Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, I glance toward the window and spot Mom stretched out on a lounger outside, her phone held up in front of her face. I can’t hear a word from here... but I have a pretty good idea who she’s talking to.
I fix myself a sandwich, and I’ve barely taken a bite when the kitchen door opens. Mom smiles when she sees me and stands on her tiptoes to kiss my forehead.
“Up already?” she asks.
“I could say the same.”
She laughs and moves toward the coffee maker. “I have jet lag as my excuse,” she says as the machine starts.
I slide onto one of the stools at the island. Before I take another bite, I ask, “Were you talking to Alexander?”
“I was,” she says. “And a few others from his family too. They were just finishing lunch.”
“You and him...” I let the sentence trail off, unsure how to finish it.
Mom looks at me seriously, but there’s a glint in her eyes. “Things have changed between Alexander and me,” she says. “But there are still conversations we need to have before we move forward... before I introduce you kids to him or make anything official.” She reaches across the island and takes myhand. “I won’t keep secrets from you. When the time is right, you’ll be the first to know.”
I squeeze her hand back. “I just want you to be happy, Mom. I trust you to make whatever decision is best.”
She walks around the island and pulls me into a hug. “Have I told you how proud I am of you lately?”
I hold her tighter. “Only about a million times this year,” I say, and we both laugh.
She steps back and pours herself a cup of coffee. “How are things with Dalila?”
I finish chewing before answering. “Good. Just like I told you the other day.” I know she’s been worried ever since I told her what happened, especially after seeing how I was that day.
“I’m really happy for you both,” Mom says, taking a sip of her coffee. Then she smiles. “Why don’t you invite her over for lunch? I can give her the gift I brought back.”
I nod, grinning. I honestly can’t think of a better way to spend the day than with my girl and my family.
Chapter 23
Transcendent
Alexander
“Buona notte, tesoro,”[LXVI]I murmur the moment her face fills my screen. My voice gives me away, showing her all the longing and melancholy I’ve been feeling since she went back home.
“Buongiorno, Alexander,”[LXVII]she answers, smiling like she doesn’t realize she’s undoing me with it.
I don’t speak for a few seconds, just taking her in.
She’s wearing a caramel-colored knit sweater that hugs her the way I wish I could. The high collar brushes the delicate line of her throat. Her hair is gathered into a careless knot at the crown of her head, with a few rebellious strands slipping free.
She looks... perfect. Bellissima.
At moments like this, the phone in my hand stops feeling like a blessing. It starts feeling like a border.
“You look like an angel,” I murmur. “The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
Cecilia exhales, and the image wavers for a second as she sets the phone down. Behind her, I recognize her office bookshelves.
“The things you say...” she whispers. “You make it so much harder for my heart not to ache with missing you.”
“And what if I told you,” I add, my voice dropping, “that when I close my eyes, I remember exactly how you taste? That I miss waking up with you in my arms every morning.”
She closes her eyes. When she opens them again, her voice is barely more than a breath. “Me too. Every day.”
