That made me anxious. I wanted their relationship to heal, not be torn apart even further. Rocco raised my hand to his mouth and blew his warm breath over my knuckles, even though I wore gloves.
“Come, Amora,” he said, keeping my hand close to his mouth as we made it to the cafeteria. “There is no use in attempting to foretell the future. It is out of our hands. What will be, will be. We will be there to meet it with the appropriate tools—love or sword.”
With that, we walked into the warmth of the cafeteria, most of the cold staying outside where it belonged, but it lingered on my coat, a reminder that the chill could cling hard enough to stick to bone.
Chapter 35
You Make Me Feel So Young
Aria Amora
After I had gone through Nonna’s things, slower this time than the first time, and more thoroughly, since the first time I was too emotional to truly look, I found a journal she had left for me. She had written down a few things she wanted me to remember. Only a few lines decorated the pages.
At the end of her life, the sickness had hit her harder than I could’ve ever imagined and took her away from me sooner than I’d expected.
In all truth, I think I’d been touched by delusion—I convinced myself I had forever.
My eyes had filled with tears when I’d read this line in her unique handwriting, a beautiful script:
Wherever you find love, Amora, you will find God, and wherever you find God, you will find peace.
Life is not peaceful.
So, hold tight to your love and you will find your peace protected there.
Nonna was a faithful woman. She lit candles for people in need. Volunteered her time working with the less fortunate and the poor in spirit, and even though she was faithful, she wasn’t all that religious. Although she complied with a few of herreligion’s beliefs. Like asking Saints to pray with her for herself or other people. She said she never put her faith in man, and she felt any big religious organization was too dishonest for her taste.
But her words kept showing up in my life whenever it seemed like I needed them the most. Her advice felt like an echo of her love for me. Not only did I hear that reverberation inside of my heart, but whenever I touched my husband, I felt like I was touching a physical representation of love.
My heart was so full, I feared it might burst.
After we left the ski resort, and I ate more than my fair share while Maggie Beautiful was my constant companion, and the rest of the ladies took turns skiing then also keeping me company, since I was the only pregnant lady in the group and Rocco had a fear of me slipping, or worse, we headed to the restaurant for dinner.
It was located high in the mountains, and I felt like a lost traveler attempting to get to the top, only my companions making me trust that we were not, in fact, getting lost. Once the restaurant came into view, I fell in love with it right away.
The structure was all dark wood, and it had many windows to admire the snowy view from, all from its perch, which was tucked into the mountainside. A frozen lake, which Scarlett said was taken over in the springtime by small frogs, seemed like the perfect place to go ice skating, if one was brave enough to trust the thickness of the ice.
The trees surrounding the restaurant seemed to be holding on for dear life, but the closer we came toward it, the smell of warm foods invaded the senses, and I was suddenly ravenous.
I ate more than usual while Rocco grinned the entire time, a constant order for me on his tongue, until I finally told him I was going to explode and pushed the half-eaten plates toward all thestarving men in our party. Especially Ermanno, who seemed like an endless pit.
Everyone but me, it seemed, was drinking Cornalin wine, while the table was full of love and laughter.
Even Luca was more lighthearted than usual, which I figured had to do with Maggie Beautiful’s issue being manageable. Nothing else could’ve changed his attitude. The entire night he held her hand, kissing her fingers, and the two of them kept leaning in close, whispering to one another. Maggie Beautiful would close her eyes, her lips stained with ruby colored wine, and smile—it was a bit mischievous. Very flirty.
Luca was obsessed. He kept scenting her like she was his mate.
Maybe that was why I was filled with warm love. The entire table was full of couples who couldn’t wait to get home, while making the moments linger at the table, and if the men were unattached, they were entertaining each other with tales from the slopes. Even Massimo seemed content talking about the snow day he had.
The only time I would see Massimo’s eyes narrow a bit was when his gaze would pass over Matteo and Stella. The boys were not with them, but I wondered if Massimo was wondering what his son was doing at that moment. Or, maybe, thinking that he would’ve taken him to see all the snow and the high mountains. I could see why Matteo and Stella would leave children that young behind with a caretaker, but…my mind was running through all the things Massimo could’ve been thinking of.
Or…maybe he was just thinking how lucky Matteo and Stella were to have two sons who were close in age.
I also wondered if Massimo would ever want Michelangelo as his own. It didn’t seem like he had any resentment toward Matteo. Earlier, they had come into the cafeteria together to grab a bite to eat and something warm to drink. They seemed asclose as brothers who not only loved each other because of the shared blood, but because they truly liked each other.
The main reason for the warm high…my husband was beside me, feeding me bites of his food, even though I had the king’s share. He absentmindedly stroked my neck while he chatted with his brothers about their day on the slopes. He’d lean in every so often between conversations and whisper words in my ear that made it to my heart.
You are my heart.
