Page 73 of A Perfect Pairing
“I thought you said you didn’t want all the explicit details. Those last two definitely qualify. But it was neither of those. I’d just gotten out of the shower, and we were standing in the middle of the bedroom. Did I mention that the master bedroom takes up the entire second floor? Girl, it wasgorgeous. But anyway, I think I said something about the room being amazing, and he said I was amazing, too. And beautiful, intelligent, andhis. Then he told me he loved me.”
Serenity pretended to swoon. “That is so romantic. I know you told him the same.”
“After bawling my eyes out.” It still touched her that he felt comfortable enough to share his fears with her. Truth be told, loving him as much as she did scared her, too. The young love they’d shared didn’t hold a candle to this new deep, emotional connection, which seemed to be growing daily. “It’s better than last time.”
“I should hope so.” Serenity let out a laugh. “You both are adults, not teenagers, and have had some life experiences, some good, some bad.”
“Yeah, that’s true. I never told you that his ex showed up again at Ms. Ida’s when we were having dinner.”
“What did she want?”
“She told him she was headed back to New York, apologized for how things ended again, and wished us both well. I was shocked but glad.”
“Me too. At least Antonio has some real closure now.”
“I agree.” Everything seemed to be falling into place this time.
Serenity stood. “Now we need to find a dress to go with those shoes. I think I’m getting these gray sandals.”
Laughing, Natasha picked up the box holding the blue sandals and another one with a pair of low-heeled casual ones, and they went to pay. Afterward, they power shopped for a suitable dress.
“Tasha, girl, I think I’ve found it.” Serenity waved around a navy and white contrast sleeveless bodycon dress with a front slit. “Antonio is not going to know what hit him when he sees you in this dress.”
“I think you might be right,” she said with a slow grin. She tried it on with the shoes and had to agree that the combination worked perfectly. And with the late-spring temperatures climbing into the eighties, it wouldn’t be too cold. She added that to her purchases for the day.
She had less than forty-five minutes to get ready when they returned, and after a quick shower, she applied light makeup and stepped into the dress. Tonight she wanted Antonio to know how much she loved him. She went to the closet for the container holding her memory items and took out the black velvet box she’d placed there almost eighteen years ago. The ring was too small for her finger now, so she strung it on the chain with the heart and fastened it around her neck. Fingering the treasured jewelry, she recalled his words:I know we’re too young for marriage right now, but this is my promise that we’ll be together when we graduate from college.They’d lost so much time, and she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d see the promise realized this go-around.
Natasha was putting on her shoes when the doorbell rang. She quickly fastened the last strap on her shoe on her way to the door. “Hi.” The word came out breathier than she’d planned, but it was the best she could do as she stared at Antonio in his charcoal-gray suit that nearly matched his eyes. But then, she wasn’t the only one. He didn’t say anything for the longest time, but the banked heat in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. She’d have to let Serenity know the dress had done exactly what she had hoped. “So, are you going to stand there all night staring at me?”
“I just might. Baby, you are stunning, and I’m about two seconds from canceling those reservations and having a private dinner right here.”
Laughing, she hooked her arm in his and pulled him inside. “I don’t think so. I bought this outfit specifically for tonight.”
“Then I don’t want to disappoint you.” Antonio kissed her softly.
Nothing about the man disappointed her, and she could kiss him all night long. The way his tongue tangled with hers had her almost canceling the dinner herself. Natasha saw the moment he noticed the necklace.
He gently ran his finger along the chain, then lifted the heart charm and ring. “You wore it.”
The tenderness in his expression nearly took her breath away, and if she hadn’t already been in love with him, she would have fallen at that moment. “It means everything to me.Youmean everything to me.”
Antonio rested his forehead against hers. “And you mean everything to me.”
They managed to leave a few minutes later and got to their reservation on time. Natasha rarely dined at By the Lake and didn’t know that the expensive restaurant had been remodeled. The color scheme had been changed to beige with black and chocolate-brown accents. Combined with the dim lighting and candles on the table, the owners clearly had romance on their minds.
As they ate, Antonio asked, “Have you gotten any offers on the Ward home yet?”
“A couple, but both were below the asking price, so Chase and Mike want to wait a bit longer to see if they can get a little closer.”
“They should. With all the new upgrades, it’s definitely worth more now.” He ate another bite. “I can’t get over how beautiful you look tonight.”
“Thank you. I can say the same about you.”
Shaking his head, he said, “Men aren’t beautiful.”
“Okay, then handsome, fine with a capitalF… Take your pick.” He dropped his head. “Aw, are you blushing?”
“No. Men don’t blush, either, so let’s move on to another topic.”
