My breath caught in my throat when Anthony full on frowned, and I nodded dumbly before he released a heavy breath that rolled down the bridge of my nose. “Thank you, Hailey.”
Hugging me tightly to his chest, Anthony squeezed the nape of my neck, and I closed my eyelids tight under furrowed brows. Disbelief coursed through me even as relief surged through my veins and into my heart like a tsunami. Wheezing a slight exhale, I slowly wrapped my arms around his waist, and he held me even tighter.
“What’s her name?” Stiffening at the question, I sucked in as much breath as I could, and Anthony eased his arms around me with a frown. “Your sister wouldn’t tell me.”
“Her name is Antonya.” Smiling as his brows furrowed deeply, heat rushed to fill my cheeks as I stepped back. “I thought it was pretty… classic.”
“You named her after me?” Awe-struck shock laced Anthony’s voice, and his brows furrowed deeply even as a ghost of a smile curved his mouth. “It is pretty… Antonya.”
“So… how was she with you?” Posing the question as I slid past him, I briefly closed my eyes and rolled my shoulders to relieve some tension. My sister wasn’t anywhere to be found, but I knew she was upstairs with the babies.
Heading into the kitchen, my stiff strides carried me to the baby monitor on the counter while Anthony followed close behind. His presence caused the fine hairs on my back to stand up, and I gazed at the crisp picture on the monitor before he answered.
“She was perfect. I… I wasn’t expecting her to be so good on the car ride over… since she doesn’t know me.” Clearing his throat roughly, Anthony fell into an uncomfortable silence, and my chest tightened as I slowly turned around. “Is there anything you need?”
“No.” Biting down on my bottom lip absently, I leaned back against the counter as Anthony’s expression blanked out. “But, I was thinking… if you want to come over, you can.”
“Yeah… yeah, I want to.” Answering quickly, Anthony nodded firmly while the light flared in his eyes, and I smiled at the warm feeling that wiggled into my chest. Twisting to look at the baby monitor again, I leaned against the granite countertop to prop my chin in my hand. Coming up behind me, he draped himself over me like a blanket of warmth and muscle, and my eyelids fluttered when he kissed under my ear. “Thank you, Hailey.”
Humming softly, I watched my sister rock Tommy while Antonya snoozed in the crib, and hope blossomed in my chest.
Even if Anthony couldn’t stand to look at me, he would make the effort for his daughter. He stepped up without even thinking about it, and I could almost taste how badly he wanted to try as it clung to the roof of my mouth. The relief that thickened my blood was so intense it seeped from my pores, and I leaned back slightly to duck my head.
Chapter 11
Hailey
Dumping my armful onto the couch, I reached to thread my fingers through my hair, and Anthony set Antonya’s car seat on the coffee table with a low grunt. Twisting to watch him drop heavily onto the sofa, my body thrummed with anxiety while he rocked her gently even though she was out like a light.
“I’m gonna go heat up some leftover lasagna… do you want any?” In the waning light of early evening, I watched Anthony try to drag his eyes away from Antonya, but he couldn’t. Smiling as he reached into her car seat to touch her little, balled up fist, my heart squeezed at this precious moment before I edged around the couch and towards the kitchen.
Tiredness weighed down my arms as I pulled out a medium-sized pan of lasagna I’d made two nights ago. My stomach growled in anticipation, and I licked my lips as I peeled back the cellophane. Of the many things I’d learned the past five weeks, this was the most important.
Always have leftovers, because there’s no guarantee I’ll have the energy to cook.
Leaning against the counter as the microwave hummed softly, I stared blankly at the tiles stretching across the floor under furrowed brows. Anthony was in my house—well, my apartment—and I still couldn’t come to grips with everything that had happened today. He’d appeared out of nowhere, and now there was no possible way he’d leave; if nothing else, that was a certainty.
He was in love at first sight.
At least he wasn’t in love with me.
The thought pulled at the edges of my mouth, and I tilted my head back to stare at the popcorn ceiling.
I couldn’t handle that… not now. Maybe not ever.
Anthony was different, now—I could sense it from the moment I noticed him at the Speakeasy.
Or, maybe he wasn’t different… this was the rest of him that I hadn’t seen before.
“Here.” Balancing two plates in either of my hands, I licked my lips as my stomach twisted in impatience. Anthony finally managed to tear his eyes off Antonya; even though she was asleep, he was completely absorbed in her. Surprise slithered into my veins when he looked up at me, and he took one plate smoothly before I sat next to him. Snatching the remote off the coffee table, I waited for the television mounted on the wall to flicker to life in an awkward silence.
The 6:30pm News filled the room, but it became white noise in the background when Anthony spoke up.
“Thanks, Hailey.” Casting him a sidelong glance as I twirled my fork absently, I cocked my head in silent question before he sighed heavily. “I came here originally to check on one of the brokerage companies my father gave me after his heart attack. The money didn’t add up, I guess. I usually leave that crap to the CEOs, but my father insisted I make the trip.”
“I didn’t want any of this in the first place, but my father needed to ‘lower his stress considerably’ or he’d have another heart attack—a worse one. Ever since then, he’s been ordering me around like I’m his fu—”
Catching himself, Anthony’s eyes flew to Antonya, and he cleared his throat roughly. Affection warmed my chest despite the heavy topic, and I shoved my forkful beyond my teeth while he continued.