the reborn.

Anthony felt his cheeks warming with Marty's words. He hadn't expected to be so enamored with her, not so quickly. But how could he not be? "You'll be my favorite, as well." Anthony agreed, not because he felt like he had to say it but because genuinely meant it. His smile was no longer faint against his lips as the corners of his lips curled upward into a brighter one. "Did you sign up with your own free will or did someone else sign you up? I've noticed that to be a common theme tonight." @martyxrivera

"It is somewhere I want to stay." That was not the answer Anthony thought that he would have given after first moving here, but in the last two years, Kismet Harbor had become his home. A place where he felt safe. "I have two of my brothers here, two nieces that I get to adore as well. I can't really say there's any other place I'd rather be." He paused, his gaze lingering on the woman before him. "And you? What brought you back to Kismet?" @cheyennehoffmann

He chuckled softly at her statement. Sure, he believed that most of the time age was just a number, but there were many instances that it was not the simple statement that it sounded like. He nodded his head as he took the bottle from Aurora. He carefully brought it to his niece's lips so that she could begin to drink from it. "Yeah, I think they do too." He didn't know how true it was, all the time, but it was a sentiment that felt good to believe in. "Do you plan to go back to work?" He questioned, more out of curiosity than anything. @auroraxblake

starter for @cheyennehoffmann

location: cedar grill and lounge

|| where cheyenne & anthony match for speed dating

How Anthony got involved in speed dating in the first place had been beyond him. Had it been his brother's that encouraged him to get back out there? His growing attraction for a specific realtor in town? Regardless of how he got there, Anthony had answered his questions honestly to make sure that he had the best chance of being matched with someone suitable. As he arrived at the next table, he held up the card with the woman's name on it. She was already sitting there and he looked to the name and back to the woman. "Cheyenne?" He questioned, in case the last person had not moved on. "I'm Anthony." He held out his hand, introducing himself officially to her.

Anthony sat down after shaking the young woman's hand as she gestured to it. "It's nice to meet you, too." He returned the formality with a softened smile on her lips. "I am not from around here." He didn't think he had seen the woman around here before either in the last two years that he had been living in Kismet Harbor. "I moved here just over two years ago," he added to his original statement. "Are you from here?" His brow raised curiously in her direction. @cheyennehoffmann

"Hey, stranger." Marty said as she saw Anthony sit across from her, a grin on her face. She had spotted him when the whole speed dating began, but it was a pleasant surprise to see that they had matched; one that she was sure her dad would day something about if she were to tell him later on. "Finally get a break from the auto center to have some fun, huh?" She teased him a little bit. "It's great to see you."

Anthony's heart rate picked up when he heard her voice, but more so when he saw her face. Her beauty took him by surprise any time that he saw her, pulling the breath right from his lungs. "Oh yeah," he cleared his throat, adjusting the collar of his shirt as he spoke. "My brothers thought it would be a good idea for me and I didn't disagree." Right now, he was particularly glad that he had come out. "Are you enjoying yourself so far?" @martyxrivera

Anthony listened as she spoke, noting the way she was rambling on. Nerves tended to get the better of people during interviews. He remembered when he first joined the air force, thinking back to the lanky teen boy that he was and how intimidated he was by the men that were recruiting at the local high school. Not that he needed to be, because of his family's history. "Okay," he said with a nod of his head. "I'm going to take a chance." Anthony didn't hesitate to say as she trailed off, having made up his mind rather easily. "We've got a few mechanics already that you can mentor with, myself and," he looked to his desk a moment, "we might be able to see about some sort of tuition reimbursement for school." @phoebecarver

"Do people actually hate it here?" Anthony wasn't the type of person to dream, to let his thoughts get away from him in a way that he couldn't chase them down later. Yet, there was something about Kismet that he imagined made it difficult to hate. "I think that says a lot if you're saying that and have lived here your entire life." Not many people often felt that way about their own hometown. @martyxrivera

"Starting a business," he paused, not wanting to offend, "is a risk but usually one worth taking." Anthony looked to the other man, "It can take some time for things to start taking off which is unsettling in its own way," he continued, his tone even, "but it's the kind of unsettling that pays off in the end." His shoulders lifted into a shrug. "I wish you luck, really." @milesxvaughn

At her request, Anthony followed her. He took careful steps, not wanting to jostle the newborn in his arms too much as he walked to the kitchen. His chuckle was softened with her words and he shook his head. "I'm certainly not a young man." That much he knew, he could feel it in his bones more often than not. "She does." His gaze shifted, dropping down to his niece which brought another smile to his lips. While children didn't seem to be in his future anymore, he was grateful for the time that he could spend with his nieces at the moment and grateful that he would get to see them grow up. "I'm glad that she is, though." Even if it was a fluke for the day, it made him warm inside. @auroraxblake

Anthony's smile was softened with her words. He could tell that they were genuine, like she understood what he was trying to do without him being able to explain it to its fullest. He had never been all that good with words. "Thank you." He looked at her, gaze lingering longer than it should have. "It's been really great to talk about this with someone. Someone that's not my brothers." A sigh fell from his lips and he averted his gaze for a beat. "I -" he shook his head, "It's nice to just have new people in my life. I've spent so much of my time here in the last two years trying to reconnect with my lost past that this finally feels like moving forward. @martyxrivera

"I can look over it while we talk." Anthony told her, shrugging his shoulders. "I promise this isn't goin' to be some formal interview for a white collar job." He shook his head, gesturing for her to follow him into the office. "I'm looking to hire people that want to be here, that want to learn." Even if they hadn't had much experience, Anthony was happy to lend a helping hand. "My brothers and I just bought the business, so we could use some extra help as we get our end of it all figured out." Anthony sat down behind the desk, something he was still getting used to. He placed her resume and application on the desk before him. "What made you interested to apply here?" @phoebecarver

Brody's words brought a faint smile to his lips. "Thanks, Brody." There were a lot of times in his life that he hadn't felt particularly close to his brothers. Not only the age difference but while he was in the air force, he was gone a lot. Sometimes unreachable except for by letter. Now, he was finding himself grateful to be around his brothers once more. They'd been building a stronger relationship with one another and now they had the business, it was only going to go up from there. "I'm proud of you and all that you've accomplished, really." @brodyblake

Anthony understand that being away came with changes upon one's returns. Most of his own time away had been a conscious choice, one that had led him to lead a different life than that of his younger brothers. Then there was the time that had not been so voluntary, a time where everything had changed. But, things were still changing now for Anthony. He was closer to his brothers than ever before. He had two nieces that he adored. "Things are always going to change, whether we are around for it or not. The best thing we can do is just take it one step at a time." @milesxvaughn

Anthony carefully took the infant into his arms. He couldn't begin to fathom how small they were at this age and how quickly they would grow. "If it makes you more comfortable to do so." Anthony answered her, not wanting to offend. "I'm an old man, this is not my first infant feeding." His tone was light, a softened smile resting against his lips. Perhaps he was perceived inexperience because he didn't have children of his own, but it wasn't the first nor the last baby he would ever hold and feed. "Whatever is more comfortable for you, though." Anthony added, reassuring. @auroraxblake