“Yes, it did. The ladies loved it, but the men lost their minds over you as the seductress.” Anton turned it around on me instead of taking the bait to talk about himself.
I felt the heat start in my chest and work its way up to my face. “Thank you. My fiancé sure enjoyed it.” I purposely winked at Wes so he’d know I was making an effort to go public, too.
Anton laughed.
“I know you’ve been asked this before and refused to answer, but why the Latin Lov-ah? I mean really, come on, Anton. We’re among friends. Give us some dirt!”
He looked at the camera, gave a perfect pout that would make the female demographic of my show want to lick their TV screens, and responded. “I love women. All women. Shapes and sizes don’t matter. Of course, I’m of Latin descent. You put the two together, and perfecto, Latin Lov-ah.”
Anton sat back as though he were king of his castle, and it suited him. He wore a white long sleeved T-shirt opened most of the way—to show off his ripped chest—with a pair of loose white linen pants and simple brown suede moccasins. A gold chain hung from his neck and glinted under the lights. The mocha complexion against his dark hair and green eyes would make a woman, any woman, want to drop to her knees and worship at his feet. Anton was all that and a bag of chips.
Funny, how he was startlingly handsome, yet all I could do was hope that one day he’d find true love.
“Now that you’ve got fame and fortune, what would you say you were thankful for this season?”
Anton tilted his head back and looked up. “Thankful for the roof over my head, the food in my belly, the friendship of my manager, Heather Renee, the love of mi mama, and my hermanos. Of course, all my amigos and fans of the music, but you know, this year, I want to thank you, Mia. For saving me from losing something very close to me. I am thankful to you and for your friendship.”
I couldn’t help the tears that filled my eyes. Of course, this would be the moment that the camera would get super close and invade my personal space. Not prepared for that, I looked at the camera as the tear trickled down. “And there you go. Anton Santiago, the Latin Lov-ah, my friend and yours. Thank you for coming today, Anton. It’s been great having you as part of this special segment on being thankful. I wish you many more successes in the music industry and in all your future endeavors.
“That’s a wrap on Anton everybody,” I said, smiling wide. One more taping to go, and Wes and I would be headed to Texas to spend Thanksgiving with my brother, his wife and kids, as well as my sister and her fiancé.
Chapter Six
“Now what are we doing all bundled up, freezing our asses off, walking through downtown Manhattan with a camera crew trolling behind us?” Wes swung our arms while we walked. The simple act of holding his hand and being with me reminded me that all was good. I had a ridiculous amount to be thankful for, and at the very tip top of that list was the man I was going to marry, Weston Channing.
The sights and sounds of New York were all around us. Snow trickled down in flurries, the flakes melting as soon as they touched the ground. Living in Vegas, we didn’t get much snow, and it never looked like this. A winter wonderland.
I shrugged noncommittally. “I’ve got an idea I want to try. Just trust me. It will be fun.”
Wes put his arm around me and tugged me to his side. I could feel the warmth radiating from his body through mine as we continued down the street to an unknown destination. “Sweetheart, you’re the only person I trust.”
With extreme effort, I pushed down the emotions that wanted to bubble up and out. Instead, I held strong and leaned toward him to enjoy our walk. The city was magnificent. Regardless of the weather, people milled about, bustling from door to door, in and out of bright yellow cabs faster than a person could raise a hand. Cabs appeared out of nowhere the second anyone stepped close to an open curb on the busy Manhattan street. A cornucopia of scents wafted through the air from different street vendors selling everything from hot dogs, to churros, to pizza.
Once we reached Rockefeller Center in the middle of downtown Manhattan, I stopped right in front of the ice-skating rink. “Here is perfect for now.” I smiled, and Wes just looked at me and shook his head.
The cameramen got their gear in order while I scoped out the area. Off to the side, I saw a man helping a little girl who was obviously his daughter tie her ice-skates. Casually, I walked over to them.
“Hello, excuse me, sir. I’m Mia Saunders, and I’m interviewing people for a segment of Dr. Hoffman about being thankful.”