I curse that group of friends who interrupted us... and then realize I should be grateful. Because if they hadn’t shown up, public indecency would’ve been the least of my sins.
Taking a breath, I force myself to focus on tomorrow. Everything is already arranged. The company jet, a Gulfstream G700, will be ready for takeoff at eight in the morning. In less than three hours, we’ll be landing at Galileo Galilei Airport.
This should calm my thoughts, but a single question keeps circling my mind.Will Cecilia take a step back after whathappened tonight, or did that kiss pull her one step closer to me?
Either way... I’ll let her set the pace. I won’t pressure her. But I also won’t pretend I don’t want more.
“You’re going to drive me insane, Cecilia,” I murmur to the moon outside my window.
“Cecilia... we’re flying over Tuscany.”
She looks up from the laptop she’s been working on since shortly after takeoff, drafting a new post for her blog.
I tried to work too. But my eyes keep wandering back to her. To the way she narrows her eyes in concentration, bites her lip, presses her thumb briefly to her teeth when she pauses to reread what she’s written.
I arrived at Oidhche Nest early this morning, just in time to catch her halfway down the stairs. Before she could come any further, I went up and took her suitcase.
We only stood there, looking at each other. Then Cecilia leaned in and kissed my cheek, close enough to the corner of my mouth.“Buongiorno[XLIII], Alexander,”she said with a smile when she pulled away.
And in that one word, I had my answer. She wasn’t pulling away after what happened on Calton Hill.
On the way to the airport, she asked me to teach her more Italian. If she only knew how irresistible she becomes when she tries to speak my language, she’d know it’s nothing short of torture for me.
The moment we reached the private terminal and stepped out of the car, I took her hand and didn’t let go again until we were seated on the jet. I fought the urge to personally fasten her seatbelt... just to give myself another excuse to touch her.
Cecilia opened her laptop on the table separating us, asking me to let her know when we crossed into Italy and to point out some landmarks. I showed her the Alps first, then Lake Como, and everything else as we passed over them.
And now that we’re finally flying over Tuscany, she closes her laptop and gives all her attention to the window, to the rolling hills and sun-washed fields spreading out below us.
“Are you sure you don’t want something to eat or drink?” I ask, for what must be the third time since takeoff.
She turns to me with a smile. “No, thank you. I can’t eat when I’m anxious.”
I rise from my seat and sit beside her.
“My family is going to welcome you as if they’ve known you your whole life,” I reassure her. “In some ways... a few of them already do, from how much I talk about you.”
After Cecilia told me about her trip and we planned her stay in Italy, it felt as though a wall inside me had finally come down. Before, I used to dodge every question about her, especially after Cesare decided to announce to the world that she was the reason I’d been flying to New York so often. I wanted to keep her to myself.
But with Cecilia coming to Italy, I wanted them to know her. I wanted them to see what I see and understand just how much she means to me.
She slips her hand into mine and gives it a squeeze. “If they’re anything like you, I already know I’ll feel at home.”
I smile and press a kiss to her forehead.
“Italy has always been a dream of mine,” she says, turning back to the window as we pass over old villas and winding roads.
“Especially Tuscany. Life just...” She trails off. “Kids, work, everything else. Intercontinental trips were never the priority.”
I circle the back of her hand with my thumb. “You traveled some, though,” I say. “I remember your old blog posts.”
She nods, then looks at me. “Yeah... but mostly nearby states and short trips. Colin always—”
She cuts herself off, glancing at me as if she’s said something she shouldn’t have.
I won’t lie and pretend I’m unaffected by hearing her say his name. But they share two children and a past, one I hope is buried deep... and for good.
I give her a reassuring smile. “You can go on.”
