Page 82 of The Nerds and the CEO

“Indefinitely. Long enough to convince you to partner with me. Longer, if I decide I missed the place too much to leave.”

Antonio liked the sound ofindefinitelybut refused to let himself get sucked into the possibilities. Especially without Emily. “That means you’re free for dinner tonight. Come over to the apartment. Surprise her. We’ll catch up.”

“I’d love that.”

Antonio scribbled out their address along with instructions and came around the desk to hand it over. Justin stood and pulled him into a tight hug. The intensity and intimacy caught Antonio off guard.

“I missed you,” Justin said. A current of emotion ran through his voice.

It filled Antonio with an ache he couldn’t ignore but made him smile at the same time. “Me too.”

*

AN UNEASINESS CRAWLEDthrough Emily, and she couldn’t find a source for it as she stood in the kitchen entrance, watching Antonio cook dinner. He was making something with a red wine sauce that smelled amazing, and that she struggled to pronounce the name of. His mother was an amazing cook and refused to let her boy grow up inept in the kitchen, so she’d passed the skills on to him.

He’d been quiet since they got home, where they usually chatted and caught up while they made food.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

He added a dash of something else to the steak. “Fine. Why?” His tone was light, but a tension that matched hers ran through it.

“You seem—I don’t know—someplace else, I guess.”

He turned long enough to squeeze her hand, before giving his attention to the meal again. “It’s all good. I promise. Will you grab an extra plate and such for the table?”

She eyed his back with curiosity. “Are we hosting an imaginary friend?”

“A real one. I invited an old buddy over for dinner tonight. I thought I said something. I hope it’s okay.”

She was certain he hadn’t told her. “No worries.” It made sense the longer they were here, the more people from his past he’d run into.

Antonio was finishing up, when someone rang the bell. He had his hands full, so Emily said, “I’ll get it.”

“Wait,” Antonio called.

Emily was already answering the door.

Justin stood in the hallway, looking better than she remembered and wearing a sheepish grin. “Surprise.”

Her heart dropped into her shoes, and her mind stalled. “I don’t think now’s a good time. We’re expecting company.”Stupid thing to say.She didn’t have the mental capacity to figure out why.

“You’re early.” Antonio’s voice carried from behind her.

Justin shrugged. “I think I’m the company.”

“Oh.” She moved aside to let him in. She was hung up on the surreal contrast of the moment. It felt right to see Justin here. As if it was always meant to be. At the same time, it was wrong. Antonio refused to say more than a few sentences to him over the last month, and that was with Justin halfway around the world.

Now he stood in their living room, Antonio greeting him as if nothing happened.

Justin held out a bunch of wildflowers and a bottle of wine. “For my charming hosts.”

Antonio moved to Emily’s side and took the drink. She grabbed the bouquet, to have something to do, and turned away. “I’ll see if we have a vase.”

Her mind kicked into overdrive when she broke eye contact with Justin, several thoughts spilling into her head at once. Both men knew this was coming. Why did Antonio keep it a secret? Did he know last week, when he told her how he felt? That didn’t make sense, but neither did any of this.

Irrational panic gripped her stomach, and suddenly dinner didn’t smell so good. Would this cost her Antonio? They’d talked about not having to choose, if Justin came back into their lives, and she believed Antonio meant what he said, but with every emotion filling her, it was difficult to remember those simple promises.

Antonio wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and pulled her close. “Are you all right?”

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