Page 89 of The Fall Affair

She giggled and climbed up my body. Propping one fist on the other, she rested her chin on top. “I wanted to say thanks.”

“If that’s the way you show your appreciation, I’ll be doing you lots of favors.” I stroked her cheek. “But what are you thanking me for? I didn’t do anything.”

“You’ve done a lot. Like being patient with me.”

“You don’t have to thank me. Being with you is worth every second of waiting.”

She leaned down and kissed my chest, then yawned. “I’m not ready to get up yet.”

“Then don’t.”

“Will you stay in bed with me for a while? The sun is up, so I know you have to go outside soon.”

“I don’t have a choice. My legs no work yet.”

Allegra yawned through a smile before laying her ear to my chest. “Sweet dreams.”

I kissed the top of her head, not wanting to fall back asleep. Because no dream was better than this reality with Allegra, and the nightmares of my past were finally behind me.

Chapter 29

Matteo

10 years ago

“WHO WAS THAT guy?” I asked.

“No one.”

I looked over my shoulder at the tall, blond-haired guy walking down Izzy’s driveway, carrying a guitar case. “No one? He what…goes door to door serenading people for spare change?”

“He’s no one important.” Izzy turned and walked into the house. “Just someone I met a long time ago.”

I followed. “Just someone you met a long time ago? He stopped by to say hello?” I crossed my arms. “Izzy, what da hell? Who is he?”

She didn’t meet my eyes. “Someone I met in Cambodia.”

I blinked. “In Cambodia? You’ve been back for two years. You’ve kept in touch with him?”

She hesitated. “Here and there.”

“And he knows where you live?”

“I wrote to him a few times.”

That felt like a punch to the gut. “You wrote to him?”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Like what, Izzy? Were you two…together?”

I’d never asked that question. Mostly because I didn’t want to know the answer, and also, I’d been with other girls when I’d thought Izzy wasn’t ever coming back. She never asked about Bianca or anything I’d done while she was gone. We’d just sort of moved on, moved forward, pretending the year she was away hadn’t happened. But apparently, a lot had been going on.

She stepped closer to me, but I took a step back.

“I didn’t think we’d ever see each other again,” she said. “He and I were only together a few months.”

I ran my hand through my hair. “But you kept in touch, even after we got back together?”