There had never been so much meaning in,I love you too. It was perfect – not perfect, but genuine. He loved her for the way she’d held onto her husband’s memory – the way she seemed to think she’d hold ontohim– spines out to protect him.
His throat closed as the enormity of her confession washed over him.
‘Are you sure? I love you too much to?—’
‘Yes,’ she said, swiping tears from her eyes even as she smiled at him. ‘I went to Portland yesterday because something has already changed, even though I might not have wanted it at first. I did hold on too long to the life that never was, with Miro, but now I wantthislife – withyou. I wanted it before I ever suspected you might come here. I was ready to think of all sorts of solutions, because the practical stuff isn’t as important.’
‘But Cilli – we have to be here.’
She dropped the thistles onto the beach and slung her arms around his neck.
‘I love that in this, you were the practical one and I lost my head,’ she whispered before planting a soft kiss on his lips.
‘Oh, trust me, I’ve lost my head too,’ he replied, kissing her back, more deeply this time. ‘My heart, actually,’ he murmured against her lips.
‘I do trust you,’ she assured him under her breath. ‘With everything. Moving here was only one of the ways you’ve earned it. But there’s just one problem.’
He drew back with a frown. ‘Hmm?’
‘There are no turtles in Weymouth. Cillireallywants to see those turtles.’
Tugging her close with a chuckle, he smoothed her hair and squeezed her tight. ‘Then he shall see the turtles.’
37
Cilli yawned, only belatedly stifling the sound in his hand when he noticed Gabri’s doubtful look.
‘I’m not tired,’ he insisted.
Toni fidgeted to shake out her stiff body after nearly an hour of waiting for the tardy little creatures. But it was all worth it – if just for the view of Cilli leaning trustingly on Gabri.
Gabri pressed a finger to his lips and gave him a small smile. ‘Don’t worry. If you fall asleep, I’ll wake you,’ he whispered.
The beach was illuminated with the faintest glow of red lighting and only the rustle of the leaves in the bushes revealed the presence of the dozen or so turtle watchers on the spiaggia dell’Innamorata.
Toni’s life would have been simpler if she’d never loved Miro; Cillian’s life would have been richer with his biological father in it. But then they never would have experienced this moment, sitting under the stars on a warm summer night on a Tuscan island that would always feel a little bit like home, even if she never lived there.
She suspected one day, shewouldlive on the island.
But for now, they were back for an extra week of holiday, lounging in the cove at Ripa Barata and windsurfing at Procchio – with Cillian, this time. He’d been remarkably silent on the topic of their new romance. He hadn’t even questioned anything when Toni had bunked down with Gabri while Cillian slept on the sofa in the living room. She was expecting questions at some stage, but after the awkwardness of all the secrets from her first stay on the island, she thought it was better to just dive into the new normal.
A hushed gasp made her sit up straighter and peer at the small indentation in the sand – the focus of all the nocturnal human activity. A handful of turtles had made it to sea the night before, alerting the turtle conservation groups for a vigil tonight.
‘Look!’ Cillian was wide awake now, up on his feet, gazing at the hints of movement in the sand.
Resembling the wonky shadow of a crab, the first turtle struggled its way up onto the sand, swishing its front flippers wildly. It was soon followed by three more as the next generation of Loggerheads to call Innamorata home made the painstaking journey over the beach and into the rushing water.
‘How many is it?’ Cillian asked, clapping a hand over his mouth when he forgot to be quiet again.
Gabri was up on his knees, a hand clutched in Cilli’s shirt to keep him steady. ‘We won’t know until tomorrow, when we can count the number of shells. But there will be lots more tonight.’
‘And they’ll come back here to lay their own eggs?’
He nodded. ‘They always find their way back to the same beach.’
Toni reached around Cillian to poke Gabri on the shoulder. ‘It’s a nice place to return to,’ she whispered.
‘Mum, shh!’
