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“Like it? I love it. I’ve never been able to cook anything. I’m so bad at it.”
“I can always teach you.”
“I doubt it,” I said with a chuckle. “Griffin always…” I stopped myself from talking, knowing it was rude to talk about my ex when Antonio went to all this trouble to make me dinner. I had to be better at that, to not talk about the love of my life every time he popped into my head.
Antonio kept eating like Griffin hadn’t been mentioned at all.
“You know about my love life. Can I ask you about yours?”
“What do you want to know?” He finished eating then set his empty container on the hardwood floor.
“I don’t know. Have you ever loved someone the way I love Griffin?” Was that too personal of a question? He didn’t have to answer anything he didn’t feel comfortable with.
“No.” He said it quickly, without even having to think about his answer. “Not in the intense way you’ve described. I’ve had somewhat serious relationships throughout my twenties. Some that lasted a year or so. But they eventually ran their course and we both moved on.”
He didn’t describe his romantic life in the way I described mine—at all. It didn’t seem like he’d ever really been in love either. He just had one relationship and then the next. “Did you ever love these women?”
“I said that I did,” he said. “But now, I realize there are different kinds of love, different levels. I’ve never felt this all-consuming passion that you describe for Griffin. I’ve never felt weak in the knees, or like I couldn’t live without this person. I was seeing a woman when you and I met. It’d been a few months, but I wouldn’t consider it to be serious. But when I met you, I knew something was going to happen. So I ended things with her.”
I froze on the spot, unable to believe what I’d just heard. “You left her?”
“I had to.” He drank his wine as he looked at me. “I didn’t want to keep seeing her while another woman was on my mind. The second I felt our connection, I knew my relationship with her was over anyway. I wanted to pursue this regardless of where it went, and if I stayed with her, it wouldn’t fair. She deserves to be with a man who worships her. I realized I wasn’t that man…and I made the right decision for both of us.”
Speechless, I set my container on the floor, no longer hungry. “I don’t know what to say.”
“There’s nothing to say. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you even if it’s never been romantic. I’ve gotten a lot more enjoyment out of it than I ever did with her…not to insult her in any way. There’s something special here, something everlasting. Something tells me this is where I’m meant to be…when you’re ready to have me.”
I lowered my gaze, unable to look him in the eye. It was the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to me. “Thank you for being so patient with me. I know it must be frustrating…”
“Not in the least,” he said. “And that’s how I know you’re worth waiting for.” He gave me a slight smile before he drank his wine. “Your family is nice. Will they be back sometime soon?”
I was relieved he’d changed the subject, especially when things became too intense. “My brother and sister-in-law are still looking for a place in Tuscany. Sapphire wants to be close to my parents, but Conway doesn’t want to be too close.”
He chuckled. “Understandable.”
“I see Carmen pretty often since our shops are only a few blocks apart.”
“What does she do?”
“She runs a flower shop.”
“That’s wonderful,” he said. “So all the Barsettis are extremely successful.”
“I don’t know about extremely…but we’re hardworking people.”
He drank his wine again. “Same thing. What are your parents like?”
“Well…my father is the most intense and brooding man you’ve ever meet. My mother is a breath of fresh air during a sandstorm.”
He chuckled. “Good description.”
“My father was actually in the gallery when you first asked me out.”
“He was?” Antonio was about to finish off his wine, but he steadied his glass instead. “I didn’t notice him.”
“He was on the other side of this wall.” I pointed to the small divider that held two other paintings and separated the gallery into different sections. “He came by to take me to lunch, and I was finishing up some work when you walked in. He heard everything…told everyone in my family about it.”
“That must have been awkward,” he said with a chuckle. “If I’d known, I definitely would have picked a better time. Sorry about that. I’m not sorry I did that, but I’m sorry that it must have made you uncomfortable.”
“No, don’t apologize. It’s actually the reason why my father likes you. He said he liked your confidence as well as your respect. When I said no, you didn’t rush me. But you also had the self-assuredness to take control of the situation. My father is very, very picky when it comes to the men who express interest in me. So there’s something about you that he liked.”
