by Robena Grant
She lay on her hard bed and thought over her actions. She’d always been stubborn. Carlo was dealing with a family tragedy. It wasn’t his place to call her. It was her place to call him. She turned over thumped her pillow and begged for sleep. No time like the present. She’d told herself she needed to keep that power left on the cell phone for emergencies. This was an emergency. She’d been selfish and self-centered. The little heart on the silver bracelet caught the glow of the candlelight. She sat up and swallowed hard. She loved him.
She knew she had to take the risk. With her cell phone in hand, she thumbed in the words and sent the message. I’m so sorry about Susan. How can I help? I love you. I miss you.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Carlo met his parents at the hospital. He hugged everyone hello and goodbye. He’d already booked a flight. It was a necessity. Dia was unavailable. Well, at least her cell phone was. The message center was full. What the hell did that mean?
He’d called her mother’s home, but nobody answered. He’d make another call before departing. Maybe he’d have better luck then.
“Take good care of my sister,” he said to Nico. “And my niece.”
“I will.” Nico ruffled Angie’s hair.
Carlo noticed how the little girl had taken to Nico when he told her stories about his home. Her eyes had gotten wild and bright. He knew he had to trust the man not to bring heartache to his sister or his niece. He pulled in a ragged breath. This was his sister’s future, not his. And he did like the man. He refocused on the conversation.
“Is it like a palace?” Angie wrinkled her little brow.
“Exactly,” Susan said.
“I be a princess?”
“The most beautiful ever,” Nico said.
Angie clasped her hands and climbed onto his lap. “When can we go?”
Everyone laughed. It seemed Mama and the aunts couldn’t get enough of Angie. They doted on her every movement. If they’d appeared loving to Susan earlier, this was like total devotion. Carlo had a sudden flash of understanding that, even after she healed from her broken leg, neither Susan nor Angie would be coming home to stay.
His father crossed the small room. “So, son. Your mother and I will stay at the villa for a few weeks after Susan is released from hospital. Then we think we’ll take a cruise.” He shrugged. “Might as well, seeing as we’ve come this far.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Yeah. Will you check in on the house every couple of weeks?”
“No problem, Dad. You can count on it.” He walked over and kissed Susan on the forehead. Then he bent low and whispered in her ear, “I’ll be back for the wedding.”
She laughed, and her eyes twinkled. Carlo said a final goodbye to everyone, and then he hustled back to the car and off to the airport. Whatever was going on in San Diego, it could not wait. While he waited for the plane to board, he tried Mama Rosetta’s home phone again. This time he got through.
****
Dia sat on the floor, red-nosed and red-eyed.
The electricity had been turned on, but the water wasn’t hot yet. She’d finally found the charger and attached it to the cell phone and plugged the thing in. The cable guy would show in two more days. They’d made a mistake on the initial appointment. They’d been super apologetic. An apology didn’t help her any. The phone company had to change the window for their appointment, which now meant she had to stay here all afternoon. And she’d already sat in the furniture-less apartment all morning.
And she needed coffee. Badly.
Originally, she’d had a time slot of 8 a.m. until 12 noon. She’d planned to run out and buy furniture. And beg for an early delivery. Even if she’d had to pay extra for delivery. She rubbed her sore back. Okay, so I’ve got no entertainment and can’t even order an e-book for the Kindle. No big deal.
She looked around at the unpacked boxes. There’d be a favorite book in one of them. Or she could clean up and go to the library or the bookstore after the guy left. She glanced at her ratty sweats, old tee-shirt, and fluffy slippers. A trickle of lasagna sauce had fallen onto the bottom of the shirt and dried into a raised squiggly orange line. She scraped at it with a chipped fingernail.
It is time to grow up, clean up, and no more damn crying. She plucked another tissue from the box. She’d sent the text to Carlo. There’d been no response.
No response meant…she tried to make a joke of it, like they did back in high school. They’d send notes to boys that asked why they hadn’t responded to a prior note, and they’d provide a checklist: a.) You’re turning your mattress and are trapped beneath it. b.) You’re not interested at all and can’t be bothered saying get lost. c.) You’re a dork and don’t know what you’re missing out on. d.) What note?
She doubted anybody wrote notes any more. Even in school. Maybe they texted quizzes these days. Not that she and Carlo texted. They both preferred to hear a voice. Or better still, to see a face. She blew her nose noisily. The doorbell rang. She looked at her watch.
Must be the phone company. They’re early. Good.
Thoughts of wireless internet caused the first smile in twenty-four hours. Well, maybe she’d smiled when the electricity came on. She was so tired and achy she couldn’t remember. And even though she looked like she’d been dragged through hell and back, she hurried to the door and flung it open.
Carlo.
Dia stood there, stunned and speechless, one hand gripping the door for support. He moved in as if for a hug, and then obviously thought better of it as he took a step back into the hallway and looked her up and down.
“Dia. What’s wrong? Are you…are you okay?”
She nodded and sniffled, thankful for the tissue wadded in one hand. She finally took a swipe at her eyes and then her nose. He didn’t seem upset. He even looked concerned. Had he gotten her text?
“I’m…okay. How did you know…?” She waved an arm to indicate the inside of her apartment.
“I called your mother. Yesterday, before I left Italy.” He frowned. “Didn’t she call you?”
Dia shook her head. That was unlike Mama. Then she remembered the changes in the woman. She’d either thought her daughter would run, or else she decided to let her be an adult and figure out her own life. Either way, she owed Mama one. Except if she’d known Carlo was coming, she’d have taken an ice cold shower and even washed her hair.
“Do you…want to come in?”
Carlo frowned again. “Of course.”
He entered the living area and looked around at the piles of crumpled tissues on the carpet, the half-eaten food in the kitchen, and the boxes. Then he strode to the bedroom. When he came out, he ran his hands through his hair. He stopped about a foot in front of her.
She pushed back at the curls that clung to her forehead.
He touched the heart on the bracelet. “You’re still wearing it.”
She nodded. “I’ve never taken it off.”
He cupped her face with both hands, and then leaned his forehead on hers, and whispered, “Your text…I got it this morning. You do love me.”
“I do.” As she said the words, the stress of the last few days left her body. She melded into him, felt his arms encircle her, and raised her blotchy face. His lips met hers, his arms crushing her body to his, and she knew in that moment that this man, as passionate as he could be, was exactly what she needed and wanted in her life, forever.
“I love you, Dia. I promise…well, I can’t promise we’ll never argue, but I promise I will always speak the truth. I will never let either of us stay hurt like this. Not ever again. We will argue until we get it right.”
Dia smiled. She could envision those arguments. But it was time for one last confession. If he still wanted her after that, well…
“Now,” he said. “Tell me anything…tell me everything.” He sat on floor, and she sat next to him, holding his hand.
“I don’t know if you can love me. You see, I didn’t trust you. I thought you were everything I
didn’t want because you’d gone to drag Susan back here, and that was after the magical gate…and—”
“I did think about doing that.” He smiled. “I’m sorry we argued. I was being pigheaded. But what’s this about a gate?”
“Later. I’ll tell you later. But first I need to get this off my chest.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Okay.”
“I behaved worse than you because I thought of you as being a macho, egotistical ass.” She started to cry again, reached for a tissue, and blew her nose. “And you’ll never love me now, because I didn’t trust you.”
“Hey. Sometimes I am all those things. Just like sometimes you’re stubborn.”
Dia looked up at him as fresh tears fell. “I’m so sorry. I do love you so very much.”
“I know.” He grinned widely. “Come here.” He wrapped his arms around her and rocked her gently. Warmth seeped through her, and her chest expanded like someone had lit her up from within. The same feeling she’d had standing on that cliff top in Corsica as she’d gripped onto a gate and made a wish.
It’s a sign. A definite sign. He is the one. Their love will be sustained.
She remembered then, about Susan and Nico and all that had happened, and she pulled back from him. He’d come home. How could that be?
“How is Susan?”
“She’s fine. She regained consciousness while I was on the flight to Italy.” He stretched his shoulders and then yawned. “I fell asleep in her room. I’d forgotten to charge my cell phone. Then I met Nico, his Mama and the aunts came, and then my folks and Angie arrived…it was crazy.” He shook his head and grinned.
“The aunts came?”
“Two of them.”
“How was Angie with Nico?”
“She likes him. There was a mutual attraction.”
“I knew there would be.”
“Last I saw her, she was sitting on his knee asking questions about his palace and how she could become a princess.”
Dia burst into laughter. Oh man, it felt so good to laugh. She nestled her head against Carlo’s chest, and listened to his heart beat. She had missed this man so much.
“You were right. I knew you were when you yelled at me over the phone. I had to butt out.” He looked pensive for a moment. “I was all ready to apologize to you, and make a really sexy homecoming dinner. Then I got the call.”
Dia looked up at him. She would never doubt him again.
He shrugged. “Anyway, I think they’ll get married. Later. Susan has a broken leg—”
“Oh, no.”
“It’s okay. She’ll be fine. Nico has the best doctors in Italy taking care of her.”
“I’m so glad. So what happens now?”
“She’s going to be rehabilitating over there. Mom and Dad will stay at the villa for a few weeks, and then they’ve decided to take a cruise.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s a real Cinderella story. And hey, my mother thinks you are a warm and generous person. Her words exactly.”
“That’s good.” Dia laughed and wiped her eyes, and this time the tears were out of sheer delight, not sadness. “I had a vision of Angie stomping around Villa Ventimiglia about a week ago.”
“Oh yeah, she’ll do it well.” Carlo dropped a kiss on top of her head. “So that just leaves us. I’m figuring we may have to fly over for a wedding.”
“Really?”
“Yep. It’s a pity we couldn’t make it a double wedding.”
Dia held her breath for a moment. “What?”
“Yes. I’m asking you if you’ll marry me. I figure once Susan is healed, Nico will fly over here to meet the rest of the family. He’ll probably escort her back home.”
“Oh.”
“But she won’t stay longer than it takes to pack her things.”
Dia nodded. She had to agree.
“We could marry then, and if they marry, say, over Thanksgiving, or during the December holidays when you have a decent amount of time off, well, you and I could zip over and also have a second honeymoon.”
She pulled him close. “You’ve got it all figured out, haven’t you?”
“Yes. I just need them to work with us on the details.” He smiled, and then rummaged in his pocket. He pulled out a small royal blue velvet box, and snapped open the lid. “It isn’t an engagement ring. Just something I picked up in Duty Free.” He gave her that lopsided grin she loved. “I want you to select your diamond ring. It’s you who will wear it every day as a reminder of how special our love is. But this, this little trinket, it’s our reunion ring.”
“Our reunion ring,” Dia whispered.
Carlo took the ring out of the box, and slipped it onto her finger. The white gold, sapphire, and diamond ring was perfect. Just like Carlo. “I need to tell you about the Corsica gate.” The sunlight from her open windows sparkled on the ring. “It’s an interesting story.”
“Save it for after. Now, about that reunion.” Carlo slipped a warm hand down the back of her sweats. “Are you going to shower first, or what?”
A word about the author...
Robena Grant writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Travel and discovering new places and customs are her passion, and you will often find those discoveries in her stories. Australian by birth, she now lives in Southern California and has two adult children.
Robena can be contacted at:
www.robenagrant.com
Thank you for purchasing
this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.