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Antonio had to laugh. “Thanks, Nate. It’s good to know you still love me. Or at least you’d jump into bed with me if you were a girl, but that’s kind of the point, isn’t it? There’s a difference. Is she into me? Yeah, sure, she is.” He swaggered his shoulders, making them laugh. “I’ve still got it. But I want more than that, and that’s new territory for me. Just because she’s into me, that doesn’t mean she wants more with me—does it? I mean, I’ve been into a lot of women …”
Nate laughed. “You can say that again.”
Antonio sighed. “I know, I know, but I wouldn’t have wanted anything serious with any of them. What if she feels that way about me? That I’m good for a quick bang, but that’s it?”
The others all stared at him. No one spoke for a few moments. Which made him wonder. Was it true? Could they all see it? That she wasn’t into him for anything meaningful?
He looked around at them all hopefully. To his surprise, the one who spoke up was Jack’s younger brother, Dan. He smiled at him shyly and nodded. “These guys don’t seem to have anything to say—for once. So, I’ll tell you what I think. I don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about. At least not about what she’d like to happen. You only need to watch, and you’ll understand. She’s into you in a physical way, but that’s easy to judge.” He smiled. “It seems to me you have enough experience with that to figure it out for yourself. But as for the two of you as people, she looks to you for reassurance—she looks to you before she answers questions. She looks at you when you’re talking to other people. She wants to know what you have to say, and she wants to be part of what you’re talking about. My guess is that she wants something serious with you, but she’s afraid to trust it. She doesn’t think you’re into being serious with anyone, and she doesn’t see herself as the only person in the world you could possibly get serious about.”
Antonio stared at him for a long moment. He didn’t know Dan as well as the others, but he’d met him a few times over the years and respected his mind—he respected him even more in this moment.
Jack grinned at them. “If that’s what Dan says, then that’s how it is. He’s the smartest one amongst us.”
The others nodded.
“Yeah.” Nate grinned at Dan. “He knows a damned sight more about women than I ever will.”
Antonio raised an eyebrow at that and Dan smiled at him. “I don’t know even a tiny percentage of what Nate knows in one respect, but I don’t think you need any help in that area either. But you guys who’ve always been good with the ladies seem to forget that they’re people, too. They’re not a different species, although it can seem that way sometimes.” They all laughed at that. “You’re feeling unsure and insecure? You can bet she is, too. She’s finding her way just like you are, not knowing if you’re for real, or if she’s going to get hurt. The best thing you can do is treat her as your best friend. You’re not a man and a woman playing some chess game and trying to win each other’s hearts. You’re just two people trying to make their way through life and find happiness. All you can do is share everything, talk to each other, help each other and support each other.” He stopped and looked around at the others who were all staring at him. “That’s what I think, anyway, and now you can all start giving me shit.”
Pete blew out a sigh. “No one’s going to give you any shit, Danny. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we’re wondering how you got so smart and wondering why, even though we know it, we forget that stuff sometimes.”
Dan shrugged and took a drink of his beer. “We forget when we let other things get in the way—when we let work or life become more important. I’m just lucky, I guess. From the day I asked Miss to marry me, I swore to myself that I would never let anything be more important to me than her and Scotty.”
Antonio had to swallow around the lump in his throat as he nodded. “Thanks, Dan.”
The others nodded and mumbled their thanks, too. Jack lifted his glass in a toast. “Here’s to my little brother, the smartest guy and most unlikely agony aunt in the world.”
They all laughed as they raised their glasses and the emotion of the moment passed, but Antonio was fairly sure that he wasn’t the only one on whom Dan’s words would leave a lasting impression.
~ ~ ~
Despite having said they should leave early, they closed the place down, and Mary Ellen was sad to leave at the end of the night. It was the best night she’d had in a long time. She’d made a whole bunch of new friends—friends that she wanted to keep in touch with and get to know better, not just some passing acquaintances who happened to be married to Antonio’s friends. She hugged each and every one of them before they left.
“You’d better be back soon,” said Missy. “I’ll have to come hunt you down otherwise, and I hate to fly, just ask Smoke.”
Smoke laughed. “Yeah, do me a favor, Mary El? Come back, anything other than make me fly this one around.”
Laura laughed as Missy wrinkled her nose at him. “Hey. You’re supposed to be nice and reassuring, remember? Not bitch about me.”
Smoke held his hands up. “Sorry, Miss, it’s been a long night. I just want to get my lady home.”
Emma stepped forward for another hug. “Yeah, we have to get going now, too. Jack’s mom’s watching Isabel for us and I don’t like to be too late, but you’ve got my number. Call me, and come back soon, okay?”
Mary Ellen nodded happily.
Pete grasped Antonio’s shoulder as he smiled at her. “And do us all a favor and put this guy out of his misery?”
Everyone turned and stared at him as though he’d put his foot in it, big time. Pete laughed. “I mean, he wants to buy a house here, help him pick one out, would you?”
Everyone laughed, but Mary Ellen didn’t miss the look of relief on Antonio’s face at Pete’s explanation.
Laura came and hugged her. “This was so much fun. I hope you do come back soon, but I’ll be over to see Piper next week, so we can catch up then.” She leaned in closer and spoke quietly. “If you want to be, I think you’ll be part of the family before long.”
Mary Ellen didn’t know what to say. She smiled and nodded but had no words. They all seemed to think that she and Antonio were going to get together for real, for serious—she wasn’t sure she even wanted to think it out loud—that they’d get married?! Shivers ran down her spine. It was so far-fetched, and yet at the same time, it seemed so right. Until she remembered that less than two weeks ago she’d still thought of him as an arrogant prick.
Chapter Fourteen
Antonio took hold of her hand as they walked down the path to the water’s edge. It would lead them past all the little coves and beaches and back to the cabin. At the beginning of the night, he’d been looking forward to their walk home—looking forward to getting her naked and making love to her again. Now, that part seemed less important. He knew he could make love to her; he knew they’d both enjoy it. What he wasn’t sure of was whether he could make her fall in love with him. Did anyone evermakesomeone fall in love with them? Or did it just happen of its own accord? If it did, wouldn’t she feel it by now—like he did? He already knew he was in love with her. Seeing her tonight had only confirmed it for him. Watching her dance with the girls, talk business with Laura and Holly, talk babies with Emma. He sighed. She was at home with all of them. She was everything he wanted.
