Page 57 of Falling Again
The thought of someone else owning this house didn’t sit right with Anthony. No one else should be laying in this room, cooking in the kitchen, or generally enjoying the space. His grandparents had built the house, and he knew it wasn’t finished being the center of the Snyder clan.
Adjusting his grip to turn them onto their sides, Anthony faced Natalie and offered her his best smile. Alice called it his politician smile; Natalie called it trouble. She didn’t buy it and immediately rolled her eyes. “What is it?”
“Why do you assume it’s something bad?” he asked in mock-horror.
Natalie rolled her eyes again, this time so far that he feared she’d strain herself. “You only offer me your campaign smile when youreallywant something. And judging from everything we just accomplished, it can’t possibility be more sex. I’m sure we wore ourselves out.”
Anthony couldn’t argue with her logic, so he soldiered on. “I was thinking about the house.”
Natalie bit her lip. “Should we start packing this afternoon?”
With a quick shake of his head, Anthony continued his earlier argument. If his charming smile wouldn’t work, he knew he’d need to rely on his political savvy. The only trouble was that Natalie was better at politics than anyone Anthony knew.
“I want us to buy the house. The more I think about it, the more I hate the thought of anyone else living here.”
Wiggling against his hold, Natalie pulled back far enough to make eye contact. “Anthony, are you sure it’s a good idea?”
“I think it’s a great idea. Hear me out.” Anthony took a deep breath and waited for Natalie to nod. When she seemed ready for his barrage of suggestions, Anthony let loose. “First of all, it’s a good investment financially. Real estate, especially in a destination like South Bass Island, is just plain smart. Then there’s the investment in free time. We’re always going to be busy, so it makes sense to have a place ready to run to, right? We know we love it here, and this way we avoid all the hotel nonsense.”
Natalie’s head bobbed with each statement, and finally she asked, “How much time do you think you could get away from town hall? We didn’t even make it 48-hours before Trudy came calling. And what about my job?”
“I’m not saying we live here, but it could easily be our weekend place. A few times a month we can pop up and regroup. The kids would love all the activities, and it could be a chance for us to really connect as a family. No distractions, just the four of us.”
“Otis would love to go swimming, and Maddie is always complaining she’s bored.”
Anthony sensed Natalie’s opinion shifting, and he pushed ahead. “Exactly. And don’t forget, we could host some of our friends out here. I’m sure Ginny and Max or CeCe and Evan wouldn’t mind taking a ferry ride to get away from it all.”
Natalie’s face softened at the mention of their friends. Well, her friends mostly, but Anthony was trying to remedy that situation too. There had been a shift in his relationship with Max, another person who required more from Anthony. Hell, even Evan was growing on him. The younger guy had impressed him with not only his help on projects for Natalie, but also how he interacted with other folks from Buckeye Falls. Evan and Max were men he wanted in his corner, both personally and for his family.
“You’d really be okay with people visiting?” Natalie lifted an eyebrow. “I mean, like spending the night?
Anthony chuckled. “Yes, spending the night. You think I’d invite them over and then make them swim back to the mainland?”
Clearly picturing their friends doing the backstroke through Lake Erie, Natalie huffed. “Well, I wanted to make sure.” To soften her assessment, she patted his arm. “On our few double dates, you haven’t seemed thrilled with that much togetherness. And that was just dinner in Columbus.”
Flinching at the memory, Anthony tried to forget their first double date with CeCe and Evan. It had been a comedy of errors, one they seemed to have recovered from. “I won’t say I didn’t botch that night.” He cupped the back of his neck and squeezed, savoring the feeling of the tension leaving his muscles. “If I’m being honest, Evan intimidated me a bit.” He waited for that revelation to sink in.
Natalie was incredulous. “You were intimidated by Evan? The guy is like a Labrador puppy; he’s harmless.”
Anthony scoffed. “I’d hardly say harmless. The dude’s jacked, he’s easy going, and he has this positive attitude I’ve never been able to fake. He’s so authentic, and I feel like an old man grumbling about the stock market.”
“But I love your grumbling old man routine,” Natalie teased, her voice getting lighter by the moment.
Anthony took her teasing in stride and soldiered on, “But I made a mistake, and I’m willing to move past it.”
His lovely wife sat and stared at him for a moment before smiling, a genuine smile that crinkled the skin around her eyes. “You really mean that?”
“Of course. I meant what I said earlier, Nat. We need to change our priorities. I think keeping this house in the family makes a lot of sense. In fact, if you’re on board, I was thinking of calling my dad today and asking him what he thought.”
Blinking twice before she answered, Natalie seemed to agree. “I’ll tell you what, talking to your dad seems like the best place to start. If he’s dead set on selling and making a real profit, then this whole plan is for nothing.”
“So you don’t mind if I call him today?” Thinking back to their list of rules, he amended, “I don’t want to muck up our list. You’re a priority, Nat. You’rethepriority.”
He couldn’t be sure, but Anthony thought his words hit their mark. Natalie agreed, her thoughtful expression morphing into her beautiful smile. “As soon as the power is back, go for it.”
“I wonder how long that will be,” Anthony mused as his hands rubbed up and down Natalie’s back. Despite their love making mere minutes ago, he was ready for round two—or three.
Two hours later, the power was back, and Anthony was sore from their time in bed. He couldn’t remember the last time they’d devoured each other like that. They were both happy, and right now that was enough. The sounds of water running in the shower told Anthony he’d have privacy for a heart-to-heart with his dad. Pulling his phone from the nightstand, he dialed the number and went to the living room.
