AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Very well.” Rodney gave him one of his enigmatic smiles and turned to greet a couple who were just arriving.
Antonio bit the inside of his lip as he made his way out to the terrace. Was Rodney right? Should he be seeking advice from Cam and Grant—since they were both engaged now? He sucked in a deep breath. Was that what he was aiming for with Mary Ellen? It might be a crazy thought, considering they’d only been seeing each other for a week but was it really so crazy? He knew her, she knew him. They still had a lot to learn about each other—and about how they got along together, but so far, everything he learned about her made him fall for her more, and it seemed she was finding the same with him. She was still wary, but she was relaxing with him, and she seemed more into him every day. To say she was falling for him might be a little premature—but a guy could hope.
Cam looked up as he approached the table. “There you are. To what do we owe the honor? Ten minutes late is as good as early by your standards.”
Antonio rolled his eyes. “What can I say? I’m working on being punctual.”
Grant grinned at him as he sat down. “Let me guess, Mary Ellen’s whipping you into shape already?”
“No.” He closed his eyes, trying not to picture her with a whip, dressed in leather and fishnets and …
“Are you okay?” Cam gave him a puzzled look.
He grinned. “Yeah, sorry. I seem to get lost in my head at the mere mention of her name these days.”
“Are you shitting us … or not?” asked Grant. “I can’t figure this out. You seem totally besotted, and that’s so out of character for you that I’m struggling to buy it.”
Cameron chuckled. “That’s pretty much what Mary Ellen said.”
Antonio swung around to look at him. “She did? Why? When?”
“Calm down. That was on Monday when you sent her the flowers. I was prying because you’re both acting so out of character I wanted to know what the deal was.”
“And what is the deal?”
Cam shrugged. “I was only joking. I don’t know any more than you do.”
“But you said she’s struggling to buy it, like him.” He nodded at Grant.
“She didn’t say that in so many words.” Cameron was starting to look uncomfortable. “It’s not my place to say anything. But if you think about it, it’s hard for everyone to believe the transformation you’ve undergone in the last week.”
Antonio nodded. He could see that. It felt completely natural to him that he should leave behind the life he’d been living and start something new with Mary Ellen, but then he knew how bored he’d been getting with his old life. No one else knew how empty it had all started to feel. “I suppose.”
Grant nodded. “And from what Chelsea’s said, it must be even harder for Mary Ellen to believe than anyone else.”
“Why? What did Chelsea say?”
Grant shrugged. “Just about that David guy. He was supposedly Mr. Dependable, and he dumped her and humiliated her out of the blue. She’s going to be wary of anyone after that, and sorry to say it, bro, but she’d have to be doubly wary of someone like you.”
Antonio didn’t bother to ask what he meant by that. He knew what he was, or at least who he’d been. He could never be called Mr. Dependable. He was more love ‘em and leave ‘em, Mr. Good Time—for a short time. He blew out a sigh and looked at Cameron.
“Don’t look like that.” Cameron smiled at him. “She’s totally into you, you’re just going to have to earn her trust, it’s going to take time.”
Antonio threw his hands in the air in irritation. “I don’t want it to take time. I want her to know, I want to show her, to prove to her that I’m for real, that we’re for real.”
The others looked at him in stunned silence.
“So, you’re serious about her, then?” asked Grant with a chuckle.
Antonio gave him a rueful smile. “Yeah. More serious than I’ve ever been about anything in my life.”
“Take it slowly, then.” Cameron looked serious. “You can throw your hands in the air all you like, and you can go all passionate and impatient Italian on us, but if you’re that serious, you’re going to have to consider what works for Mary Ellen, not just what works for you.”
Antonio stared at him for a long moment. The way he saw it, he could propose to her this weekend. That was what he wanted, and surely that would convince her that he was serious. But Cameron was probably right. She would probably be more comfortable with a more conventional approach. They'd date for a while. Meet each other’s families, get engaged, plan a wedding. He shook his head. He still liked his idea better.
The server came to take their order and saved him from explaining what he was thinking. He knew Cam would try to talk him down and Grant wouldn’t approve either.
~ ~ ~
