Mamma watches Kat with Addy for the rest of the day, and I see her slowly warm to her more and more. Addy shows her every inch of our family property, and when we sit down for dinner, Mamma presses a kiss to each of our cheeks before gripping Nathan’s chin and forcing his head down so that their eyes meet.
“Una donna bellissima e una madre meravigliosa,” she tells him before moving to take her own seat.
The weight of those words being removed from my shoulders is staggering, and I know I’m not the only one who feels it.
“What did she say?” Kat asks Nathan, but instead of answering, he reaches out and captures her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand with a smile so full of love that it leaves her speechless.
Over the next few days, we spend showing Kat around Catania, from the city to the beaches, and despite Mt. Etna being a beautiful backdrop I’d never cared to get any closer to, I can see the curiosity spark in her eyes.
Next time.
Palermo, Taormina, Messina… The week is spent exploring and making memories she’ll never forget as I plot our next visit.
None of this is new to us, but seeing Kat experience it for the first time is magical all on its own.
Traveling has always been a necessity, something we do for business or to see our parents, and while I don’t hate it, I might have just found a new reason to look forward to it.
Who doesn’t love a dusty old church when the woman of your dreams looks at it like it’s the palace of her dreams?
Curaçao is going to knock her socks off.
“Addison, I’m going to leave without you,” Oliver calls through the house with a smile on his face that lets me know he’s full of shit.
“Where’re you headed?” I ask and get the pleasure of watching Oli jump before he whips around.
“I didn’t realize you were there,” he says, wiping a hand down his chest as if removing wrinkles from his perfectly pressed shirt.
Sometimes I feel it’s impossible to see the similarities between us. Oliver has always been so much more like my brother, while Des is much more like me, but they both have their quirks from us.
“I promised Addy I would take her to the bookstore while we’re here. Kat said her library at the house is lacking in material that challenges her.”
I’m not sure when it happened, but I’ve noticed a shift. Even now, with him simply mentioning her, there’s no animosity the way there once was.
Hmm.
Why not push my luck?
Addy still hasn’t come out, and Oliver moves to head in and collect her.
“Why don’t you see if Kat wants to go with you?” That stops him in his tracks, and I don’t even try to stop the smirk that pulls at my lips.
Oliver has always been just fine keeping to himself, never one to seek attention, but after the way Natasha treated him, he only withdrew further. It didn’t matter what I did or said, or what women I found to try to entertain him; he wasn’t interested in anything but family and work.
I know he’s afraid Kat will hurt him, but I don’t think that could be further from the truth.
Given the chance, I think Kat will love him the way he deserves, fully and genuinely, for him and no other reason.
“I’ll ask her.” He disappears into the house before I can say another word. That’s fine. I don’t need to say anything else. Kat will handle him just fine on her own; he just needs to give her a chance.
Inviting her was the right call. I saw the way her face lit up, and Addy was so excited, so why does it feel like I’m going to choke as panic grips me and sweat builds on my brow?
We walk to the library. The streets are full of people, some tourists and other locals. Little booths or cars line the sides of buildings, and flowers are in large pots or hanging from planter boxes on windows above the street.
It’s beautiful, and as I trail after Addy and Kat, who walk hand in hand, with the same looks of wonder on their faces, I can’t look away.
Kat scares the hell out of me if I’m being honest.
She’s everything I’ve ever wanted, we’ve ever wanted, and nothing like I thought she would be.
