Page 30 of Secrets at Seaside
Tony’s mouth quirked up with a sexy smile. “Babe, I’d happily play doctor with you. I’ve got a big stethoscope.”
“Yeah, I know,” she mumbled, and quickly gazed out the window, earning a hearty laugh from Tony that cut through the tension and made Amy laugh.
“Where are we going, anyway? P-town?”
“For the first part of our date.”
“Okay, Mr. Coy. Sounds perfect.”
The rest of the ride was filled with easy conversation about the books they were reading, movies they’d seen—and hated—and Jamie and Jessica’s wedding. Tony thought Jamie had looked nervous enough to wet his pants when he said his vows, and Amy thought Jamie had looked like a man in love. They had another good laugh as Tony parked at the P-town pier.
Provincetown was an artsy community located on the tip of Cape Cod, with salty sea air sweeping off the harbor and a plethora of interesting people in the streets. It was steeped with history and ripe with the arts—from street performers to comedians, photographers to painters, and every medium in between. Provincetown was the go-to destination for gays and lesbians during the summer, and on any given afternoon there were female impersonators wearing gaudy makeup and sky-high heels handing out flyers for evening shows. At night Commercial Street, the main drag that ran through P-town, was thick with diversity and good cheer. Tonight was no different.
Most of the bars, dance clubs, shops, and restaurants were located in the town center. To the east the town became more refined and polished, and to the west the nightlife seemed to never cease. Amy and Tony blended into the crowd, walking arm in arm and meandering in and out of the shops along Provincetown center.
“It’s nice being with you like this,” Tony said as he tipped a leather hat on his sexily tousled hair.
“Cowboy style, you mean?” Amy laughed.
He took the hat off and put it on Amy’s head. “What could be sexier than Amy in leather? Now, there’s a fantasy.”
Amy took off the hat and picked up a pair of leather chaps. “Only if two can play at that fantasy.”
Tony pulled her into his arms like they’d been dating forever and pressed his lips to hers. “I meant being with you out in public and not holding back.”
Amy’s stomach flipped. Her heart felt full to bursting, but her mind was stuck in the past. She took a careful step back to assess her feelings. She was rattled, yes, but more in a good way than bad. Finally able to be with Tony in the way she’d always dreamed of, she was elated, as evident in her racing heart. And she was scared. This she took ten seconds to delve a little further into.What if I can’t ever deal with the past?
Tony brushed her hair from her eyes and smiled down at her, forcing her to think the unthinkable.What if we find our happily ever after only to get married, pregnant…and then lose the baby again?
That was where her head was when he leaned down and kissed her again, deepening the kiss right there in the middle of the crowded leather shop, with her heart fluttering like wings and her body molding to his. His hold on her tightened, and her mind, her beautiful, conflicted mind, gracefully relented, giving way to bliss.
TONY HAD TAKEN a chance when he kissed Amy, but ever since they’d kissed the other night, he’d been able to feel again. Really feel. Warm, mushy, gooey feelings that he was almost too embarrassed to admit to himself, as well as painful emotions brought on by haunting memories. But it felt so good to actually feel that he wanted to chase those feelings, and Amy had always been the person who could set him free. She’d freed him from the confines of his father’s demeaning wrath years ago, and on the beach today, as she opened up to him with her deepest thoughts and fears, she’d once again unlocked the real Tony. The Tony who would move heaven and earth to be with her.
When their lips parted, Tony kept Amy close. He was done letting her go, pretending, or otherwise putting distance between them. Yes, he needed to be sure he would never hurt her again. Yes, he needed to be one hundred percent certain he was the right man for her, and he was 99.99 percent sure. And yes, he needed to be certain that she wasn’t going to cast him aside again. But he was not going to lose her in the process of his own introspection. Not a chance.
He smiled down at her, feeling like the luckiest man on the planet. “I’m going to take that as an indication that youdon’twant me to hold back.”
Amy went up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. “I have a lot of crap to deal with. I’m willing to carry the shovel if you’ll carry the bucket.”
Tony draped an arm over her shoulder. “All the way to Australia if I have to.”
They headed back into the crowd, and Tony led her toward the patio of a restaurant with colorful umbrellas.
“I tried to make reservations, but they didn’t take them.”
“We could be here for a while.” Amy leaned around him and gazed at the long line of people ahead of them.
“That’s okay. You got a date to get to?” Tony looked across the street and remembered how much Amy loved Burger Queen, a shack with walk-up counter service.
Amy followed his gaze and her eyes lit up. She pulled him across the street.
“Please?”
“How am I supposed to wow you if we eat at Burger Queen?” He would eat on the moon if that’s what Amy wanted.
“You have wowed me for twenty-plus years with little more than your dashing personality. I don’t think an expensive dinner is going to win you any extra points.”
They ordered lobster rolls from Burger Queen and ate as they window-shopped. Tony put his arm around Amy again and kissed her temple. “I think I’ve spent the last fourteen years trying not to think about what it would be like to be on a date with you. I’m on a bit of emotional overload at the moment, so if I gush and kiss you too much, or hold you too close, just push me away, okay?”
