Page 51 of A Perfect Pairing
Noelle’s eyes widened, and she jumped up and down. “Ice cream, ice cream.”
April was right. Noelle had more energy than three people put together. When the movie ended, she asked him to play the songs again. He obliged and danced with her again. After the last song, he said, “All right, it’s time for bath and bed.”
“Aww, but I’m not sleepy,” she protested, yawning.
“Mm-hmm, I know.” Antonio got her bathed and into her pajamas.
“Mommy always sings before I go to sleep.”
Antonio went still. “Ah, what does she sing?”
“‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’” and ‘This Little Light of Mine.’”
The first one he could handle, but he needed to go way back in his Vacation Bible School memory banks for the second one. “Okay.” He cradled her in his lap and sang the first song. She was out before he finished. Antonio placed a soft kiss on her forehead and watched her sleep. He held her closer. This was what he’d always wanted, and he hoped this time would turn out in his favor.
CHAPTER 20
Monday, Natasha hit send on an email and leaned back in her chair. It was the first break she’d had all day. If nothing else popped up, she might be able to leave a little early and start putting some things together for her meeting with Jenny. She toyed with walking down to the bakery for a sandwich now or waiting until she got back from checking on the Ward house status. She had talked with Chase earlier and told him she’d send photos this afternoon.
Her cell rang, and she smiled when she saw Antonio’s name on display. They’d only talked briefly yesterday after playing telephone tag all day, and she didn’t get a chance to find out all the details of the sleepover. “Hey, love. How was your sleepover?” she asked. She slapped a hand over her mouth and groaned inwardly. She hadn’t meant to call him that.
Antonio’s low chuckle floated through the line. “Hey, yourself, beautiful. It was great. We ate pizza and ice cream and danced to the music onEncanto.”
“Aw, sounds like a lot of fun.” She could imagine him dancing with Noelle, and the thought set off a longing she’d kept buried.
“Yeah. She’s a ball of energy, but I can’t wait to do it again. Speaking of sleepovers, what do you say about us having one?”
“Mmm, sounds interesting. Does this sleepover come with food and dancing?”
“Food, dancing, and anything else you want. Kissing, touching…”
“All right, stop.” She squeezed her eyes shut to block out the images of all the ways he’d kissed and caressed her.
Antonio laughed. “You asked. Are you still stopping by the Ward house today? We’re just about done, and I wanted to make sure we didn’t miss anything.”
“I’ll be there so I can take pictures to send Chase. And I want to show you something, too.” She’d been working on a brochure with the different furnished designs and wanted to get his opinion.
“What is it?”
“It’s a surprise. You’ll see when I get there. Now, Mr. Hayes, I need to finish up a few things before we meet.”
“Does this surprise include a couple of kisses?”
Natasha smiled. “No, but I might be willing to throw a little one in for you.”
“I’ll go with that, then. See you in a bit, sweetheart.”
Every time the endearment rolled off his tongue, it melted her heart. She held the phone against her for a minute, then rotated in her chair to face her laptop. After reviewing everything and making a few minor changes, she printed it.
Natasha folded the brochure and left to show it to George. As she passed the break room, she met Lydia coming toward her, struggling beneath a stack of boxes. “Let me help you with these.” She quickly set the brochure on the table nearest to the door and took half the boxes.
“Thanks. This is what happens when you only want to make one trip to the supply room,” Lydia added with a little laugh.
“I do the same thing sometimes.” She unloaded the boxes. “Do you need help putting this stuff away?”
Lydia waved her off. “No, I’m fine. Thanks for the help.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later.” Natasha retraced her steps to the break room. The brochure was gone. “I just set it down.” Pulling the chair out, she checked to see if it had fallen there or under the table but didn’t see it.
