She nodded, but didn’t say anything else. When I pulled into the underground parking, she looked around at all the cars. Most were fancier cars than she was used to seeing. I could imagine her living here with me, living the life that I had promised to make for her one day, and it made me happy that I had finally gotten there.
I grabbed her bag out of the trunk and then took her hand as we walked over to the elevator. A car honked as it pulled into the garage and the sound of rushing traffic outside filled my ears. God, I loved this. There was nothing that made you feel more alive than the sound of people all around you.
I hit the button for the forty-third floor and grinned when her eyes widened. “You’re on the top floor?”
“Yep,” I said proudly. “The northeast corner of the building. The view is spectacular.”
She nodded as the elevator took us to the top floor. She stepped out slowly behind me, like she was waiting for me to play a prank on her or something.
“Come on.”
I felt like I had to drag her along with me. Most women hurried to my apartment, eager to see just how spectacular it was. When I unlocked the door and held it open for her, she slowly entered, her eyes wide as she took it all in. The apartment was bright because of the floor to ceiling windows. On a sunny day like today, the whole apartment lit up and really looked nice. She slowly walked from one room to the next, running her hand along the counter or the back of the couch, until she finally stopped at the windows that looked out over the lake. I walked up behind her, wrapping my arms around her.
“So, what do you think?”
She let out a deep sigh. “It’s very white.”
I glanced around and chuckled. “Yeah, there’s a lot of white.”
“I mean, it’s very nice, it’s just…very white.”
“It’s just paint. You can choose a different color if you want.”
She turned in my arms and looked at me in confusion. “What do you mean?”
I shrugged. I knew exactly what I wanted ever since she let me in last night. “I mean, make it a home. Do whatever you want so that you’re comfortable here.”
She pulled out of my arms, shaking her head. “Um, I think this is going a little too fast. I mean, I didn’t even like you up until this morning, and there’s still so much to talk about. And now you’re acting like we’re together and-“
“Aren’t we?” I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets. “Anna, there hasn’t been a single day that’s passed that I haven’t imagined you by my side. I didn’t think I’d ever have a shot with you again, but here you are, and I don’t want to waste a single second.”
I reached for her, but she backed up again. “You said spend time together. You said let’s talk and get to know each other again. Robert, we can’t just jump into a relationship. We’re not the same people we were back then.”
“Okay,” I said, stepping toward her, grabbing her arms so she wouldn’t run. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rush you. I just…I got excited.” I bent down and pressed my lips to hers, noticing she was reluctant to kiss me back. “We’ll take this slow. I promise.”
She nodded, exhaling slightly. Damn, I really did a number on her. “Come on, I’ll show you the bedroom and you can decide what you want for lunch.”
Anna was sleeping in bed beside me. I had made love to her after lunch and well into the afternoon, but I couldn’t get enough of her. I couldn’t believe that I had been so stupid when she left to live with her aunt. I assumed that she was angry at me for getting her pregnant. It just hadn’t crossed my mind that I was doing more harm than good by walking away. Now that I looked at her, I wondered what her life had really been like since she’d come home. I knew she worked at the gas station. That couldn’t have been satisfying. She had all these dreams when we were growing up, but now that I thought about it, I couldn’t remember her actually wanting any job in particular. She just dreamed of getting away from her mom and their trailer. She hadn’t accomplished that. Her mom died, but from what Ma told