Chapter 30 Weston
Weston
As soon as I hooked Scout’s leash to his collar, he pulled me toward the Vaughns’ house. Did I need to refer to the location differently? What an odd thought to have as I walked down the road. It was still Cutter’s residence, and he was a Vaughn. At least for right now.
This morning was a crapshoot. Every weekend since Antonia arrived, we’d ended up walking to the café at the same time.
Although the purpose of my walk was to get some exercise, while hers was to eat one of Samira’s damn pastries.
I couldn’t say I blamed her, though. I’d had my fair share and found it extremely hard to deny myself the luxury.
As we neared the house, I felt a little trepidation start to build. What if Antonia wasn’t outside? It wasn’t like we had a standing reservation to meet each other at the end of the driveway. But I was hoping.
It took a couple of yards before Scout finally fell in step beside me.
It wouldn’t last long, though, as he’d grown accustomed to hanging out at Cutter and Nova’s.
I liked that he’d taken on the role of protector and therapist for them—especially for Nova.
I was a grown-ass adult, and my parents were still alive.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine how Nova was feeling.
As we neared, I saw a figure at the end of the driveway, and without a single thought, a smile formed. Scout must’ve seen her as well because he began to pull on his leash more. I let him go and watched my dog sprint to the woman who had captivated me so easily just by being at the game.
I ran the rest of the way.
When I reached Antonia, she looked up at me and smiled before turning her attention back to Scout.
Right then, I knew I would pursue this woman until she told me to back off.
She could’ve stayed home, forgotten about our unspoken Sunday morning breakfast after what had happened, but she hadn’t.
She was there, putting in the effort in her own way, to show me she wanted to spend the morning with me.
The urge to kiss her was overwhelming. It felt like I had a high school crush all over again, with sweaty palms and a palpitating, out-of-control heart.
Still crouched and petting my dog, she looked up at me. “Would you be okay with Scout staying with Nova while we go to breakfast?”
It didn’t escape my notice that she considered our Sunday morning trip to the café a date. Although the word “date” probably wasn’t what this was called.
“Of course. Is she okay?”
Antonia stood, and as she did, she shrugged one shoulder. “The nights are rough, and my parents are leaving today. I thought if she had someone or something to focus on while they packed their car, she’d be okay.”
“I don’t think Scout minds as long as I bring him a doughnut.”
“We’ll bring him two,” she said to my dog as she made kissy faces at him. Antonia started toward the house, with Scout following behind. She looked over her shoulder at me.
“Are you coming?”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t recall the last time I’d moved so damn fast. I was by her side instantly, holding the screen door open for her.
Inside, the house was the same, yet it wasn’t. I expected the house to be quiet, filled with mourning, but the television was on, there were voices in the kitchen, and a half-dressed teenage boy thundered down the stairs.
“Morning, Coach.”
“Good morning, Cutter.”
He walked into the living room and fell onto the sofa. Nova came in seconds later and crawled onto his lap. Behind her, a blanket dragged along the floor, and Scout, with his nose to the ground, looked for a morsel she might’ve dropped on her way to the couch.
Cutter enveloped her in his arms and brought her blanket up to his chest, tucking it under her head. To my horror, Scout jumped onto the couch and rooted his body right next to Cutter’s. Instantly, his arm went around my dog.
“Scout!”
“He can stay,” Antonia said as she came into the room. She kissed Nova’s forehead and said something to Cutter before turning toward me. “Scout’s okay on the couch, unless it’s something you don’t want him to do.”
“No, he gets on mine at home. I don’t know where his manners went.”
“Mr. Coach, Scout tooted in the kitchen. He doesn’t have any manners,” Nova said, giggling.
I laughed as well. “Nova, you can call me Weston.”
“Did you hear that?” she said as she looked at Cutter. “I get to call him Weston. Not you.”
Cutter shook his head. “It’s okay. That’ll be something special between you and Coach.”
His words made my eyes misty. Cutter was such a good boy with a steep hill to climb.
Antonia opened the front door, and I followed her out. We walked side by side, our arms brushing often as we made our way to the café. We made idle chitchat and paused to let the sun warm our faces.
Inside the café, Samira came around to hug Antonia as if she hadn’t seen her in months and not hours. “Breakfast is on the house today.”
“Absolutely not,” we said in unison.
Samira waved our words away. “My place, my rules.”
I shook my head as we stepped up to the counter. We ordered our usual, plus a bag of doughnuts to go. We took our coffees to the same table as before and sat down.
“How’d you sleep?”
Antonia blushed.
Was it because of me?
“Honestly, for sleeping on the couch, pretty well. I was oddly relaxed when I fell asleep.”
Was she relaxed because of me? I couldn’t keep the thought out of my head, even if I tried. I smirked but looked away, hoping she didn’t see me.
Suddenly, my coffee cup was really important. I lifted it, took a drink, and then asked, “Why are you sleeping on the couch?”
“My parents were in the guest room and . . .” She took a deep shuddering inhale. “I don’t know how I feel about sleeping in Miri’s room without her there. Granted, I did use her amazing tub, but that room was her sanctuary, and . . .” Antonia trailed off.
“I get it,” I said. “After Brianna left, I couldn’t sleep in the bed we’d shared. Everything smelled like her, which made the pain worse.”
Antonia’s eyes found mine. “Do you think keeping the house is a smart idea?”
I nodded but then wondered if I was being selfish.
At first, I hated the thought of losing Cutter.
Now, the idea of losing Antonia twisted my guts into a pretzel.
She had a life in Boston, likely a much flashier and more entertaining one.
The small-town life wasn’t for everyone, and I greedily wanted her to stay.
She gazed out the window and sighed. “That’s Miri’s house. It was her dream. Her blood, sweat, and tears. Not to mention, it’s a damn money pit, and I think it needs a new roof.” Antonia sighed. “Selling makes sense. It would put money in a college fund for the kids.”
“But . . .”
Antonia inhaled and sat up straighter. “But it’s their home and their connection to their mom.
I have the finances to keep it, do the repairs, and make it into the home she thought it would be.
I also have a penthouse in the city. I’m either going to have to sell or rent it out because paying for both seems like a bad financial decision. ”
“Where’s your penthouse?”
“On the wharf. I have amazing views, but the tourists in the summer can be an issue.”
“And you live there by yourself?” I hadn’t asked much about her relationship—well, previous relationship.
Antonia smiled softly. “Yes, which is why the breakup was so easy. We weren’t moving in together anytime soon. I think at most, we have a toothbrush at each other’s places.”
Phew.
“I imagine you do well at your job, but without prying too much, are you able to afford both?”
She nodded. “I bought my place for a very good deal a few years back, and I went to school on a scholarship, so I was able to double up payments.” Antonia sighed.
“Maybe I keep it and it’s a place for us to stay on the weekends or for vacations.
As it is, I need to be in Boston for work at least twice a week and will need a place to stay. ”
“That’ll save on hotel expenses for sure.”
“Yeah.” She picked her cup up and took a drink.
Samira brought our food over, along with two fresh cups of coffee. “Sorry about the delay. Where’s Scout?” she asked.
“He stayed with the kids this morning.”
“Well, I put a doughnut hole in the bag for him.”
“Thank you. He’ll be sure to stop by and thank you later.”
Samira left us, and we started eating, our conversation pausing.
“Do you still love your ex-wife?” Antonia asked mid-bite. I choked at her question.
I pounded on my chest with my fist, clearing the clog, and then drank some water to hopefully guide my food down the right pipe.
“Sorry,” she said as she took a bite of the applewood-smoked bacon. “I shouldn’t have blurted that out while you were eating.”
“No, it’s fine. It just caught me off guard.” I took another sip and cleared my throat. “The answer is yes.”
“Oh.”
I shook my head. “Not in the way you may think, though. Brianna and I were high school sweethearts, stayed together through college, and married after she graduated. Part of me thinks if I hadn’t been injured, we’d still be married.
This life”—I spread my arms out—“wasn’t for her, but that doesn’t mean I stopped loving her.
But I’m not in love with her, and I haven’t been for quite some time. We’re friends. Nothing more.”
“Well, that’s good to know.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Why’s that?”
Her right shoulder lifted as she picked at her food. She looked at me with a sneaky little grin on her lips. “I don’t make it a habit of spending time with men who are in love with other women.”
I held my hands up and shook my head. “I only have my eyes and intentions set on one person, Antonia.”
She ducked her head, but not before I saw her smile grow wider. When she finally looked up, she said, “You’ll be patient?”
“As a saint,” I said, winking.
We finished breakfast and walked back to the house. Cutter, Nova, and Scout were in the same spot on the couch as they were when we’d left. Nova perked up, then scrambled off the couch when Antonia held up the bag of doughnuts.
“Gimme,” she said as she took the bag to the kitchen, with Scout following behind to catch any morsel she left for him.
Antonia followed her into the kitchen, leaving me in the hall with a conundrum.
Go sit with Cutter or trail behind the girls into the kitchen.
I heard Carmela in the kitchen and made my choice.
“Mind if I sit?”
Cutter shook his head and adjusted so he wasn’t sprawled out. He turned the volume down on the TV.
“What are you watching?”
“Recaps from yesterday’s college games.”
“Almost time for March Madness.”
“Best time leading into spring,” he said, laughing. “Outside of baseball season.”
I laughed right along with him. “I know we have one basketball game left, but since you brought it up, I’d like to start throwing on Wednesday,” I said to him. “This gives you one day to do nothing. I know it’s not a lot of downtime, but I’d like to work on your curve before the season starts.”
Cutter had a hint of excitement in his eyes. “What about the weight room?”
“Next week. Aside from throwing, we’ll give your body a rest.”
Cutter nodded toward the other room. “Did you talk to Toni about summer ball?”
“I did. Everything’s taken care of for basketball and baseball.”
“That’s good. I really need to try for a scholarship.”
With that statement, I made a mental note to reach out to some of my colleagues and see what I could do to get Cutter some looks.
It’d been on my mind for a while, and there was no better time to act than now.
Cutter and Malik, regardless of his situation, deserved a shot to play in college, and if I could help in some way, I would.
“You’re right,” I told him. “With the schedule Coach Levy and I have come up with, you’ll be in front of scouts at most of the basketball tournaments. You know I can put you there, but it’s up to you to show them what you can do.”
“Now more than ever, I need to prove myself,” he said. “Thanks, Coach.”
“My pleasure. Now, let’s watch this recap,” I told him. “I need to see where my teams line up.”
Cutter turned the volume up, and we sat there watching ESPN replays of NFL recaps.