“Hey, and since I’ll be over, there are a couple of things I want to talk about.” She clears her throat. She likely realizes how ominous that sounds, because she immediately follows it up with “but it has nothing to do with you, or, like, us. I’m very, very happy. And I love you. And I definitely want those chocolate-covered marshmallows.”
She must hear me sigh in relief, because she continues. “I’m sorry if that sounded bad. It’s just that I never want us to be in a place again where me holding back hurts us. So I’m just trying to talk to you as soon as things pop up, okay? We’re moving fast, which is fine, but a lot of my life hasn’t caught up. We need to talk about how to tell Amelia and—”
“It’s okay, mi amor.” I cut her off. I know we have lots to discuss. Mainly, how to break the news to my sister. I know Amelia loves us both, but she wouldn’t appreciate us keeping her in the dark. “We can talk tonight when you’re home. In my arms.”
“Okay. Tonight,” she says breathily. “I gotta head off to that meeting now.”
“Call or text if you need anything.”
“I will. And Tony?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you so much.”
“I love you more.”
I hang up and make my way back down toward the produce. But not before I snag an extra bag of chocolate-covered marshmallows for my girl.
38
Nikki
I’min love with my dream man.
I just hope I’m not fucking things up by telling him about my conversation with Justin last night. Or even worse, what I agreed to.
Tony arranged for an Uber to pick me up at my apartment and is already waiting at his building’s front door to greet me and take my luggage from the trunk.
“Hola, mi amor,” he whispers over my lips.
Gah, I swear my knees go weak every time he speaks to me in Spanish.
I quickly peck his lips and escape from under his arms, because if I go full Jell-O in the middle of the street in this freezing weather, Tony might have two heavy pieces of cargo to carry into his building.
Tony laughs behind me as we make our way to his apartment. We remove our boots and shed our extra outer layers at record speed until Tony is left wearing a tight black T-shirt with gray sweatpants while I’m in comfortable leggings and an oversized blue sweater. Tony is ready a second before me, giving him just enough time to open his arms and prepare for my typical hug attack.
I always dreamed of climbing the man like a tree, but leave it to me to cling to him like a koala the instant he’s within reach.
He’s peppering my face with kisses, and I beam under his loving affection.
“How was your meeting today? Are you going back to work soon?”
He kisses that spot under my ear that makes me shiver. “I don’t want to talk about it tonight.” He sighs. “I’m still processing it all. But as soon as I get a better grasp on it, I’ll tell you all about it. I promise.” He kisses my nose.
I don’t like being left on a cliff-hanger, but I understand the importance of respecting boundaries, so I leave it be.
“I missed you so much today,” I say between kisses.
“I missed you more.” He cradles my face in his large hands, and I melt.
“Ugh, are we that gross couple already? The ones I love to make fun of on social media behind their backs?”
“Whatever, sure. Just let me hold you for one more minute before you abandon me for the living room.” His arms slide around my waist and keep me close.
“Why? What’s in the—”
Holy mother of period gods.
