Page 11 of Love or Leave (Mapleton #4)

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A ntonio climbed the stone steps to Monroe Manor and walked in. He felt odd walking into Chelsea's house, but she'd asked him to in the group chat when he'd said he was on his way, so he did.

His mind was still reeling from the last few hours with Cara.

He and Cara had messaged the group saying they were on their way and tried to time it right, so they'd arrive ten minutes apart.

She hadn't seemed all too happy about lying, but there was no way he was going to explain to Max that he'd used his little sister as a fake date because his wife had a new boyfriend.

And that he liked it.

And had the best night in forever, playing in a card tournament with her at a nerdy gaming cafe.

And that he wished he could see her again.

God, his life was so fucked up.

The only thing that was going well was his new group of friends. Who he was now lying to.

He shook his head as he took off his shoes and started into the house, promising himself that he would do better. No more lies. No more schemes.

He kept walking through the huge old house but didn't see anyone. "Hello?"

"Back here!" Adam called from somewhere in the depths of the gigantic manor.

He started toward the light and sound, past a fancy little sitting room and an enormous wood staircase. He'd expected the huge old house to feel cold, but he'd been wrong.

Ben's toys and the smell of vanilla filled the rooms, and the vintage movie posters on the walls were a cool touch.

It made him even more homesick. And somehow it got worse when he came around the corner to the gigantic kitchen-slash-dining-slash-living area, where a Christmas tree was set up by the fireplace and totes of ornaments and decorations were stacked in the center of the room, waiting to be used.

"Hi, Antonio," Chelsea said as she stepped toward him and gave him a hug. "Sorry about the mess. I wasn't expecting to have everyone over."

Antonio shook his head with a smile. "Doesn't bother me at all."

He moved through the group, greeting all his friends, then took a seat on a stool next to Max and thanked Adam as he passed him a beer.

A second later, the front door opened, and Cara walked in. He could hear her steps getting closer until she stepped into the room and said hi to everyone.

She was clearly far more at home here than he was. She moved around the room, saying hi and giving hugs to everyone, but when she came to him, she awkwardly paused, unsure what to do.

"Hey," he said, just as awkwardly, trying to remember how they were supposed to act with each other.

"Good to see you again, Antonio," she said, then turned and dropped onto a dining chair.

He told himself not to smirk.

"Where were you tonight?" Max asked.

Antonio panicked for a moment before realizing Max was asking Cara.

"On a date," she said.

Antonio forced his poker face. Stay calm, stay neutral.

"Ooh, tell us everything!" Willow said.

Cara looked around at all the faces. When her gaze connected with his, he tilted his head quizzically and leaned in. Her beautiful eyes danced with amusement.

"I met this guy at golf and he asked me out."

"Is he dreamy?" Adam asked, getting a laugh from everyone.

"In fact, he is," she said. "His name is Jalen, and he seems cool and he's easy to talk to, and I really like him."

The smile that had been playing on Antonio’s lips from Adam's teasing faltered, as a surge of jealousy moved through his chest, squeezing. Was she really that into Jalen?

He mentally shoved the question aside. Of course she was. Why shouldn't she be? The kid seemed nice enough. And she'd been thrilled when he'd asked her on a date. Just because his life was in the shitter didn't mean she shouldn't be happy.

He took a deep swig from his beer and looked up. Cara was staring at him, her eyes intense, as if trying to read his mind, but he quickly looked away.

"Did you have a good time?" Willow asked.

Cara cleared her throat. "Yes, I did."

"So you're going to see him again?" Max asked.

Cara nodded.

"Hmmm…" Natalie said, drawing the attention of the room. "I always thought we should set Cara up with Jake from your hockey team."

Jake?

Antonio's shoulders tensed. Why would they set her up with Jake?

Max scowled. "Why do we have to set her up with anyone?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "I just think he's cute, and they're around the same age."

Same age.

He took another drink, remembering that there was a sizable age gap between him and Cara. Not that it mattered, since she was one hundred percent off limits. And he was married. But it was easy to forget she was over ten years younger than him.

Actually, it was easy to forget about everything when he was with her.

He had to stop thinking like that.

"Doesn't matter," Adam said. "Jake's dating Brin."

"He is?" Ethan asked. "I didn't know that."

"Who's Brin?" Antonio asked.

"Brin of Brin's Café," Adam said.

"Oh," Antonio nodded. He'd stopped in there before, but he wasn't a regular. "How do you know literally everything?" he asked with a laugh.

Adam smiled. "I talk to people," he said before turning back to Natalie. "You'll have to find someone else."

"No, you won't," Cara said, jumping in to put an end to the conversation. "Why are we here?"

Chelsea cleared her throat as Adam moved to her side and put his arm around her shoulders. "We set a date for our wedding."

Natalie gasped.

"When?" Cara yelled.

"New Year's Eve." Adam said.

A chorus of excitement rang out as everyone hugged and voiced how happy they were.

"It doesn't give us much time to plan," Chelsea said. "And my schedule is so busy with the movie, but it's just going to be small, here in town, at the golf course."

"It's going to be amazing," Natalie said. "You haven't been dress shopping yet, have you?"

Chelsea shook her head and put on a blinding smile. "I was hoping to go with my bridesmaids."

"Does that mean we're bridesmaids?" Cara asked, her pretty eyes hopeful and her hands clasped together at her heart.

Antonio's face stretched into a smile and let himself stare at her for longer than he should have. But everyone was too excited to tell.

"Of course!"

The girls all jumped up, screaming and dancing together in a big group hug.

Antonio moved away from the piercing noise toward the guys.

"Does that mean we're groomsmen?" Max asked, his hands clasped together as Cara's had been.

They all laughed.

"Obviously," Adam said, and as much as they made fun of the girls, they all joined in a group hug around Adam, too.

"I already have plans for a bachelorette party!" Natalie called over to the fray.

"Dear God," Adam said to them under his breath with a shake of his head. "Can you imagine all of them out at a bachelorette party?"

Antonio looked over at the group of beautiful women and smiled. They were all stunning in their own way, but something about Cara made her stand out, as if she was under a spotlight that followed her everywhere she went.

"They're going to get a lot of attention."

"And cause a lot of trouble," Max added.

Ethan laughed and shook his head. "We were thinking it would be fun to do a joint bachelor and bachelorette party bus tour. But there's not a lot of time."

"I can take off whenever," Max said.

"Same," said Adam. "What's your schedule like?"

Antonio shrugged. "Chaotic, but I'm owed a lot of favours."

Adam smiled and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Thanks, man. I'm glad you're here."

Antonio smiled and nodded. "Me, too."

They dove into discussing the details—the venue, flowers, food, and everything else—but Antonio fell silent. He wasn't much of a talker, anyway. But he was incredibly grateful to be there with friends and to have things to look forward.

He'd meant it when he'd told Cara that his new group of friends in Mapleton was the only thing going right in his life.

And it was going very right, and he was very thankful.