At Last

by Mindy McKinley

  It took him a while, but he eventually sunk into his work. He was so close to putting a name to one of the men of Menotti’s Stella d’Italia ring that it drove him forward almost maniacally.

  By the end of the evening he at least had an answer to why he was so uneasy at Zetticci’s. Sal Castiglione’s name kept appearing in his research. He wasn’t far enough to know how deep the man was, and he knew that didn’t mean Zetticci had anything to do with the mob, but it certainly didn’t do anything to soothe his fears for Lula’s safety.

  “How’d it go?” she asked when he emerged from his office later that night. She was stretched out on his sofa, half-reading half-asleep in one of his old T-shirts and a tiny pair of pink panties. He felt his heart fill at the sight of her. Lu.

  “Pretty good, I made some progress,” he said, pulling her legs up so he could sit under them. They were silky to the touch. “How’s your book?”

  She closed her eyes and moaned as he began massaging her feet. He loved making this woman feel good. “It’s just a silly romance,” she eventually breathed out, “but it’s one of my favorites.”

  Moving his hands to her calves, he said, “There is nothing silly about romance.”

  “Mmm,” she breathed as his hands slid up to her thighs. “Not the way you do it, Mr. Adams.”

  “That’s good to hear, Miss Stanley. Tell me, are there any X-rated scenes in your book?”

  “A few,” she said, a smile touching at her lips.

  “Read one please.”

  Her eyes flew open. “Really?”

  “Really,” he said, moving his hands even higher on her thighs. “Or I’ll stop.”

  She bit her lip but then flipped through her book to a particular section. “I’ll warn you, it’s pretty intense.”

  He shrugged. “So am I.”

  She grinned, eyed him to make sure he was serious, and then began reading.

  Listening to her read an erotic passage in that sexy voice of hers drove him nearly out of his mind. Before she could even finish, he threw her over his shoulder and carried her to his room.

  “I thought you wanted a story.” She laughed as he threw her on the bed.

  “I prefer to make our own,” he growled as he tore her panties away.

  “Hey, I liked those,” she complained cutely.

  “I’ll buy you a whole case just so I can rip each pair off of you.” And with that, he knelt at the end of the bed, pulled his sweet girl toward him, and feasted on her until she came again and again.

  Chapter 29

  Lula

  Lula struggled to find her passion to teach on Tuesday morning. So many things were pushing in on her brain that she felt suffocated by her own thoughts. She still didn’t know what to do about her father and seeing Nan so helpless the day before nearly brought her to her knees.

  Nan hadn’t even been able to say her name. The memory of her trying so hard to tell Lula she loved her made her heart break anew every time she thought about it.

  Dom had been amazing. He always was. She desperately wanted to know what she was to him. She loved him clearly and without reservation, and he seemed to care about her, but to what extent? For how long? Thinking of the inevitable end caved her chest in.

  “Sweetheart,” Amy said softly at lunch when she had zoned out for a little too long, “is everything okay?”

  She looked at her sandwich but had zero appetite. She set it on the desk. “I just don’t know how to feel anymore. About anything.” She had explained about her father to Amy the previous day and her friend had been the understanding shoulder she needed. “About Dom, about my father, about Nan”—she made a swirling motion with her hands—“it’s just all mixed up.”

  “I think that’s understandable given the circumstances,” her friend told her. “But for now, let’s just think about one thing at a time. Tell me what you’re feeling about Dom.”

  “Oh, Amy,” she breathed, “I love him. I love him so much I can’t breathe.” Fuck it, but she did, she was well and truly in over her head.

  Amy just smiled. “It’s about time you admitted it, but why does it make you upset?”

  “I just feel like he’s going to fade away at any moment, that suddenly he’ll get tired of all the drama in my life and disappear.”

  “Has he shown any signs of it?”

  She collapsed into her chair. “No, I just can’t get over the feeling.”

  “You’re letting his reputation steer your thoughts, Lu.”

  “I know, but I’m also trying to stay reasonable. I’ve had my heart torn out too many times.” She didn’t think she’d survive it this time.

  Amy sighed. “But I don’t think you are being reasonable. He’s been by your side through a lot in a very short time. I think you need to give him some credit. Men can change.”

  Lula crossed her arms over her chest, fully aware it made her seem petulant.

  “You’re adorable when you’re mad at me,” Amy pointed out.

  She grumbled but could hardly stay angry, especially when she said, “I love you, Lu. I’m sorry you’re going through so much; I wish I could take it away.”

  She knew she did. “I love you too, Ames. Thanks for listening.”

  Between afternoon classes, Lula checked her cell and her entire body went limp. There were five missed calls from Miracle Hill.

  Nan.

  As her students filed into the room, she rushed into the hallway, desperately dialing the center.

  “Yes, hi,” she practically shouted into the phone. “This is Tallulah Stanley, I think you’ve been trying to get ahold of me.”

  “Yes, of course, Miss Stanley, please hold.”

  She waited, not breathing, while the canned piano music floated through the phone at her. This was torture. Why was hold music even a thing? No one liked it. Especially when waiting to hear news about ...

  “Miss Stanley,” the director of the care facility’s voice interrupted her thoughts, “this is Janet.”

  “Hi, Janet,” she breathed, tears already squeezing out of her eyes. She couldn’t say anything else; she already felt the soul being ripped from her.

  “Lula, I’m so sorry to tell you that your grandmother passed this afternoon.”

  “No.”

  “I’m so sorry, Lula, I know how close you two were. We did everything we could, but she slipped away so peacefully.”

  No. No, no, no, no, no. She cried out and slid down to the floor. “No, please ...”

  She could hear Janet’s tearful intake of breath. “I’m so sorry, Lula.”

  She felt strangled as her heart shredded in her chest. She dropped the phone and collapsed into herself, tears streaming down her face.

  “Miss Stanley?” One of her students came out into the hallway to find her and stopped short. “Oh my gosh! Are you all right?”

  She wiped her eyes and tried to smile. She couldn’t. “I’m fine, Juana, thank you.” She took a deep breath but it became a sob and tears started streaming once again.

  “Do you want me to go get someone?”

  She shook her head and forced herself to calm down. She would have time to fall apart later, for now she just needed to get there. With all the strength she had, she pushed herself up from the floor, grabbed Mrs. Wheeler from the room next door, and briefed her on what happened.

  The older teacher’s face fell and she pulled Lula in for a tight hug before moving all of Lula’s students into her room. “I’ll cover you for the rest of the day,” she assured her. “Don’t you worry about a thing.”

  “Thank you,” she said, nearly falling apart again from her generosity.

  “Of course, now go on.”

  In a rush, she grabbed her things and headed straight for Dom’s room. She needed him. No matter what happened after this, she needed him right now. She couldn’t face being alone in the world without him there.

  She knocked lightly on his door and stepped into his room.

  He turned from the board where h
e had been drawing out the diagram of the Battle of Waterloo, took one look at her face, and dropped the marker he was holding. She could see the pain and understanding in his face.

  “Hey guys,” he told the class, “I’m going to step out for just a moment. Jeremy, you’re in charge, no fires.”

  The students turned around, curious, but he just took her arm and ushered her out the door. “Oh, Lu,” he said, pulling her into his chest.

  She cried, cried so hard it echoed across the hallways. “Nan,” was all she could choke out.

  “I know, I know,” he soothed her, stroking her hair, kissing the top of her head. “I want you to wait right here,” he said, pulling away from her. “I’m going to grab Chaz to cover my class and then I’m coming right back to you.” He pointed at the floor. “Stay right here and then we’ll go. Together, okay?”

  All she could do was nod.

  “That’s my girl,” he said and then bounded down the hall to Chaz’s room.

  Ten minutes later, after the school was properly notified, she was in the passenger seat of Dom’s car, desperately holding his hand, unable to stop the tears.

  Dominic

  For the rest of his life, he would never forget the look on Lula’s face when she walked into his classroom utterly broken and completely lost.

  It broke his heart.

  He walked closely with her as they entered the care center. She was quiet and somehow smaller. He just held her hand as hard as he could.

  The staff rushed to them when they entered, their eyes were red with tears. The director was close behind and simply pulled Lula into a long hug.

  “Would you like to see her?” Janet asked after they had cried together for a few minutes.

  All Lula did was nod sadly and reach for his hand. He grabbed it immediately and stood by her side as she entered Nan’s room.

  A soft cry escaped her. He fought his own tears as she rushed to her grandmother, took her hand, and pressed it to her cheek. “Oh, Nan,” she whispered, “I love you so much. What am I going to do without you?”

  He stood behind her and put a hand on her back just so she knew she wasn’t alone. He didn’t know what else to do. His heart was cracking in two and he just felt fucking helpless.

  After a few minutes, she turned and buried herself in his chest. He held her. Held her so tight he was afraid he would hurt her, but he couldn’t let go as her shoulders shook violently and her tears soaked into his shirt.

  When she finally calmed, Janet issued them into her office and they discussed funeral arrangements. Lula sat limply, leaning into him. She answered Janet numbly and burst into tears again when the director explained that Nan had left specific instructions just this week.

  All Nan wanted was Lula, Dom, and her friends from the center to have a simple service in her memory at the Miracle Hills’s chapel. Her remains would be cremated and Lula would sing “Amazing Grace.”

  “How could I possibly do that?” she asked, her voice wobbling. “How could I possibly keep it together?”

  But Dom knew she would, she would never deny Nan’s last request of her.

  An hour later, they left Miracle Hill and she was silent, shrunken on the seat next to him.

  The service would be on Friday afternoon.

  They spent the night in each other’s arms; she cried, he clutched her to him.

  The next morning they returned to the care center to clean out Nan’s belongings. He watched as it destroyed Lula one minute at a time. She didn’t talk much, just went through the motions, holding things to her before placing them in boxes. When they were done there were only three.

  “It’s not fair,” she said, shaking her head at the remnants of her grandmother’s property.

  “What, babe?” he asked softly.

  “It’s not fair that she lived such a big beautiful life.” Her voice was rising, her fists clenched. “And there is only three fucking boxes to prove it.”

  She sobbed and he captured her in his arms. “Three. Fucking. Boxes!” she bawled and they sank to the floor.

  His heart broke all over again for her.

  All he could do was hold her tight and rock her back and forth. His tears joined hers in the empty room.

  “Three boxes,” she whimpered.

  He kissed the top of her head, wiped a tear away with his thumb. “She was more than that, Lu, so much more. And she loved you so very much.”

  Chapter 30

  Dominic

  Friday morning was sunny and cold as they made their way to Miracle Hill for Nan’s service. Lula was quiet, as she had been for days now. He couldn’t get through to her. He had tried everything he could to make her smile, to lift her spirits, but she was so heartbroken that nothing worked.

  As a result, he refused to leave her side. She didn’t complain, and even if she had, he wouldn’t have left her. He couldn’t. Not just because he had made a promise to Nan, but because he physically couldn’t leave this beautiful, broken woman. She had become part of his heart.

  The chapel was small. Bright sunshine streamed in from two thin stained-glass windows across a small spinet piano and a few rows of pews that were full of friends and residents. Amy sat in the back.

  A beautiful bouquet full of autumn colors that the staff had purchased was adorned with a ribbon that said “Mother, Grandmother, Friend.”

  The service itself was brief, a local minister said a few prayers and delivered a short homily before asking Lula to approach the front.

  He could feel her shake beside him, trying to keep her emotions together long enough to get through the ceremony. He kissed her cheek. “You can do this, babe.”

  She looked at him with wide, sad eyes and nodded.

  He watched with bursting pride as his beautiful girl greeted the gathered and began her eulogy. Her voice was laden with sadness, her eyes red with tears, but she pushed forward, looking to him as if it gave her strength. He was honored to be that for her.

  “Beverly Stanley was a one-of-a-kind woman,” she started. “A ridiculously fantastic grandmother, a doting mother, a kind and thoughtful friend. She was always there when you needed her and would always supply one of her sharp-edge quips exactly when you needed to hear it. Even if you didn’t want to.”

  A ripple of laughter spread through the room.

  “Many of you might not know this, but my grandmother was an accomplished opera singer in her time. She traveled everywhere, to the greatest opera houses in the world, singing some of the most beautiful works ever written. She was a transcendent musical talent and a force to be reckoned with when it came to her family.”

  Lula took a deep, steadying breath.

  “She fought for everything that she had, and she loved fiercely the things that she was given. She never let me go a moment without feeling loved, without telling me how important I was to her. She made me who I am, made me a woman who won’t compromise in my profession or the things that I love.”

  Dom’s breath stilled when she looked at him on the last word.

  She smiled slightly at him and went on. “She was my rock, my anchor, my tether, my heart. And I will miss her with every fiber of my being.” She wiped a tear away and took a moment to compose herself. “Nan asked that I sing ‘Amazing Grace’ today, and I thought to myself, ‘How am I going to pull that off?’ I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to. But as I thought about it, I realized what a small request it was from the woman who gave me everything. So for Nana, I will sing.”

  Dom felt tears spilling down his face as Lula stepped aside from the podium, closed her eyes, and began singing the most beautiful, heart-wrenching version of “Amazing Grace” he had ever heard. It was pure emotion, pure love flowing through her and out into the room.

  It was the most singularly beautiful experience of his life.

  Lula

  Getting through Nan’s funeral had been the hardest thing Lula had ever done. Harder even, in some respects, than her mother’s. Because even though losing her mother
had torn her heart out, she still had Nan. Now ...

  Now she was standing next to Dom, greeting everyone that came to pay respects, feeling so utterly alone that she could scarcely breathe. Every word she had to say was a chore, every hug someone wanted was like ripping another piece of her soul out. It was torture.

  The only thing that kept her moving was Dom’s presence. He was always there. He had been all week, without question, without complaint, simply helping in any way that he could.

  And Amy too. She didn’t know what she had done to be blessed by these two humans, but she was positive she didn’t deserve it.

  When everyone was finally gone, Dom and Amy sat with her in the chapel and held each of her hands until she had found the strength to get up. She picked up the ceramic urn that she had chosen for Nan—it was white with beautiful hand-painted flowers across it—held it to her, and they left together.

  “You were amazing,” Dom told her as they snuggled on her sofa later that night. She had put Nan’s urn on the mantle and then told Dom all the stories she could think of about her grandmother. The funny ones, the sad ones, she was just desperate for someone else to absorb it, to understand what an amazing soul she was.

  And Dom was perfect; he listened to her as if she was the most fascinating thing in the world, kissed her tears away when she cried, and held her in the most tender way. She really didn’t know how she could ever repay him.

  “Thank you,” she told him, running her fingers along the edges of his face. Lord, she loved him. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done; you’ve been so amazing. I don’t think I can ever thank you enough.”

  He grinned at her and kissed her hand. “Well, then you’ll be glad to know, you don’t have to thank me.”

  She smiled back. “I’m beginning to think all those things I heard about you were lies.”

  He laughed. “I hope not all of them. I mean, I am super charming and ridiculously good-looking.”