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  “And did they?”

  “Yes, to some degree. That was how I got my boyfriend, Tommy. But after high school, we moved away to Pittsburgh for school and it was everything I had dreamed of. I mean, I was a terrible student, but life with Tommy was magical, or so I thought. He accepted that I wanted to drop out of school and he was very supportive of me no matter what I wanted to do. He was…perfect.”

  Gus smirked and shook his head. “But I’m guessing he wasn’t.”

  “No, he was,” I said sadly. “He really was everything I wanted. I was with him for two more years and I thought that a proposal was coming. I could just feel it, you know? But the time came and went and one day he broke up with me.”

  “I thought you said he was perfect,” Gus grunted.

  “It turns out that Tommy felt that I was too closed off. See, he really loved me and wanted a life with me, but he said he could never really reach me, and he just couldn’t be with someone that couldn’t give him everything. I begged with him, told him that I could change, but the truth was, if I had changed, I wouldn’t have been the girl he wanted anyway. We broke up and I never saw him again. So, from that moment on, I decided that being like my momma wasn’t all that bad. She was always the person that I looked up to most, and changing to fit in hadn’t actually helped me at all. So, I swore that if I ever met anyone that made me feel anything like Tommy did, I wouldn’t hold back this time. I would put everything I had into a relationship with him. And guess what? I met that man last night. So, call me crazy, Gus, but Tony is the one. Now, I just have to make sure he sees it too.”

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  I rushed to the grocery store after my shift and picked up everything I would need to make Chicken Corn Chowder. The allrecipes.com app was very good and I loved using it. It was where I got some of my best recipes. I went home, fully intending to get right to work on dinner, but the buzzer sounded, distracting me from getting started.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, it’s me!” my friend, Jenny called up. I buzzed her up and unlocked the door. When I texted her earlier to tell her about Tony, she said we would talk later. Apparently, that time was now.

  “Okay,” she panted as she ran into my apartment, tossing her stuff down on the floor. She dragged me over to the couch and pushed me down. “I’m here. Now, tell me everything.”

  I shrugged. “He’s okay.”

  She slapped me on the arm. “Don’t give me that shit. I don’t get frantic texts from you often about a hot guy that you took home the night before. Tell me everything.”

  “Oh my God, Jenny, he’s amazing. Super sweet, but also gruff and…he’s got this whole don’t give a shit vibe going on. It’s totally hot.”

  “And you brought him home?” she grinned.

  “He spent the night. We talked so much, about everything. I mean, the way we connected, it was just amazing.”

  “How did he kiss?”

  I blushed as I remembered his kisses and that told her everything she needed to know. She squealed and clapped her hands, bouncing up and down on the couch. “You are so lucky. So, what did he say this morning?”

  “Well, he rushed out of here. I mean, I’m sure he had a job to get to. And I’m trying really hard right now not to jump to conclusions.”

  “Let’s go over it then. Did he approach you or did you approach him?”

  “He approached me.”

  “Good, and whose suggestion was it that he come back here?”

  “Um…it was mine. He was kind of drunk and you know how I get when someone’s drunk.”

  She rolled her eyes. “God forbid anyone be left to suffer when they get drunk.”

  “Hey, it turned out for the best.”

  “Okay, well it would have been better if he had asked you to go home with him.”

  “Of course,” I agreed. “Then I wouldn’t look desperate.”

  “No, then you could have gone through all his stuff to get a better read on him. He can stay with you any time, but then he has distance. What you need is to get into his house and really see the man he is. Check out his medicine cabinet and look in his closet. Men keep things closed off, so unless you get in there, you’re not getting the answers you need.”

  “Well, he opened up to me quite a bit last night.”

  “Yeah, but it’s not the same. There’s gotta be stuff that he’s keeping from you. Okay, so what else happened?”

  I tried to think about how to describe it, but it was so hard. He was everything I ever wanted in a man. “You know how you meet someone and you have the butterflies because he’s hot?” She nodded. “Well, those butterflies never went away, and the more he touched me, the more I could tell that he really liked me. It was the way he looked at me, Jenny. It was like I was the only thing that mattered to him. Like I could save him. I’m telling you, this guy is it.”

  “Well, did he say anything about seeing you today?”

  “No, but like I said, he was in a rush to leave. He actually left before I woke up.”

  She nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, he was probably late for work.”

  “And if he woke me up, he knew that it would be hard to leave.”

  “Exactly, because he’s not going to want to drag himself away from the woman that he just had this amazing night with.”

  “But he did leave some things behind, like his phone and some of his clothes.”

  “Oh, that is totally a sign.”

  “You think?”

  “Yes! Leaving his phone behind was the equivalent of a woman leaving behind a piece of jewelry. You know you have to go back for it at some point.”

  “That’s true.”

  “And the clothes, he probably wanted to leave something behind that you could smell. That’s a big thing with guys. It’s like a dog marking his territory by peeing. Guys are the same way. If he leaves his shirt behind and it smells like him, you won’t forget him, and you let anyone else that enters the apartment know that a man was there and he’s intending to come back.”

  “You know, you’re right. I never thought of it that way.” I gnawed my lip. “But I returned his phone to him at his work. I mean, he wasn’t there, but I met his boss. He was really nice.”

  “That’s good. You met some of the people in his life. That’s very important. Now, his friends are going to ask about you, and that will remind him of the night he spent with you. Honestly, that was probably the better move.”

  “I just wish I could have seen him. I mean, I had to invite him to dinner tonight through his boss. That’s weird, right?”

  “Not really. I mean, if a guy came up to me and asked me to let you know when dinner was, I would call you immediately and let you know. See, guys don’t want you to know that they pretty much think the same way we do. They get excited about dates just as much as girls, but they put up this macho front so they can look aloof. I bet he’s at work, thinking about what he’s going to wear tonight.”

  “Speaking of, he’ll probably be here soon, and I still have to get dinner going.”

  “What are you going to wear?”

  “I don’t know. I was thinking of going for a casual look. I don’t want him to think I’m high maintenance.”

  “Of course. No, you should go for comfy, but don’t get out your kitten pajamas yet. It may be too early for that.”

  “Right. Jeans and a t-shirt.”

  “But make sure that you do your makeup and wear lingerie underneath. It’s definitely too early for the cotton underwear.”

  “Got it,” I said, standing and walking her to the door.

  “Good luck tonight. And I want all the details tomorrow.”

  “I’ll call you.”

  I hugged her and then shut the door. I had a lot of work to do before Tony got here. I rushed into the kitchen and quickly boiled up some chicken, cut it up, then threw it in the pot.

  “Shit, I forgot the half and half.” I dug through my fridge and found a half gallon of milk. “Okay, well, half and
half is a milk product, so it’s probably the same thing.” I dumped in what I thought looked right and started mixing it all together, but then there was something about a roux. I quickly looked it up and got to work. It looked simple enough. I dumped some soup into a smaller pan and added a shit load of flour. It didn’t look quite like the instructions said, but it was probably fine. When it was all done, I spiced it up with salt and pepper, then set it to simmer.

  After that, I pulled out my no-knead bread recipe and threw it together. It was so simple. I just had to toss it together and then bake it in the dutch oven. It said that you had to let it sit for like eight hours, but who had time for that? While that baked, I quickly took a shower and threw on a pretty dress. It was a little after six, but Tony probably didn’t have set hours for his job, so I didn’t worry about it. Besides, the bread wasn’t ready yet. When the timer went off, I checked on the bread, but it didn’t look like it was supposed to.

  I pulled out my phone and called Momma.

  “Hello?”

  “Momma, I have a date tonight!”

  She gasped and giggled. “You do? What’s his name? What does he do?”

  “His name is Tony and he’s a bodyguard.”

  “Ooh, sexy. Does he have muscles? Of course he has muscles. No one would hire a bodyguard that doesn’t have muscles. Have you felt them? Are they hard?”

  “Momma, listen, I’m cooking him dinner tonight and I have the bread in the oven, but it doesn’t look right. It’s still flat.”

  “Hmmm… well, try baking it for a little longer. Maybe another half hour, and if it’s still not ready, just keep baking it.”

  “Okay.” I set the timer and poured myself a glass of wine.

  “So, how did you meet this man?”

  “At the bar. I was there with the girls and he walked right up to me. He singled me out of everyone and then he came home with me last night.”

  “And? Was it everything you hoped for?”

  “Oh, Momma, it was so much better. He’s got this tortured soul that just makes me want to do anything I can for him. He’s a really good guy, you know?”

  “Honey, tell me about it. The tortured ones are always the ones that stop your heart.”

  “He definitely does. I haven’t felt like this since Tommy.”

  I heard a soft sigh on the other end. Momma blamed herself for what happened with Tommy. She said that she allowed me to change to be like everyone else because it was something I had to figure out for myself. Turns out, she was right, but that didn’t stop her from feeling like I could have had someone that loved me a long time ago.

  “Honey, he wasn’t right for you. Now, I know that you loved him, but-”

  “I know, Momma. I was changing to be who he wanted. But it’s not like that with Tony. I was exactly who I am, and he saw it. There was something electric happening between us.”

  “And how was this morning?”

  “Well, he had to leave early for work, so I didn’t get to talk to him.”

  “Oh, well, did you bring him lunch?”

  “Momma, do you really doubt me? I haven’t deviated from your rulebook once since I screwed everything up with Tommy.”

  “That’s my girl. So, what time is he coming for dinner?”

  “Well, I told him six, but I don’t think he gets off work at a certain time.”

  “That’s something you’re going to have to learn to deal with, honey. He has an important job and he won’t be able to drop everything for you.”

  “I know. I’ll be patient with him. Besides, I know that this is the real thing. He’s just amazing.”

  “Describe him to me.”

  I sighed dreamily as I remembered the way he sauntered over to me last night. “Well, if I said Italian Stallion, that would pretty much sum him up. He’s got this sexy black hair that’s so silky I just want to bathe in it. Trust me, Momma, when you run your fingers through it, you’ll know what I mean.”

  “Ooh, I can’t wait to meet him. He sounds so dreamy.”

  “He is. I can’t wait to bring him home to meet you and Daddy.”

  “Oh, I’m finally going to have a son-in-law. And babies. You’ll give me lots of babies, right?”

  “Momma, that’s rushing it, don’t you think? I mean, it’s not like we’ve talked about it. Give me until tomorrow at least to get that answer.”

  “Why wouldn’t he want to have babies?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t like kids.”

  “Why wouldn’t he like kids?”

  I was baffled. Why would anyone not want kids? “I don’t know, but I know I should at least talk about it with him first. Besides, when you meet him, you’ll see that I really have to take things slow with him. He’s fighting some things right now.”

  “How long are we talking?”

  I shrugged internally. I wasn’t really sure how long it was going to take. “I’m guessing that he’s going to need at least a week.”

  “Well, we’ll plan on dinner next weekend. Saturday at six. Make sure you get off work, and I’ll pull out my best dress.”

  “Don’t go overboard, Momma. Daddy will think that you’re stepping out on him.”

  “Lordy, if only I could, but it’s just not possible. I love your daddy more than anything in this world. What I wouldn’t give to have an Italian Stallion of my own.”

  “Momma,” I chastised.

  “I said it’s not possible, but a woman can still dream. Besides, when you get to my age, there’s more dreaming than actually doing, if you know what I mean.”

  “Well, it’ll never be like that with Tony. I have a feeling that things will never get old with us.”

  “I really am so happy for you, sugar. Alright, I’ll let you go so that you can finish getting ready for your date. And take pictures so I can see that handsome man of yours.”

  “I will, Momma.”

  I hung up and checked on the soup again, then on the bread. It still wasn’t puffed up. Maybe it was supposed to be flatbread? I sat down at the table and drank my wine. When the bread was done, I took it out. But as the night moved on, Tony didn’t show, and that made me really nervous. What if he was injured on a job? What if I never saw him again? Tony wouldn’t stand me up for absolutely no reason. If he wasn’t here, it was because something was preventing him from coming.

  I paced around the apartment until I couldn’t take it anymore. Deciding against calling him, I grabbed my car keys and headed for Reed Security. A million thoughts ran through my mind until I felt like I would go mad. He would never stand me up. Something was definitely wrong. When I pulled up to the gates, I stared in shock at the destruction around me. The entire place was on fire and the gate was smashed in. I drove through and parked just outside the building. I could hear screams coming from inside the building, so I raced for the elevator, realizing only seconds later that I didn’t have access to the scanner. Only, when I got in the elevator, it didn’t matter anyway. All the control panels had shorted out. The only way to get in now was to go through the top of the elevator.

  Balancing between the two handrails on two of the walls, I jumped from the handrails and pushed the grating at the top open. It took one more climb up the handrails to make my way through the grating. Pulling myself up was no easy chore, but Tony was inside and he needed me. Tearing off my shirt, I tore it in half and wrapped the shreds around my hands. With a jump, I started climbing up the elevator cables to the next floor. The elevator entrance had a space in front of it that I could stand on, but I would have to jump over there. Kicking my legs back, I hit the opposite wall and pushed hard, flinging myself toward the elevator entrance. I landed hard against the doors, just barely hanging on. God, I felt like Jason Bourne right now.

  Pulling out my keys, I shoved them between the elevator doors, just enough to slip my fingers inside, and then pulled them apart with all my might. I slipped through and instantly started coughing. The smoke was so thick inside that I could hardly breathe. I scan
ned the office space, looking for any sign of my man. That’s when I heard the cries for help.

  I ran down the hallway, running right past Sebastian’s office, but stopped when I thought I saw movement. Running back into his office, I gasped when I saw the ceiling had collapsed on Tony.

  “Tony! Oh my gosh. Are you injured?” I asked, rushing to his side.

  “I’m okay. But you have to run. It’s not safe. Get out!”

  “I can’t leave you.”

  “You have to. Don’t wait around for me.”

  “No,” I cried. “I won’t leave you. I can’t live without you!”

  “Molly, I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. Please, run!”

  I nodded through tears, backing up as I watched the pain course through my man. How could I do this? I couldn’t. I needed to find help. I spun around to go find someone and ran straight into a solid body.

  “Oh, thank God! My boyfriend needs help!”

  But the man grinned at me and wrapped a beefy hand around my neck, squeezing tight. My eyes widened in surprise and fear. He spun me around and shoved me back into the room, holding a gun to my head as he wrapped his arm around my neck, holding me to his body.

  “You thought you were so smart, Tony. But I have your woman and you’re stuck under concrete. Tell me, how do you think you’ll save her now?”

  “Let her go, Romanoff.”

  The man laughed and his stinky breath filtered through the smoke to my nose. I grimaced, but there was no getting away from this man. He was too strong, and I had walked right into his trap. I saw something twitch in Tony’s eyes, and then a shot rang out. The pressure around my throat was gone and the man behind me dropped to the floor with a hole in the center of his forehead. I rushed to Tony’s side, crying as he brushed the tears from my eyes. The gun in his hand fell to the ground.

  “Tony, stay with me.”

  “It’s done. The threat…is gone. Promise me, tell me that you’ll go on with life.”