My Saving Grace

The rays of morning sunlight snuck between the blinds, giving our bedroom a faint yellow glow. Slowly, my eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the light as I lay cocooned in Antonio's body. I could feel his solid chest rising and falling gently against my cheek as he slept. After his long flight and last night's activities, which had left me deliciously sore, it was no surprise he'd wiped out.

For a half hour or so, I simply basked in the feeling of lying in his arms while relaying the events of this past week in my mind. I had yet to tell Antonio about how Chase was back in my life again. I'd meant to tell him ages ago, but something had been holding me back all this time. It took a while for me to figure out what it was, but last night when driving home, I'd finally arrived at a conclusion.

Chase Lincoln was a precious memory of mine that I simply didn't want to share with anyone. End of story.

Even after all these years, my best friend, Alexa, was the only person who knew about him.

I wasn't trying to hide Chase from Antonio out of guilt or anything like that. After all, we were just friends. But I wasn't ready to integrate him into this new chapter of my life. I wanted us to just be the Chase and Sophia from my freshman year of college who could tell each other anything.

Back when I had him all to myself.

God, now I was confusing the hell out of myself.

I felt Antonio stirring next to me, and my thoughts dissipated as I reached a hand up to trace the faint lines on his forehead. His job was no easy feat, and some nights, he didn't come home from campus til past nine. He and one of his colleagues were currently working on a manuscript for their upcoming textbook on top of lecturing and helping his top PhD students get publications.

A low groan reverberated in his chest, and my finger stilled as his eyes slowly blinked open before descending on mine.

"Hi," I said gently, drowning in the intensity of his gaze.

"Just "hi?" Someone's shy this morning." He smiled fondly, giving my hip a squeeze.

"Very funny." I gave his cheek a playful pinch in return.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Decent. I miss having the bed to myself."

In a flash, Antonio was on top of me, pinning my arms above my head. His eyes were hooded with desire, and I felt him harden against my stomach.

"You're a fucking awful liar," he breathed into my ear.

"Who said anything about lying?"

He smirked, planting a kiss on the tip of my nose.

"I love you, mia bella."

"Oh, yeah? How much?"

"This much," he grunted before entering me with one hard thrust.

We didn't get out of bed until nearly eleven, and after our nice, long shower, Antonio offered to make breakfast, so I opted to do some cleaning. I stripped our bedsheets from the mattress then tossed them into a hamper, heading downstairs to the laundry room.

I spent a good fifteen minutes separating all our dirty clothes into their respective categories—whites, blacks, grays, tans, and colors. To me, grays and tans could easily be combined, but Antonio insisted otherwise, saying he wanted to keep all his dress pants as good as new. Not gonna lie, the man did own some pretty pricey pants.

Once the first load was running in the washer, I made my way to the kitchen, anticipating the smell of breakfast food.

Only there was no smell of food. Nor the sound of drawers being opened and closed or the range hood whirring.

Instead, I was greeted by the sight of my husband sitting at the counter, hunched over his phone with a tense expression on his face.

"Hey, is everything okay?", I asked worriedly. He remained fixated on his phone, ignoring my presence.

I walked briskly to his side, and when I saw the article headline on his screen, a shocked gasp escaped my lips.

"Live or Die Star, Chase Lincoln, Spotted with Beloved Daughter of Derek Weston- California's Most Admired CEO of Weston Hotel Group," he read out loud in a cutting tone.

Underneath the headline was a photo of Chase laughing at something I'd said during our dinner at La Villita Cantina.

I took a deep breath.

"Antonio, it's not what you —"

He scoffed.

"Sophia, what the hell—"

"He's just a friend, okay?", I exclaimed.

He leaned back in his stool, crossing his arms in front of his chest as his eyes narrowed.

"I thought you wanted honesty? How come you didn't tell me about Chase after everything I told you about Veronica?"

"I-I was going to—"

"You know, I just remembered something." He furrowed his brows.

"What?"

"Awhile ago, you used the phrase "an old friend." In fact, I think it was during our conversation about your encounter with Veronica. You told me you'd "met an old friend," and I'd thought it was kind of strange because you've always said their actual names. And last night, you said you had dinner with an "old friend.""

"The "old friend" is Chase. There, are you happy?", I bit out.

"You told me you haven't seen him since he disappeared when you were in college. Have you two been in contact all this time?"

"No! We just randomly ran into each other at a coffee shop after I'd dropped you off at the airport. When your mom had a heart attack," I explained.

The muscles in his jaw relaxed, and he uncrossed his arms.

"I see. So tell me, does he know you're married?"

"Of course he does! I was the one to tell him. And why are you acting like this? He's just a friend, who also happens to be a celebrity, so pictures are gonna circulate whether I want them to or not. God knows, I really wish they didn't."

"I'm pissed you hid this guy from me and that I had to find out through my daily scroll of the news. What'd you expect? For me to leap with joy at a picture of you and some hot shot actor laughing over dinner?"

I frowned.

"Chase is not just some "guy", Antonio, he's one of my dearest friends."

He ran his fingers through his hair, groaning in exasperation.

"That's not the point. The point is, I had no fucking idea he was back in your life because you didn't tell me. So as your husband, of course I'm gonna get fucking jealous over some public photo of my wife and another man."

I sighed, plopping down on the stool next to him.

"I didn't think I needed to say anything about Chase. It's not like he was an ex of mine. I wasn't even in love with him or anything."

I stared down at my hands, which rested on the countertop. My last sentence was far from the truth, and if Antonio saw my face, he'd know it because I was an awful liar.

I was met with silence, which stretched on for what seemed like an eternity.

"Fair enough," he finally muttered before closing out of that stupid article.

"He wants to meet you, you know. Him and his girlfriend. They wanted you to join us for dinner last night," I informed.

He raised a brow.

"He's in a relationship?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Of course, that's all you care about."

He raised his hands in surrender.

"Hey, it's a valid question. And sure, I'll meet him. Your father is the closest to a celebrity I've ever met."

I feigned a smile.

He angled his torso so that we faced each other then he rested his hand above mine on the counter.

"Did you even read the rest of the article to see what it said?", I asked.

"No. I was too busy gawking at the picture."

"Oh."

He gave my hand a squeeze.

"I don't care what it says now. Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

"We've been doing a lot of apologizing lately," I mumbled.

He gave me a sad smile, reaching out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

"Yeah. We're still new at this whole marriage thing though, right?" His voice was gentle.

I nodded my head, then lo and behold, my stomach began to growl loudly. Antonio chuckled, standing up.

"Well, there's my cue. Belgian waffles fine?"

"Sounds great to me." I smiled.

He cradled my face in his hands then bent to kiss me tenderly on the lips, making my toes tingle.

"I love you, mia bella."

"Love you too, Professor."

Thank God we cleared the air about Chase. It made me feel a hundred times lighter.

I poured myself a glass of water then got comfortable on one of the stools, which afforded me an unobstructed view of my gorgeous husband in chef mode.

"I wanna hear all about your trip," I said once he'd set out all of the necessary ingredients in front of me.

"Do you now?" He gave me an endearing smile.

"Uh-huh." I swung my legs back and forth in the air, eagerly reaching for a chocolate chip.

So, for the next half hour, Antonio filled me in on his time in Switzerland, including all of the sightseeing he'd managed to squeeze in, while whipping up a breakfast worthy for a queen. No doubt after this trip, he'd be evaluated for tenure sooner than he'd anticipated. In accordance with his current track, he had a little over a year left before earning the title of full professorship.

"Did you visit any strip clubs?", I asked teasingly.

"No. There was a young professor from Oxford, though, who didn't look too bad on the eyes."

"Do I need to hunt her down?"

He laughed.

"No, that won't be necessary. I mostly hung out with her and this other fellow from NYU who was also around my age. She kinda resembled you. It made me miss you even more."

"Aww. Well, I'm here now, and I am so ready to eat."

"Me too."

He slid a plate filled with chocolate chip Belgian waffles, bacon, eggs, and seasoned potatoes in front of me, and my mouth watered.

Foodgasm, here I come.

***

"Where's my angel?"

The beloved voice of my mom's best friend calling sent me running down the stairs of my childhood home towards the foyer.

"Aunt Char!", I cried, throwing myself into her outstretched arms.

My dad stood to the side with his hands in his pockets, smiling at our reunion.

She stood back to look at my face, giving both my cheeks a pinch.

"She resembles you more than Claire now, don't you think?", she remarked, glancing at my dad.

"Whatever you say, Char," he said with a smile.

I then proceeded to give Uncle Elliot a hug, asking him about his recovery.

"Where's that charming husband of yours, darling?", Aunt Char asked.

"Right here."

Our heads whipped around at the sound of Antonio's deep voice. He emerged from the kitchen where he and I had been preparing dinner and strode over to join us.

"It's good to see you again, Charlotte," he said with a smile, bending slightly to give her a peck on the cheek.

"It's Aunt Charlotte to you now, Mister." She grinned haughtily. We all laughed.

"My sincerest apologies, Aunt Charlotte."

"You're forgiven. And congratulations on the marriage, you two! Uncle Elliot and I were bummed we couldn't make it, but we hope you enjoyed our gifts."

Antonio and I exchanged a knowing look, his eyes flickering with mischief.

Their gift had consisted of a fancy food processor, personalized T-shirts for newlyweds, and of course, lingerie that Aunt Char had snuck into the bag without her husband's knowledge.

"Oh, we enjoyed them very much," my husband said, giving me a wink.

"Excellent," Aunt Char clapped her hands together.

God, how I loved this woman.

Once Nick and Alyssa arrived, we all moved from the living room to the dining room to eat the meal Antonio and I had prepared, which consisted of whiskey-glazed salmon, grilled asparagus, and loaded mashed potatoes.

"You're a lucky man, Derek. You've got such an amazing son-in-law and daughter-in-law. What's the secret?", Uncle Elliot asked later in the night as he and his wife viewed my wedding photos.

We were all situated in front of the fireplace, with the football game playing in the background on the TV. I was seated between my husband and brother, two of the three men I loved most in this world.

"Good parenting. I raised both my children to make wise decisions in life. And it looks like they did," my dad stated, looking at Nick and I with so much pride in his blue eyes.

"Claire would be so happy," Aunt Charlotte said, wiping away a tear that had fallen down her cheek. Her husband gently rubbed her back to comfort her.

"There's no doubt about that. I feel it in my heart that she's happy." My dad's smile was sorrowful as he gazed at the photo frames on the fireplace of the four of us.

I leaned my head on Antonio's shoulder, my heart breaking for my dad.

"He loves your mom so much," he murmured.

"I know. It's so heart achingly beautiful."

He kissed the top of my head, draping his arm around me.

"I'll spend the rest of my life loving you like that." 

"Will you?" I glanced up to find his eyes burning into mine.

"So long as my heart is beating," he said in a hoarse voice.

I gave his torso an affectionate squeeze.

"Me too, Antonio...Me too."