The edges of his mouth twitch with a forming grin. “What?”
“I just can’t believe you’re really here.”
Out of all the days and places for him to suddenly show up out of the blue. Did Ryder send him? It’s an insane thing to think.
But I’m curious. After all this time, why now? Twenty-some odd years is a long time to actively avoid someone, regardless of his asinine belief that he was doing it for my own good. I forgave him for what happened. Perhaps it’s taken this long for him to forgive himself. Who the hell knows?
The waiter returns with Fallon’s coffee. “Qualcosa da mangiare?”
“No, grazie,” Fallon replies.
“You don’t want anything to eat?” I ask, not enjoying the panic that suddenly invades at the thought that our time together will be short-lived.
He slides his hand across the table, palm open, waiting for me to take it.
“Are you ready for another adventure, Elizabeth?”
I study the hand he offers me, familiar yet changed, like whispers from the past that carry a promise of something lost and found.
Some invisible force urges me to take the leap into the unknown. To live life again. To feel something other than the coldness of grief and the heartbreak of loss.
Enjoy the adventure, sweetheart. I love you, baby. It’s time.
I slip my hand into Fallon’s, the connection instantaneous.
“Yes.”
Chapter Four
FALLON
All I Ever Wanted
With no destination in mind,our footsteps are slow as we stroll in comfortable silence under the vibrant Venetian sky through St. Mark’s Square. Tourists cram into every available inch, their faces full of wonderment as they take in the sights of the centuries-old façades gilded by the golden glow of sunlight. The air carries the scent of seawater from the nearby canals, but it’s no match for the jasmine of Elizabeth’s hair.
Having her so close…I can’t breathe, nor can I take my eyes off her. The pictures Ry would send me never prepared me for how shattered I would feel once I finally saw her in person. She’s completely entrancing and more gorgeous than I remember.
I made a vow to stay away, to never let my darkness touch her again. But I can’t keep that vow anymore because of the promise I made to Ryder the last time I saw him—two days before he passed. He told me I would know when it was time. I laughed at him. But he was right. And now I’m here, and she’s here, andI can’t fucking breathe.
A young kid, maybe three or four, escapes his parents’ distracted supervision and chases a group of pigeons, startling them to take flight.
“Oh, no.” Elizabeth hunkers next to me and ducks her head, her cheeks flushing when I arch a querying eyebrow. “Do you remember the pigeon shit story?”
I chuckle at the memory. “I completely forgot about that.”
“Whoever came up with the bullshit story about it being good luck has never had the pleasure of cleaning pigeon crap out of their hair.”
We’ve hardly said a word since the café, which is funny because there is so much to say. Hopefully, I’ll get the next forty to fifty years to tell her everything.
I curl a blonde lock around my finger and let it uncoil. “No more pink streaks?”
“Not since medical school.” Elizabeth stops amid the crowd gathered on the Ponte della Paglia and looks across the short distance to the Bridge of Sighs. “Legend says that couples who kiss under the bridge as the St. Mark’s Campanile bells ring will have a love that lasts for an eternity. I should know. Ryder kissed me in the gondola just as the bells tolled.”
She smiles up at me, the beauty of it sad and haunting.
Ry should be here with her, enjoying this moment. Not me. I will never be worthy enough to fill his shoes, but I will make damn sure that I erase the emptiness in her eyes. I would make a deal with the devil five times over—sacrifice everything—to ensure she knows nothing but happiness for the rest of her life.
The sudden ache in my chest that I’ve been carrying for two decades intensifies, and regret pulses through my veins like a poison I can’t escape. I miss Ry every damn day. If I could go back and take his place, I would do it in a heartbeat, just to see him alive and laughing again, living the life he was supposed to with Elizabeth. One that was stolen from him far too soon. Theguilt that I’m still here and he isn’t eats at me, dragging me under in moments when I least expect it.
