Page 47 of Falling Again
Anthony waved off her concerns with a piece of bacon. “Nah, I thought we’d stay in the cart this time. We haven’t been back here in two years. I’m sure there’s more than a few changes.”
“That sounds nice, but what about packing up the house?” Anthony averted his gaze and refilled his teacup. “Uh oh,” she laughed. “I know that look. You’re up to something.” Natalie slid her cup closer for her own refill, but she wasn’t letting her husband off the hook. “What are you planning?”
Slurping noisily from his tea, Anthony collected his thoughts. “What about ifwebought the house from my parents?” Natalie cringed at his suggestion, but Anthony plowed ahead. “Hear me out. We could certainly use time away from it all, you know? We’ve only been back here one night, but I already feel relaxed. More like myself.” Natalie could tell from his expression that Anthony was holding something back, but she kept quiet and let him speak.
“Nat, I know our life is in Buckeye Falls. But wouldn’t it be nice if we spent some of our time here too? The kids would love to have a new house to tear up, and it would do us some good to get away from it all.” His eyes sparkled and he became more animated as he spoke. “Some of my favorite memories with you are here. My childhood too. I just don’t want to lose all that.”
Natalie edged closer in her seat, reaching out and taking one of Anthony’s hands. It was slick with sweat, and she saw that he was more invested in this than she realized. “Buying another house is a big deal. How do you know your parents don’t need to make a huge profit?”
Deflating a little, Anthony shrugged. “I don’t. I haven’t mentioned this to Dad yet. I wanted to see what you thought.”
What Natalie thought was that it would be wonderful. She loved the idea of taking the kids away during the summer and having the opportunity to relax and unwind without their regular responsibilities. But that was the trouble with having a full life; she couldn’t just run away on a whim.
“What about—” Her words were cut off when Anthony placed a hand on her knee and squeezed.
“There’s a lot of what ifs we need to discuss, and Lord knows we’ll have the time. What I’m asking for now is an open mind about it. This place is special, and I think it’s worth keeping if we can swing it.”
The hopeful glint in Anthony’s eyes was all Natalie needed to see. There were so many things they needed to work out, both with their marriage and potentially buying a second home. But in the summer sunshine on the patio, the sound of the wind in the trees, and the smell of ozone hanging around from the storm, Natalie couldn’t think of a reason to say no.
Instead she nodded, pulled Anthony’s hand to her lips, and kissed it. The pulse point on his wrist kicked, and her thoughts immediately raced back to the night before. Maybe there was some magic on the island after all. But rather than think of all the magic they’d lost recently, Natalie decided to be positive. She dropped his hand and reached for her cup of tea. After draining the last of her caffeine, she turned to Anthony and said, “Let’s go exploring.”
*
“I’ll clear the table,” Anthony said, nearly toppling his patio chair at Natalie’s words. There was no point playing it cool anymore. Anthony was desperate to spend time with Natalie, desperate to repair the growing chasm between them. “Do you mind if I grab your swim tote?” Anthony had seen her pack her swimsuit and towels, and a dip in the lake seemed like the best way to start their day.
Natalie smiled, pulling her hair back and tying it up with an elastic from her wrist. “Sure! You thinking of starting the day with some lake time?”
“I was. How about that spot on the south side of the island?” It was a part of the island they frequented a lot during their first summer. Secluded with rock cliffs, it didn’t quite feel like Ohio, but rather somewhere in the Northwest. Anthony’s skin prickled at the memories of some of the things they’d done out in the lake. Judging from Natalie’s dilated pupils, she was right back in time with him.
“Let me go change into my suit.” Natalie stood, her leg bent at the knee. She hopped twice to the screen door and opened it for Anthony to follow with the dishes. Once he placed them on the kitchen counter, he returned to close the door and threw Natalie over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. “Anthony!” she yelped, laughing all the way down the hall.
“We have no time to waste.” They both hurriedly changed into their swimsuits, Anthony nearly falling over when he saw Natalie’s profile in the doorway. She’d bought a new suit since Otis was born. It was a one-piece with a deep-V that perfectly hugged her curves. Anthony had to swallow twice before he could get his mouth to work. “You look lovely.” His compliment came out low and gravelly.
Natalie cheeks bloomed at his words. Pulling a tank dress out of her bag, she slid it on, the hem barely hitting her knee. Anthony immediately hated that dress, wanting her to run around the island in nothing but her suit, but he bit his lip. After hearing about her misgivings and body issues, the last thing he wanted to do was make her uncomfortable. It pained him to think he may have already done that without knowing.
“Let’s roll.”
Anthony pulled on a T-shirt and held out an arm for Natalie. “Fireman’s carry or regular?” he asked, winking at Natalie’s giggle.
She placed a finger on her chin, tapping it in mock-concentration. “Dealer’s choice,” she offered. Anthony didn’t need to be told twice. Knowing it was faster to toss her over his shoulder, he dove for her middle and felt her laughter rumble through their touching skin. “You better not get too used to this,” she added.
“You better get used to it. I’m having way too much fun having you totally reliant on my muscles.” He shook her gently in his arms.
“No point arguing, I guess,” she teased.
“Nope.” Anthony loved this. Of course he didn’t want Natalie to be hurt, but he reveled in the opportunity to take care of her. It was a chance he wouldn’t waste.
Alice’s words from the day before rang through his head.You need to make this week away special, Anthony. You need to make the most of the time you have without the kids and work.
Anthony planned to do just that.
When they reached the front door Anthony saw that Dr. LeFeber had moved his golf cart to their driveway. Anthony carefully walked down the gravel path until he got to the passenger side and slid Natalie into place. Once she was settled, her bag between her feet, he leaned in and gently kissed her. The contact startled her, but Natale didn’t pull away.
As he was stepping back, Natalie snatched his wrist and pulled him closer. “Thank you,” she breathed before closing the distance and kissing him again. Her lips were smooth and soft and tasted like strawberry jam. If it wouldn’t have been for the sound of footsteps behind him, Anthony would have deepened the kiss—and a hell of a lot more.
“Good. You found the cart,” Dr. LeFeber said. He was dressed in an outfit suitable for golfing, a straw hat covering his lined face. “I’m going to be leaving the island for the day, but I left my cell number inside the cart if anything pops up with the cart or your ankle,” he added.
“Thank you for letting us borrow it. We really appreciate it.”
