"Tony Perry, you put me down the instant or so help me god I'll-"

Splash.

Ande breaks the surface of the clear, blue water and glares at her boyfriend. They had been officially dating for just over three months and the early summer heat had called for a barbecue at the Fuentes brothers’ house. Ande had only met them once before, but the few hours she had been there she found that she got along with the siblings perfectly. Jaime was a funny guy. Ande had spent plenty of time with him and Jaxin since they had been best friends with Tony since childhood.

“You’re going to be in the dog house tonight, Tony!” Jaxin calls to Tony as Ande climbs out of the water. Jaxin was over in a grassy area of the backyard near the picnic table that Mike had brought out. His new born daughter was on her back swatting at the little mobile that was set up over her. Jaxin’s wife, Natalie, was in the kitchen mixing together her homemade lemonade that was to die for.

Ande pulls her flowy summer dress off to lay out in the sun and dry. The boys give out a round of whistles as Ande stands in her vintage style red with white polka dots bathing suit. Her face heats up and almost turns the same shade as the fabric as she reacts to the attention.

Tony laughs with Vic and Jaime's girlfriends as he wraps a towel around her body, and leaves his arms hanging over his shoulders.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Ande,” he tells her and kisses her hair right above her ear. Ande still feels the heat on her cheeks.

“Don’t talk to me, I’m mad at you,” Ande tells him and pouts. Tony laughs and kisses her hair once more before walking over to the cooler beside the grill to grab a beer. Ande walks over to Jaxin and baby Ruby. She stays off the blanket since she’s still dripping from her quick dip in the pool, but just kneels down in the grass to coo and giggle at the bubbly baby. Jaxin smiles as he watches Ruby play with a wet, curly lock of Ande’s hair.

“You’ll make a great mother,” Jaxin tells Ande. She looks up at him surprised; never had she expected that kind of compliment to be told to her by him.

“How do you know?”

“I can just tell,” Jaxin says, his New Zealand accent showing through. “It’s in your eyes. I see it in Nat’s every morning when I wake up and walk in to find her feeding or dressing Ruby.”

Ande gives him a soft smile before looking back at Ruby. “Thanks, Jaxin.” The baby yawns and rubs her eyes, tired.

“He likes you, a lot.”

Ande looks up again.

“Tony, he likes you. A lot,” Jaxin repeats and nods in the male’s direction. “The whole month he went back to the diner, he wouldn’t stop talking about you. How sweet your voice was, how big you smiled, how modest you were the first week he kept giving you the ten dollar tip. He likes you, he wants you two to work out but he’s scared.”

“What is he scared of?”

Jaxin picks up Ruby and rocks her in his arms. The baby falls asleep within moments.

“That you’ll leave him.”

------------------

Ande screeched as she grabbed at the handle placed above the passenger door window. Tony looked over at her, an apologetic expression on his face, before he swerved and turned down a back road. The police continued to chase after them. Vic, Mike, Casey and Jaime had all gotten away in their own vehicles with agreement to meet at the cabin in the mountains.

Tony threw out his arm to stop Ande from flying forward when he slammed on breaks. He geared the truck into reverse and backed into a nearby garage that Ande hadn’t noticed was open. Ande was extremely confused as to why he did that, but the garage door came down as soon as the truck stopped. Three police cars flew by and the sirens faded the farther and farther the police got until he echo disappeared completely.

Tony lets out a breath he had been holding in and unbuckled his seatbelt. Ande followed suit and got out of the truck just as Tony shut his door. Tony grabbed their bags and left the truck in the small garage and began to walk up the stairs that lead to the next floor.

The door was unlocked, and Tony easily walked right into the large studio-style room. There were four booth-like set ups placed along one of the walls, with comfy looking black leather chairs, with a ruby red leather couch on the opposite wall. The front wall, facing the west, showed the setting sun of South California. Closest to the door they had walked into was a black, metallic desk with papers and laptops open. Sitting in one of the little rolling stools that were scattered throughout the studio was Jaxin with Ruby hanging from his chest in a little harness.

If it wasn't for the occasion then Ande would have laughed, but she refrained from it.

"Hey, Nat went to visit her sister for the weekend so I'm stuck babysitting, sorry, man."

"Don't worry about it. Ande," Tony looks at the brunette. "Do you mind taking Rub real quick?"

"Yeah, sure," she says and walks over to the little baby that coos and reaches around for her curly hair, ready for something to play with instead of the ring of chewy plastic that her daddy had given her.

Ande simply pulled Ruby from the harness Jaxin had her in; she she was comfortable in Ande's arms, Jaxin pulled off the harness and dropped it onto the only clean part of the desk. Ande heard another round of police sirens and walked over to the window to watch them as they passed by with red and blue lights flashing. Ruby looked on with wide blue eyes, drinking in all she could see.

"Ande."

She turned and looked at Jaxin. He was rustling through Ruby's diaper bag.

"Do you mind feeding her? Tony and I are busy-"

"I don't mind, Jaxin," Ande tells him with a smile and walks over to take the bottle of formula from him. He smiles back and nods in thanks to her before getting back to the laptop he and Tony had been bent over. Ruby happily began to drink from the bottle as soon as she was presented it.

Tony's cell phone began to ring and he answered it immediately.

"Casey?"

There was a pause; Jaxin and Ande looked at him. Jaxin could hear what was being said on the other side but Ande couldn't.

"Are you all okay?"

Tony nodded at the answer.

"Which car did you switch to?"

There's another nod.

"ETA?"

There's one last nod.

"I'm leaving Ande with Jax and Nat until we get the plans fully laid out."

Ande begins to fume once Tony hangs up the call.

"Tony Perry, have you not gotten it through your thick skull that no matter where you go or what you do, I'm going with you."

Tony sighed and looked over at Jaxin. The New Zealander took his daughter from Ande and went out a second door that was adjacent to the one Tony and she had entered through. Ande stood and fumed. She kept her arms crossed and tapped her foot, waiting for his excuse.

"Ande-"

"Don't you 'Ande' me, Antonio. I've told you countless times for the past week that you dragged me into this so I'm going down with all of you-"

Tony interrupted Ande's proclamation with a deep, passionate kiss. Her body relaxed for a few seconds but she pushed him away.

"Tony, stop, I'm trying to be serious. I care about you and I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I love you," he tells her. Ande sighs softly.

"I love you, too, but-"

"No, Ande, you don't understand. I love you. After this last job I was going to be all chick-flick romantic and take you to a jewelry store and propose to you and let you pick out whatever ring you wanted because I don't care about a ring. All I care about is that I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you whether it ends in two weeks or twenty years. I want to marry you more than anything so I can call you mine."

Ande was choked up by the confession. They had only been together for seven months and they had both proclaimed their love for one another just two weeks prior. Were they ready for marriage?

Was Ande ready for marriage?

"I want the kind of love that Jax and Nat have, and I believe that could be us, but I can't do it if you don't feel the same."

"Tony," she says softly and lets her hand rest on his cheek. "I do love you, Tony, I truly do, but marriage is a big step for me and I'm not ready for it yet."

The expression on Tony's face is heartbreaking. Ande catches herself. "That doesn't mean I won't marry you in the future. Let's just get out of this mess first."

Ande kisses his cheek, and she hears him sigh melancholic into her ear.

"I still love you," she repeats. "That hasn't changed."

Tony nods, but she can still tell that he is slightly put down by her hold on her answer to his question of marriage. Even if they had not gotten into this mess, Ande would have answered him the same way.

She wasn't ready and she didn't know when she would be ready.

"I'm not leaving you, Tony," she reassures him. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

The sparkle in Tony's brown eyes is back and Ande is happy to see it.

"I love you," Tony tells her one last time before he kisses her and Ande lets him.

"I love you too, Tony."

Tony lets the words sink in before he follows after Jaxin. They come back and Jaxin hands over a burbed and sleepy Ruby back to Ande.

"Just rock her and she should be out like a light."

Ande nods and gently moves her arms to help lull the baby to sleep. She does just as the father says and the baby falls into slumber quickly.

Ande walks around the studio, continuously rocking Ruby so that it mildly makes her dose off on her feet. She looks up at the sound of a door opening and finds Tony walking in from the second door with a pair of jeans hanging off his hips and a towel wrapped around his shoulders. His long black hair is still wet, and clumped together to make his devil lock be more prominent. The brunette bites her lip as she looks over the tattoos that glitter his chest and arms.

He notices her gaze but simply smiles and walks over to her. Tony holds his arms out for Ruby. She hands him over and quickly pops her back.

"Go take a shower. Jaxin is pulling out some old clothes of Nat's that should fit you. They may be a bit big."

Ande nods and watches Tony interact with Ruby before walking into the second door. She sees a kitchen and through the walk way is a living room style area with baby toys and a small cot placed in the room. Jaxin is sitting at the kitchen counter with a sketch book under one hand as he drinks from a mug of tea.

"Go down the hall, second door on the left. There's a towel and some clothes for you to change into. You can use Nat's things if you need to."

Ande nods. "Thank you, Jax."

Jaxin smiles over his cup of tea. "You're family, Ande, it comes in the contract."

Did he know that Tony asked her? More than likely, as he and Tony told each other everything. But did he know she hadn't given him an answer?

Ande thanks him one more time before going to take her shower. However, when she gets out and changes, going into the living room to find a napping Ruby and a sketching Jaxin, she feels that something is... off.

"Where's Tony?" she asks sternly, stilling her hand from it drying her hair. Jaxin's hand freezes and she sees him tense. "Jaxin..." Ande holds out his name, knowing she's not going to like the answer she is given.

"He went to the mountains with the others. He said he'll be back in a few days. He said he's sorry for leaving you here but he had to."

Ande sighed and stepped back into the hall to have a few moments to herself.

Next time she saw him, she was punching him.

Notes

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