Would wonders never cease?

As I approached the freeway exit for LAX, my mind kept replaying the monumental reunion I'd had with Chase Lincoln. The fact that it'd taken place at a mere coffee shop had stripped us both down to the people we used to be seven years ago. I'd felt like I was still a freshman in college, and the Chase I'd talked to certainly hadn't felt like Mr. Hollywood.

He was the same down-to-earth, honest man I'd met.

As opposed to the past couple of years, which had left me pondering his wordless disappearance, I now had a sense of closure. He was successful, happy, and even had a girlfriend. The last thought brought a smile to my face.

Chase Lincoln and Sophia Grace Weston- two lost souls who sought each other out in an abandoned restaurant- had both managed to find a love of their own.

I already couldn't wait to see him again. There was so much I wanted to ask and know about his new life. With my wedding to Antonio in July, no doubt things would start to change, but it felt reassuring to know that some wouldn't- my relationship with my family, and hopefully, my renewed friendship with Chase.

Upon reaching One World Way, I followed the signs for Terminal 3, where Antonio would be arriving. A quick glance at the clock revealed that I was twenty minutes late, but hopefully he hadn't had to wait too long. I missed my man, especially earlier today when I'd felt his absence weighing on me during the cake tasting. On the bright side, he would probably approve with my choice, since we had very similar tastes.

Just as I expected, he was standing at the curb when I began to drive up, looking handsome as ever in a black polo and dark blue jeans. He took his sunglasses off as I rolled the passenger window down all the way, and the instant our eyes made contact, he gave me a dazzling smile, leaving my heart racing.

"Get in the car, Professor."

"So demanding." He smirked, throwing his travel bag in the backseat before joining me at the
front.

"I missed you," I murmured as we both leaned in for a brief, but nevertheless blissful, kiss.

"Was it me you missed? Or my di-"

"Okay, we're not going there."

He threw his hands up in surrender, pretending to look all innocent.

"You didn't even let me finish."

"You are such a dirty professor," I said with mock admonishment, turning on my blinker to pull away from the curb.

He chuckled, his eyes gleaming with amusement as he took my hand in his, resting it on his thigh.

"I was gonna say "dill pickle," but if you wanna think dirty, be my guest." He shrugged nonchalantly.

I blew a raspberry, biting back a laugh.

"Dill pickle? God, you're really not helping here."

He snickered.

"In case you're wondering, I missed you too, mia bella. Especially your pus-"

"So...," I spoke loudly, cutting him off. Less than five minutes in the car with my fiancé, and already, my face was burning up.

"Someone's awfully shy," he teased, stroking my palm with his thumb.

"I'm not shy!", I protested.

He smiled smugly, his expression heated.

"You and I both know how far from shy you are."

"One more word out of your mouth, Professor, and I'll pull this car over and drop you into a ditch."

"Damn, I missed you," he said with a laugh.

"Me too." I gave his hand a squeeze, keeping my eyes on the road.

We both grew serious as he relayed updates on his mother's health condition. She'd been allowed to go home and was told to take things easy. Carlo, his brother, had also flown in from Boston. I'd only met him once during a Thanksgiving dinner with the Rossi's. His relationship with Antonio was still strained since they'd barely talked during our visit, but he'd been nice enough to me.

I'd kept telling Carlo what an amazing man Antonio was, hoping to alleviate some of his hard feelings and doubts. At this rate though, the only way to prove him wrong was if Antonio and I had a perfect, smooth marriage after our wedding. But I didn't need Carlo's or anyone else's validation of my fiancé. He was the one for me, and nothing could change that.

"How was the cake tasting?", he asked as we approached his apartment.

"It was really exciting. I'm glad Alexa was with me, but it would've been nice if you were there,
too."

"Yeah. I was looking forward to it, too. I trust you made a good decision, though." He smiled warmly.

"You'll see." I smiled back.

I parked the car, grabbing my purse from the backseat and followed Antonio to the main door of his apartment building. We both went to take a shower then ordered a pizza for dinner, settling outside on the balcony to eat it since the weather was beautiful.

"Tell me more about your day. Did you do anything else besides cake tasting?", Antonio asked.

"I, uh, met an old friend from college for coffee in Santa Monica."

"Nice." He took a sip of his red wine.

I took a deep breath before deciding to divulge a certain bit of information I'd kept to myself for some time now.

"Speaking of old friends, I ran into Veronica a couple of months ago."

He immediately set his glass down, his gaze cutting into me, and I regretted bringing the subject up.

"Why didn't you tell me then?"

"Didn't think I needed to." I held his gaze.

"Not a good answer."

"It was nothing serious, I promise. I was leaving your apartment building, and she was standing in the parking lot."

"She fucking stalked you?!", he exclaimed.

"No! I mean, yes? Kind of? She said she heard about our engagement from a mutual friend and that she'd seen me leaving your apartment two years prior to that. Since she was "in the area."" I drew air quotes.

"Jesus," he muttered under his breath, shifting in his seat. I reached my hand out and placed it over his.

"It's fine, trust me. She just threw a bunch of crap about how I wouldn't be safe if I married you. How only she knew the real you. I ignored it all."

He was silent, his gaze hard as steel, so I simply continued.

"I'm only bringing this up because in less than two months, you and I are going to become husband and wife. And I want there to be nothing but honesty between us."

"Yeah. I understand that." His tension was radiating in waves, and I ached to make it go away.

"So, you've got any deep, dark secrets you care to share? I lead a rather dull life, so I've got nothing."

He managed a chuckle, and I mentally made a fist in triumph.

"No secrets, mia bella. Just deep, dark fantasies."

His deep, sexy voice and lustful eyes made my breath hitch.

"What kind of fantasies?"

He held his glass up to his lips, peering at me over the rim.

"You'll learn soon enough."

We ate the rest of our pizza in a rush then practically ran to the bedroom, where I let the love of my life thoroughly fuck me over and over again.

The following morning, I woke up to the smell of coffee and bacon, my limbs deliciously spent. Throwing on an oversized T-shirt I kept in one of the drawers, I went to the kitchen and was greeted by a bare-chested Antonio frying eggs over the stove.

I snuck up behind him and snaked my arms around his waist, kissing his taut back.

"Good morning to you too, Soph." He turned his head around to capture my lips in a kiss.

"Wanna go for a run after breakfast?", I asked.

"Sure." He smiled.

After eating the hearty breakfast he'd made, I went to change the bedsheets in his room while he cleaned up in the kitchen. I couldn't wait for us to move in together. Nothing would be better than getting to see his handsome face every single morning. And god, his incredible body...the things it could do.

I cleared the explicit images out of my head and focused on picking an outfit to wear for our run. It was pretty warm outside today, a high of 80 degrees, so I opted for running shorts and a tank top.

We drove over to UCLA, my favorite campus in all of California, and ran there. Since it was a Sunday morning, it was pretty much empty, except for a couple of students who were studying on campus.

The sun beat down on our backs as we neared our starting point an hour later, Royce Hall. A performing arts center, it was at the heart of campus, its Romanesque architecture never failing to take my breath away.

I'd been thinking about applying to the MBA program here for a while now. Work was great, but I definitely missed learning in an academic environment. I envied Antonio sometimes. Because of his profession, he was a lifelong scholar, always contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the field of chemical thermodynamics. He got to spend his days in lecture halls and research labs. I'd do anything just to get to sit in a class again.

I took a giant swig of water, making a mental note to myself to look into the application process then followed Antonio back to his car.

"You have anywhere you need to be later?", he asked, turning on the ignition.

"Nope. I'm all yours for the day."

He grinned.

We drove north on I-405, eventually merging east onto CA-134, and my curiosity piqued.

Where was he taking us?

Twenty minutes later, we arrived at a nice-looking residential neighborhood in the city of Glendale, and it wasn't until he parked in front of a gorgeous, two-story Spanish-style house when I voiced my question.

"Uh, whose house is this?"

"Look closer," he said, pointing to the edge of the driveway.

And that's when I saw the words, "For Sale."

At that moment, a sedan drove up behind us and parked, and a dark-haired woman stepped out, dressed in a pant suit and carrying a briefcase. We both got out of the car, and Antonio gave her a wave.

"Good to see you again, Lillian."

"You too, Mr. Rossi. I see you brought your fiancée with you." She smiled brightly at us and offered me her hand, which I shook. "Lillian Porter. I run a real estate agency."

"Nice to meet you, Lillian. I'm Sophia Weston."

I turned to Antonio, and his eyes were twinkling with excitement. He and Lillian engaged in conversation, throwing numbers around as they started walking to the front door. I trailed behind like a lost dog, simply admiring the property.

The front lawn had beautiful landscaping, with two large clay planters on each side of the driveway containing azaleas. A palm tree swayed back and forth next to one of the windows, surrounded by trimmed shrubs.

"I can't wait for you to see the inside of this place," Antonio remarked, reaching for my hand when we approached the doorstep.

"Did you buy this house?"

"No. I mean, not yet, at least. I wanted you to see it first before we decided anything."

Holy crap, this was actually happening...

I could barely contain my excitement as Antonio gave me a tour of the interior, sounding like a real estate agent himself. There were four bedrooms and three bathrooms, and the living room was spacious with sunlight spilling through the tall windows.

My favorite part was the kitchen, with its quartz countertops and bright white cabinets and pantry. It had stunning views of the backyard, which even had a pool and small gazebo.

"This neighborhood is really safe- very low crime rates. And the schools are excellent too," he pointed out.

"Thinking about kids already?", I teased.

"You know I want them." He gave my hip a squeeze, a roguish smile on his face.

My heart fluttered at the thought of bearing this beautiful man's children.

"I do, too."

"Glad we're on the same page."

"How far is this place from our workplaces?"

"It's about thirteen miles from mine and eighteen from yours."

"That's perfect!" I clapped my hands together.

"I know, right. My buddy recommended this neighborhood, since he grew up here. I checked this place out last month and knew I had to run it by you."

"Can we afford it?", I asked.

"Yup. It's a pretty good deal, if you ask me. We both have money in our savings accounts for the down payment."

"That is true."

We walked back to Lillian, who was on her laptop in the kitchen with files spread out around her. She directed her gaze at me.

"So, what do you think?", she asked.

"I love it," I replied with a dreamy sigh.

"Good to hear." She smiled.

We spent the next couple of minutes going over all the financial details, and I thanked the gods above I'd taken my Theory of Interest course senior year.

"Well, I currently have two other families looking into buying this property, so I'd say the sooner you close, the better," Lillian declared.

Antonio turned to me, and we both shared a knowing look before he addressed her.

"We're buying this house."

"Excellent," she said enthusiastically.

Ignoring the fact that we had an audience, I launched myself at Antonio, feeling weightless as he caught me in his strong arms, spinning me around.

"We're gonna be homeowners!", I burst out happily.

"Indeed, mia bella." He rubbed his nose against mine, his eyes gleaming with joy.

"And soon, we're gonna be Mr. and Mrs.!"

He set me back down on my feet then brought his hands to my face, cupping my cheeks.

"God, I love you, Sophia."

"Not as much as I love you."

My handsome stranger, I mentally added as his lips descended on mine.

Notes