I didn’t think he ever stopped to think…it was awful growing up here, or,I loved it because…
Because my husband, like most men in the family, were not raised to bother with comfort. They were raised to endure and not complain about it.
You must walk on glass? So be it.
My husband was a product of his upbringing, even if being with him made him more human. I could tell by the way he was with his sons. Ermanno too.
“It’s wonderful that it’s beautiful,” I pressed. “I can tell from the outside that it’ll be spectacular on the inside. But is there anything you love about it?”
“What is not to love?”
Rocco looked down at Ermanno, as if to say,this is true, but Rocco knew I wanted him to dig deeper. Was there anything thatmade him happy here? The past wasn’t important, but…I was curious to know.
“Sì, there is something that I find pleasing.” He checked his watch. “We have time before lunch.” My hand was in his, and he guided me to the back of the property, where a mammoth statue overlooked a pond.
The statue was a giant, his reflection shimmering on the surface of the water while two graceful swans glided in front of it. It was apparent that the giant was ancient, designed by hands that didn’t have the tools available in current day, and these hands were able to accomplish a feat that a soulless machine never could.
The attention to detail, the giant’s features, even down to what seemed like salt but was rock coating him, was so real, I almost wondered if a mere man had created it. It seemed unreal, almost impossible that with tools that couldn’t match this day’s, the giant was created in one lifetime.
“This is so gorgeous,” I said, looking around, understanding why Rocco would love it here. An iron bench was placed beneath a shading tree. The perfect spot to sit and hang out with the giant and his swans.
Rocco told me how he only visited the walled city after his father was sentenced to time in Louisiana, meaning he had been here, spent time here, but what was comparable to a soldier’s quarters was somewhere else for him.
It wasn’t a secret in the family that Luca had killed the sheriff’s wife on purpose while she was pregnant. The situation had something to do with Maggie Beautiful not being accepted by Marzio at the time, since Luca was married to someone else.
A marriage on paper and in the eyes of the family and the world—the family seemed to be known for these types of “relationships.” More business than personal.
A hard wind blew, and the trees around us shimmered with whispered shivers.
The situation with Luca and Maggie Beautiful was proof of what Luca would do in the name of his Wildflower.
Aunt Lola’s last message rang in my memories like a warning siren.
My heels tapped on the tarmac road that led to the giant as I took steps toward him. Maybe to redirect my attention. We’d be sitting at a table with his father soon, and I didn’t want any lingering thoughts of what he’d done to still be in my head. I had a feeling he could sniff them out.
Rocco held me closer, as if he could feel my unease. I held tighter to him while he gave me the history on the giant.Ermanno and I were both listening intently. Rocco and I grinned at each other when Ermanno copied the statue’s stance.
Ermanno’s personality reminded me of Romeo, in a way, and even though I refused to say it aloud, I thought Ermanno had gorgeous hair too. The Fausti men all had this in common.
Rocco stared at my face, and then his eyes narrowed on Ermanno. I laughed, wrapping my arm around his even tighter, feeling his muscles flexing underneath his custom-made suit, and after he kissed my forehead, we started walking along the tarmac in the opposite direction of Ermanno.
“It is wonderful to have you beside me,” my husband said.
It took me a moment to look at him. My eyes had been on the swans, my mind wandering to Aunt Lola and Uncle Tito. The pain was lingering. “You mean here?”
He stopped and, lifting my sunglasses, stared into my eyes. “Amora, my words and their intent surpass this moment. It is beyond the desires of my heart to have you always walk beside me in life.”
My smile came slow, and I leaned forward, offering him my forehead to kiss again.
Honk. Hooooonk. Hoooooook!
The loud, echoing noise made me jump. Rocco tightened his grip on my arms and set me behind him easily.
Hooooonk!
“They are after me!”
I didn’t need to look around my husband to find out what Ermanno was going on about. Geese. They were closing in from behind—my view—and in front—my husband’s view. Still. I peered to the side and saw that four were attacking Ermanno while they made an awful honking noise.
