Page 76 of A Perfect Pairing
Gabriel’s cell rang. “Let me answer this. It’s Nana.”
“Tell Ms. Della I said hello.”
Chuckling, he said, “You sure you want me to do that? Hey, Nana.”
On second thought, maybe not. All he needed was more interference from her and his grandmother. He already had some idea about how he wanted to propose, but he was wisely choosing to keep the details to himself and only share them with his brother or Gabriel. The thought of taking another trip down the aisle made him a little anxious, but then so did not having Natasha in his life. Antonio had to believe they’d been given this second chance and it would be better than before.
“I’m going to have to skip basketball. Nana’s sink is stopped up, and I need to go check it out.” He slowly stood, groaning.
Antonio laughed. “I told you to stretch. Man, ain’t no snap back after thirty.”
Doing a few twists and bends at the waist, Gabriel said, “No lie.” They walked back to their cars. “Oh, and Nana wanted me to ask if you knew anything about the special town hall meeting next Friday.”
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Maybe.” He unlocked the car by remote and opened the door.
“Wait. That’s all you’re going to say?”
“Yep. Later.”
“You’re cold, my brother. Later.” He shook his head, slid behind the wheel, and drove off.
Now that Antonio had some extra time, he texted his brother to see if they’d be home so he could stop by and pick up his picture from Noelle. After receiving a thumbs-up, he headed in that direction, stopping at home first to shower.
As always, Noelle’s exuberant greeting made Antonio feel special. “Hey, Noelle.” He caught her up in his arms and hugged her as tightly as she did him. “How’s preschool going?”
“Good. I can count to ten and I know my colors and I played with Rachel outside and we had fun,” Noelle said without taking a breath.
“Wow, all that. Sounds like you’re pretty busy at school.”
She nodded. “Uh-huh.”
He finally spoke to Nate and April, who stood by smiling as their daughter barely let Antonio get a word in edgewise, let alone greet anyone else first.
“I feel like a second-class citizen in my own home,” Nate said with a chuckle. “You’ve been here for five minutes, and we’re just now getting a measly hello.”
“I can’t help it if I’m Noelle’s favorite. Right, baby girl?” Antonio tickled her, and she giggled. He set her on her feet. “How about you go get my picture.”
She sprinted out of the room.
April hooked her arm in Antonio’s. “Okay, now that little ears are gone for the next ten seconds, how are things with you and Natasha? Do you need some help planning the wedding? Andpleasetell me your crazy ex-wife took her behind back to New York.” She leaned back to check down the hallway. “Hurry up and answer.”
He couldn’t stop the laughter that poured out of him. “Thankfully, she’s gone, and Natasha and I are good.”
“You skipped a question, dear brother-in-law, which means you’re close.” She let out a whoop and did a little dance. “I can’t wait,” she said in singsong.
“I didn’t even say anything.”
“You didn’t have to,” Nate said. “The look on your face says it all, and I’m happy for you two.”
Antonio held up his hands. “Wait. No. We’re not… I haven’t—”
“Here’s your picture, Uncle Tony,” Noelle said, skipping into the room. “I cut it out all by myself.”
He squatted down, and she shoved the paper close to his face. Gently moving it back, he smiled at the shapes that had been cut out using different colored paper to make a house, grass, and sun. “Thank you. I have to stop at the store to buy a frame for it.”
“Ooh, goody! I wanna go with you.”
“Baby, Uncle Tony might have things to do today,” April said. “Maybe you can go with him next time, okay?”
