

anthony

Shoua’s eyes widened in shock, and the confidence in me drained.

“I-I know it’s a bit p-premature. But I honestly can’t see myself spending the rest of my life with anyone else,” I said as I started to ramble due to nervousness settling in. “I love you, Shoua, and I want a home with you. I . . . I just thought I’d tell you straight from the start that I want this with you. If you don’t want it, then it’s fine.”

I watched as she blinked and swallowed, practically gulping. “A-Anthony, I—Are you sure about this?”

“Of course I am. I have never been more certain of anything before in my life, aside from confessing my feelings for you.”

“My mom wants me to marry you.” Her voice was firm.

“I know. I overheard.”

“Actually, both of my parents want me to marry you.”

I blinked, surprised. “They do?”

“Yeah, because they think you’re rich. They think you, your brother, and your parents are all rich too.” Her voice was all breathy.

“But I’m not. Our family is essentially middle class. We’re comfortable, but not rich. Why should that even matter, though?” Where was she going with this?

“Anthony, I don’t think owning a multimillion-dollar company is exactly middle class,” Shoua pointed out.

“Okay, true. It isn’t. We’re well-off, and I’ll admit to that but . . . Money isn’t important between you and me, right?” Then I gulped down my worry. “Unless whatever money I have is one of the reasons you’d ever consider being with me . . .”

She shook her head. “No, silly. What I’m trying to say is that whatever my parents comment on or whatever my mom gossips about, that’s not the reason why I—” She came to an abrupt halt and took a breath. She sniffed and I could see her eyes mist over again. “That’s not the reason I want this with you too, Anthony. I’d love to do this with you immensely, in fact. I want a life with you as much as you want one with me.”

My heart leapt a beat. “You can cry again if you want, Shoua.”

The tears welling in her eyes glimmered under the streetlights like little jewels as she let out a shaky breath. I reached out to catch her tears as I had in the garage. “Are you sure you’re all right with being a Mrs. Hughes?” I could barely breathe. “I don’t want you to feel pressured into saying yes.”

“Of course,” she said with a smile. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

I didn’t realize how hard I was smiling until my cheeks ached. I pulled her against my chest as our hearts rapidly beat in unison.

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