Page 39 of Love or Leave (Mapleton #4)

thirty-four

A ntonio walked into the front door of his parents' house and gently closed the door behind him. It was late, and he knew his dad would already be asleep down the hall.

He should probably go to bed and get some rest, too. But the sting of rejection was keeping him awake and alert. The night hadn't gone as he'd hoped, but it had gone as he'd expected.

As much as he would've loved Cara to run into his arms and reciprocate his love, he knew it was a long shot. He'd fucked up badly, and it was going to take a lot to prove he'd left all his baggage in the past. He needed to figure out his next move.

He walked into the kitchen and found his mom sitting at the table in the corner, working on a puzzle. She startled when he walked in, then rolled her eyes at herself.

"You're home? How did it go?"

He shook his head and turned to the fridge for something cold to drink.

When he'd come home after speaking to Fran, he unloaded everything on his mother, including his relationship with Cara.

He also told her that “the girl from the party” was the love of his life, and he was ending everything with Fran to be with her.

His mother had been skeptical, to say the least, and slightly disappointed Cara wasn't Italian. But he made her promise she'd treat Cara better than she'd treated Fran, and his mom nodded and apologized.

His mom stood from the table. "I'll make something."

He shook his head. It was embarrassing enough moving back in with his parents. There was no way he was going to revert to being waited on, even if he knew she was offering more out of her need than his. Cooking calmed her.

"I’m just going to grab a drink."

She nodded and sat back down. "How did the house inspection go?"

Antonio took a can from the fridge and sat at the table across from her. "Good," he said. "I love the place and it's in good shape, close to the beach."

"When do you close?"

"In two months."

He took a drink and wondered what to do next.

At the poker tournament, he'd tried to remind Cara how great they could be together, but that had ended disastrously.

And he'd basically poured his heart out at the observatory, which also didn't work.

Maybe he needed to start slower. He could send her flowers. Did she like flowers?

She liked games.

He could send her board games for them to play together. “The Game of Life” would be perfect.

He felt his mother's hand touch his and when he looked up, she gave him a pitiful look. "She'll come around, Tonio."

Antonio smiled and nodded. He hoped she was right.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

His eyes squinted as he looked at the clock on the microwave. It was too late for visitors.

His mom stood, but he stopped her. "Are you expecting someone?"

"No."

He got up. "I'll get it."

He went to the door, worried about what he'd find when he opened it, but when he swung it back and saw who was standing on the other side, his jaw dropped.

"Cara?"

She exhaled in relief. "Thank God. I was going to give up if this house wasn't yours."

His brain finally caught up to the fact that she was standing on his porch, and his body began to slowly let go of its tension. That had to be a good sign… right?

"If this house wasn't mine?"

"Max only knew your street, not the house number, so I had to go by cars, but there are three cars just like yours on this street," she said with an eye roll.

Antonio's face broke into a grin. He was so happy she was there. "You've been knocking on random doors?"

"Not random. Doors with cars like yours. Keep up."

He laughed, and the rest of the tension in his body eased.

"Who is it?" his mom asked, coming into the entryway behind him.

Antonio stepped aside and opened the door the rest of the way. "Mom, you remember Cara?"

His mom smiled. "Of course," she said. "Come in."

Antonio smiled at his mom, thankful that his lecture to her about being polite and keeping boundaries had sunk in.

Cara stepped in reluctantly, but Antonio took her hand and tugged her in, closing the door behind her.

"Can you just give us a minute?" Antonio said to his mom.

She nodded, then turned and walked away, leaving them both behind.

"Sorry," Cara said, shaking her head. "I was so preoccupied with seeing you I hadn't realized how late it is. I probably shouldn't have—"

"We were up," he said, putting an end to her nonsense about the time. His heart had soared at the thought of her wanting to see him. He'd have answered the door at three a.m.

Cara smiled and glanced around the house. He hated that he was thirty-two and living with his parents. It felt like high school, and there were way too many photos around of him as a child.

"You grew up here?" she asked, looking around the room.

He nodded.

Her smile grew. "I like it."

The tension that he had released started to build up again. The conversation was moving too slow. It was a good sign that she was there, but what did this mean?

"Adam said you're thinking about buying a house."

"Yeah, the owner just accepted my offer. Cara, can we stop with the small talk?" he asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, his hands restless at his sides.

She smiled. "You want big talk?"

He nodded.

Her smile slowly faded as she searched his eyes. He wished he could crack her brain open and see what was going on in there. The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words.

"I didn't really believe that you'd moved on," Cara said, her voice barely above a whisper.

He nodded, his jaw setting with determination. "I have. Entirely."

She searched his eyes again, and he caught the way her breath hitched slightly before she gave a slow nod. "I miss you."

Hope bubbled up in Antonio, warming his chest. "I miss you, too."

Her hands found each other in front of her, fingers twisting together in nervous circles. Without thinking, he opened his arms and she stepped inside his embrace, her body melting into his.

Antonio wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her close—and in that moment, nothing had ever felt so right.

"Why are you here, Cara?"

"I love you, Antonio."

He squeezed her tighter. "I love you, too."

"I really liked being your girlfriend. I want to fall into your black hole, if you're really ready for me." She pulled back just enough to look up at him, hope and vulnerability in her beautiful eyes.

He nodded without hesitation. "I'm one hundred percent ready."

"I'm glad you didn't say something like a thousand percent. That would have really flattened my pop, if you know what I mean."

He laughed and kissed her lips, sighing when she melted into him. He loved everything about her—the way her mind worked, the feel of her skin, the sound of her laugh.

He wanted her forever.

"I don't want you to go, but I think its kind of awkward to ask you to stay." His thumb traced small circles on her lower back. He couldn’t stop touching her.

She smiled and leaned forward, kissing his neck.

"I really fucking hate that I live here right now."

She pulled back and smiled at him, her eyes bright. "I feel the exact opposite," she said.

He knew where she was coming from, but still, he hated that he couldn't hold her, cuddle her, make her breakfast.

The closing date for his new house couldn't come soon enough.

"You can come to my place," she said running her hands along his back.

"Is anyone there?" he asked.

"Everyone is there."

Antonio smiled, picturing them among their friends, out in the open and at ease.

He couldn’t wait.

"Let's go."