the night. He held his arms open, but my feet remained glued to the spot I stood.
“Come here, beautiful,” he said, taking my hesitance for shock as he chuckled and pulled me into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, swaying me in a hug before he pulled back and framed my face with his hands. “God, I’ve missed you.”
His lips were on me in the next second, kissing me with the longing of the last few weeks we’d been apart. I didn’t come to until halfway through it, and when I did, I wrapped my arms around his waist, kissing him in return as my mind reeled.
And I couldn’t figure out why when his lips were on me, I was still thinking about Noah.
When Anthony pulled back, he wrapped me in his arms again, threading his hands on the small of my back as he smiled down at me. He was tall, body built like a brick wall from playing lacrosse his entire life. His bicep muscles were the size of my thighs, and with them encompassing me like that, I felt an equal measure of warmth and confinement.
“Shocked?” he asked with an amused smile when I still didn’t say anything. His blond hair was styled in a neat wave, his hazel eyes matching the hue of mine. He reminded me a little of a Ken doll, or Superman, or a combination of the two with his cleft chin and strong jaw line, his face freshly shaved and smooth, his skin a perfect shade of bronze.
I nodded, forcing a smile.
He chuckled. “I thought you’d be. Where have you been? I’ve been waiting all night to see this look on your face.”
Panic zipped through me, but I swallowed it down, running my hands over his chest. “Oh, just at the nursing home. I didn’t know I had such a surprise waiting for me.”
Warmth touched his eyes. “My girl, always the giving heart.” He shook his head, leaning down to peck my lips before he pulled back again. “One of the things I love most about you.”
My smile was genuine this time, and I mentally slapped the guilt I felt away. I hadn’t done anything wrong with Noah. We hadn’t actually kissed. It was a mistake, a weak moment where I was too close to him, too close to my feelings of anxiety surrounding the wedding.
It could happen to anyone.
But it wouldn’t happen again.
I pulled Anthony in for another kiss to seal that promise to myself, and when I pulled back, he threaded his hand in mine, tugging me toward the house.
“What are you doing here, anyway?” I asked. “And how long are you here?”
“Well…” he said, and before he could answer, he swung the door open and Mama bounded toward me, wrapping me in her arms in an excited hug.
“Oh, Ruby Grace! You’re home!” She squeezed me tight before pulling back and framing my arms in her hands. “Can you believe it? Anthony surprised us all this afternoon. And he’s staying until the wedding! I’m just so thrilled!”
My brows shot up. “You are?” I asked Anthony.
“I am,” he said, a soft grin on his perfect lips. “We’ve been getting a lot of media attention with me running for state representative, and it seems that marrying you is everyone’s favorite topic. Can’t say that I blame them,” he said, chucking my chin. “Anyway, Dad thought it would be good to capitalize on all the attention. He sent me out here with a small film crew. They’re going to film us preparing for the wedding, capture our love story for the media outlets and possibly some campaign commercials. Don’t worry,” he said when he saw the worry in my eyes. “They won’t be with us all the time. And we’ll have a say in what they can use.”
I nodded through my discomfort, especially since I couldn’t quite place its origin. Was it the thought of cameras following me that made my stomach lurch like that, or the fact that Anthony was in my hometown to stay for the next five weeks?
And if that was the case, why did it make me uncomfortable?
“Oh, I just can’t believe it!” Mama said, clapping her hands together. “I’ll have to plan a dinner this week for the crew. We can all get to know each other and I’ll make my famous lemon bar cookies. We’re just so thrilled to have you, Anthony!”
She wrapped him up in her arms before scurrying off, calling down the hallway