And I just wanna lay you down your burdens, all your fears
And I don't need your deepest secrets whispered in my ear
'Cause I can hear your heart, your heart.
The words touched my soul as I remembered what he’d said on our first night together.I don’t need to say it for you to hear it.He, too, could hear me without words.
The song continued and fresh tears touched my eyes every time he hit the chorus. Then he set his guitar on the stand, let out a big lung-full of air, and stood up. I covered my mouth with my hands while the crowd exploded with applause. His eyes took one glance at the clock hung behind him and then fixed on me. 11:48 p.m.
He took long strides, rapidly closing the distance between us. I rose from the booth and took the final steps toward him. “That was so beautiful. Thank you.” My voice broke as he took my hands in his grip. Our lips connected for what seemed to be forever, and the crowd cheered again.
“Can I have another dance?” he requested.
I nodded, my fingers wiping the last of my tears. We danced silently for a few minutes, our hearts banging by all the things we should be saying, until the countdown for the New Year started.
“I love you,” he said after we kissed. “It’s the first thing I want you to hear this year.”
I put my hand on his heart, its pounding making its way to mine. “I love you, too.”
“Carolina…you said not today and not this year. The year is over. You know what I’m about to do, right?”
My breath snagged in my chest as I nodded.
“Would you let me do it? The way I wanna do it?” He grinned.
I could hear my heart hammering in my chest as I stared up at him. At this instance, just as my love for him was the only thing I was absolutely sure about, I knew exactly what I wanted. “I won’t have it any other way, Gennaro. On your knees, with your hand on your chest. Tell me the best cheap, sentimental things in your repertoire, but don’t quote from your movies. I swear to God I’ll watch them all just to know.”
He laughed, his eyes gleaming.
“Come on. Let's see if you can convince me.”
“Deal.” Determination painted his face. “From that night you said you loved me, I’ve been counting the moments, waiting for the time I can get on my knees,” he smiled as his knee touched the floor, “with my hand on my heart, and ask you just one little thing.”
My face burned as his hand reached inside his pocket.
“But first…” He got a paper bag out of his pocket. “This is for your panic attack.”
My whole body trembled with laughter.
“And this…” He brought handcuffs to my sight. “No, these are for me in case you decided to run.”
“Oh my God.” I couldn’t stop laughing. “You came prepared.”
“Gotta learn from others’ mistakes. I must say I was really risking it with the singing. It didn’t end up well with that Russian when he did it. You dragged him to an orgy at my place instead of loving him back. Are you gonna do that now?”
I giggled loudly. I just shook my head as I couldn’t speak at all.
He chuckled, getting a small jewelry box out of the pocket of his tux jacket. Then his gaze locked with mine as he exhaled and opened the box.
I heard the people on the dance floor gasp before I did. They had every right. The ring was dazzling. Blinding. Beautiful.
“Vita mia, cuore mio, I’ve wasted half my life making mistakes and being a coward. I’m not gonna do that anymore.” His dark eyes glistened. “You are the love of my life. I want to spend the rest of my days living my story with you, Carolina. Only you. So here I am, with no cheap, sentimental things or quotes from my movies, I ask you, Maggie Carolina Dawson, will you make me yours forever? Will you please, please, please, please, marry me?”
Without panic attacks or urges to run or dark voices in my head, only one word rang through my heart.
“Yes.”
Scene 67
