Work Me Up

But I know that in the end, Daniel would have approved, because just like Mom and Dad, he would have come to see how well Antonio treats me. How much he cares about me and how he pushes me to be a better version of myself.

“This is all because of you,” I shout at Antonio now.

He shakes his head, hard. “You did this, Selena. You’re the one who fought through your fear and overcame it, not me.”

“But you taught me how,” I counter. “So now it’s my turn to push you to grow, when you need it.” A smirk appears at the corner of my mouth. “And right now, you need a push into taking breaks now and then, Antonio. I know you love your job, and so do I. The garage has been so fun and given us both so many great memories. But it’s okay to take vacations. It’s okay to breathe now and then.”

He laughs, shaking his head. But I can tell from the look on his face that he’s really touched. That he never expected this. And finally, he nods, slowly. “All right,” he calls. “You win. Vacation it is.” Then he tilts his head back and lets out a loud whoop, which is immediately swallowed by the wind of the highway.

I let out a loud call, echoing his, and then I crank the music back up and step on the gas, racing right up to the speed limit, and just a few miles past it, because fuck it. I know what I’m doing now. I feel confident again, in a way I never would have been able to achieve without the man in my passenger seat.

We drive all the way up until the late afternoon. Finally, I take the exit where I planned out our first stop on this road trip: a vineyard where we’ll eat dinner, go on a wine tasting with a private vintner, and then stay overnight. I’m so excited that I can’t stop grinning when we pull up out front of the place.

But the grin falls away when I turn to look at Antonio in the passenger seat. Because he’s looking at me so intensely it nearly stops my heart.

“Antonio?”

In response to the question I can’t quite voice, he reaches over the console to catch my chin in his. Then he tugs me into a deep, hard kiss. When we break apart, his expression remains that same strangely fierce look. “I love you so fucking much,” he murmurs, and my stomach does a backflip, the same way it always does at hearing those words.

I could hear him say that every day for the rest of my life, and I would never get tired of it. “You good?” I ask, a little hint of hesitation catching in my voice. “I know it’s a lot to spring on you. But you’re always surprising me, and I wanted to surprise you too, so I—”

“This is better than good,” he interrupts me. “I’m better than good. Selena…” He shakes his head, staring at me like I’m the only person in the entire world.

That’s how I feel whenever I’m with him. Whenever he looks at me so deeply like this. I feel like it’s just the two of us alone out here in the whole wide world. And I love that sensation.

“No one has ever done anything like this for me,” he says softly. “You are so fucking perfect.”

I smile. Feel a faint flush coming to my cheeks. “Well.” I wave my hand, smirking. “I don’t know about perfect.”

“Yes. Perfect.” He kisses me again, and I sink against him. And I would have lost all sense of time or place, would have let him take it further, if the valet for the vineyard hadn’t cleared his throat quietly, then, standing as he is just outside of our car.

We break apart with a laugh, and obediently climb out of the car, before I toss him the keys. My heart skips a little when he pulls away with my car, after unloading the bags from my trunk. “God, is this how you felt when I shoved that tree into Betty?” I ask softly, watching a stranger drive my baby.

“Yes.” Antonio chuckles and wraps an arm around my waist easily.

I lean back against him, smirking. “I’d apologize again, but since it wound up leading me to you… I can’t really say I’m all that sorry for wrecking her.”

He laughs, and I can feel his laughter vibrate against my ribcage, all the way through my body. Then he bends down to kiss the top of my head. “Don’t worry. I’m not sorry at all, either.” Then, still keeping his arm looped around me, he turns to lead us into the vineyard.

Dinner turns out to be a multicourse affair, with a different wine pairing for every course. It’s the kind of meal my parents would take me out to on a regular basis, back when I was growing up, but with Antonio here, I learn to appreciate the fanciness of it all over again.