Antonio & Harlow

18- Avoiding Giorgia

Harlow laid there quietly. She didn't know whether to cry or get angry with Antonio. She rolled onto her back and looked at him. "I swear, if your mother is like this the entire time she's here, I'm staying at my mother's."

"There'll be no need for that, I'm sure she must have been tired."

He caressed her face and leaned down to kiss her. "I'm sorry, I didn't put anything away. I was too upset and needed to lay down," she said quietly.

"It's all good, Ethan and I cleaned up."

"Thank you."

He stood and undressed, then climbed over her to get to his side of the bed. As he laid and reached for her, she laid her head on his chest and stared at the wall, thinking, thinking about what his mom said about the decorations and wondered if maybe she was right. "Are the decorations really that bad? I thought everything looked nice and the paint on the walls... I wanted to brighten up the rooms, not darken them."

"They're fine, it's our home... not hers."

"My mother wanted to have them over for dinner. After tonight, I'm not so sure I want her over there, she probably would knit pick their home just like she did here."

He held her tighter, kissed the top of her head and took a deep breath while closing his eyes. "I'm sure everything will be alright once she gets the rest she needs." He hoped.

The next morning, Antonio knew he didn't have any court cases and decided to work from home. Harlow showered, got ready for her interview, then got ready as fast as she could, wanting to leave before she ran into his mother. She had a feeling where Antonio would be and walked down into the den. Seeing he was there and at his desk, she walked in and around his desk to sit on his lap, wrapping an arm around him. "I'm leaving for my interview, then I'll be going to my mother's afterward to figure out the wedding details, guest lists, etcetera."

"As much as I hate that you're wanting to work, especially when you don't need to, I'm still going to wish you good luck with your interview," he said, grabbing her chin and pressing his lips to hers.

"Thanks, that means a lot to me. But I need to work, at least part time to get out of the house and to interact with people." She rested her forehead against his and kissed the tip of his nose as she looked him in the eyes.

"I understand, as long as you realize it's not needed. But I don't want to be that guy who tells you, you can't do this or that. So, I'm going to support your decision anyway."

"Thanks," she smiled. "I better go before I'm late." She headed out, leaving the door open and headed out.

Antonio was still sitting at his desk, looking towards the door Harlow left open, debating on what to say to his mother, when he saw her walk by. Curious as to what she was up to now, he stood quickly and walked out the room and over to her. "What are you doing?" he asked as he watched her walk into his music room.

She turned around and grinned. "Just checking the house out is all." she said like it was no big deal. "I like the layout of the home, it's nice that way. But I'm still not thrilled with the decorating."

He rubbed his mouth hard and breathed in through his nose, exhaling slowly, feeling as if he were about to snap. He wanted to have a talk with her about how she treated Harlow and explain she needs to respect her, that this was her house also. "About last night... I'd like to ask that you lay off Harlow. I'm not sure what your deal was, but she's the best thing that's ever happened to me and I'm looking forward to having a future with her. So please, don't ruin this for me."

"How am I ruining anything? I was just being honest," she said nonchalantly, walking away and out of the room, trying to avoid talking to him about Harlow. She stopped at his den, looked inside and assumed it was Antonio's office, that she left it alone and headed for the stairway.