“Me either, Tilly.”
“I’m happy for the first time in what feels like forever.”
“I know. I almost forgot what it felt like to be at peace,” I admit, knowing she’ll understand exactly what I mean without taking offense.
No one else would fully grasp the depths of despair someone deals with after losing a spouse. The empty chair at dinner, the cold spot in the bed, and other things we all take for granted on a daily basis. It’s not until the person is truly gone that we realize the finality of death and exactly what it means to be totally alone.
“Are we moving too quick?”
I touch her chin, making sure she’s looking at me when I say the next words. “We waited years to find each other. We’re two halves of the same soul. I think we were destined to meet. To suffer the same pain. To know each other’s loss. We’ve rushed nothing.”
“I feel like I’ve known you forever.” She slides her hand up my arm, gripping my bicep. “People will think we’re crazy.”
“People can think what they want. How long did you date Mitchell before you fell in love with him?”
Marissa and I met in high school after her family moved to the old neighborhood from out of state. The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew I had to make her mine. There was no doubt in my mind that she was the girl for me. People thought I was nuts, but I loved her more than anything in the world.
“I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love him.” She exhales softly.
I cup her face in my hands, wanting to kiss her so badly my chest aches. “We’ve been through more than most people twice our age. We know the preciousness of time and the fragility of life. There’s no rhyme or reason when it comes to the heart.”
Her hand glides down my arm and covers my hand. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Angelo, but I’m thankful you came into my life.”
“Baby, I’ve been asking myself that same question. We’ve got to stop thinking and just feel.”
Leaning forward, I press my lips to hers. I’m done with words and questioning the speed we’re moving. There’s no controlling the pace at which it happens or containing the powerful punch to the gut when everything clicks.
Love is love, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.
21
Tilly
“You have to get that,” Daphne says as I stand in front of the dressing room mirror in the most decadent dress I’ve ever worn.
I glance down at the price tag and nearly have a heart attack. “It’s six hundred dollars.”
She bats my hand away from the tiny paper and grabs my hips, making me look at myself in the mirror. “Leo’s paying,” she says, like money is no object. “Your tits look incredible in this. Angelo will go bananas.”
I stare at my reflection, loving the way the silk hugs my every curve, and she’s right… My tits do look great. “I can’t let Leo pay. That’s not right. I’m not taking your money.”
She moves closer and puts her mouth near my ear. “I have my own money.” She stares at me intently in the mirror. “This is all him. Let the man pay. It makes him happy.”
“It’ll make him happy?” I blink quickly, confused.
She nods. “He wants us to have fun and relax. Money is no object to him. If you don’t carry that dress out of this store, I’ll just have it delivered to the bakery.”
“Daphne, I really can’t accept this.”
“Oh my God. Look at you,” Delilah says as she walks out of the dressing room, wearing leather pants and a sequined camisole which barely covers her belly. “Damn, girl.”
They both gawk at me in the mirror as I twist my hands together in front of me.
“I know, right?” Daphne moves to my side and points to my chest. “Delilah, do you remember when your tits were this high?”
Delilah stalks toward us in a pair of black and gold leather boots. “Fuck. It’s been years. Lulu killed my tits.”
I laugh nervously as they both stare at my breasts like they’ve never seen anything more beautiful. It’s awkward, but I know they’re complimenting me.
