Chapter 11 #2
Kit got up and told his dad, with a perfectly serious expression, “I’m going to threaten to maim Salvatore if he hurts you. I don’t want to make you mad, so I’m going to do it over by the coffee stand, where you won’t hear me.” He turned to me and asked, “Are you coming?”
I got up and tried not to grin. I had almost a foot and maybe a hundred pounds of muscle on this guy, so it felt like being threatened by a tiny, fluffy kitten.
Arie started to protest, but I said, “It’s fine. We’ll be right back.”
Kit led the way to the counter next to the coffee vendor, and as he added milk and two sugars to his cup, he said, “I really will hunt you down if you hurt my dad.”
“As you should.”
He knit his brows and scrutinized me as he stirred his drink.
“I didn’t know what to think when my dad told me about you,” he said.
“You came out of nowhere and swept him off his feet, but it seemed like he didn’t know the first thing about you.
That raised some red flags. At the same time though, he’s been happier than I’ve ever seen him.
And what you did a few minutes ago, taking care of him when he felt dizzy?
That was awesome. I worry about him, because I know how he is.
He’ll take care of everyone around him, but not himself. ”
“Exactly. This morning his stomach was in knots because he was nervous about flying, so it’s understandable that he skipped breakfast. But he skipped dinner last night, too. He got busy at work and forgot to eat. He does that a lot, and it’s incredibly frustrating.”
“That always drove me crazy, too. How does someone forget to eat?”
“I’ve asked myself the same question.”
Kit paused before saying, “This is the first time in my life that he’s ever been serious about anyone. It’s not just that he’s never had a relationship. He’s barely even dated. It would be so easy to break his heart and totally devastate him, and that really scares me.”
“That’s the very last thing I want to do.
” I looked across the concourse at Armando.
There might as well have been a spotlight on him.
Everything else, all the bustle and activity and people around him were just noise, a blur, but he was in perfect focus.
I murmured, mostly to myself, “He’s everything to me. Absolutely everything.”
“Have you told him you’re in love with him?”
I turned to Kit and blurted, “What?”
“I’ll take that as a no. You should tell him how you feel, Salvatore.”
I was so flustered that I started rambling. “I can’t. It’s too soon. Isn’t it? He’ll think it’s too soon. And he probably doesn’t feel the same way. He might, someday. But if I say it before he’s ready to hear it, it could drive him away. So, I should wait. Shouldn’t I?”
Kit’s face lit up with a genuine smile. “Oh, man. You’re as new as he is to this whole relationship thing, aren’t you?”
I looked away and nodded. He watched me fidget awkwardly for a moment before saying, “You’re not what I was expecting.”
“No?”
“I was worried you might be a player, or worse. I judged you unfairly, and I’m sorry about that.”
“There’s no need to apologize. You love your dad, and you want what’s best for him. I think it’s great that you two are so close.”
“Are you and your dad close?”
“We were. I lost him and my mom when I was fifteen.”
Kit’s dark eyes filled with sympathy. “I’m so sorry, Salvatore. I can’t even imagine.”
I really didn’t want to think about that right now, so I said, “We should be talking about happier subjects, like what we’ll do when you and your husband come to visit. I’ve been wanting to take Arie to that big animal park in San Diego, because he’s never been. Maybe we can all go.”
“He’ll love that.”
Devon and Arie stood up when we joined them, and Arie asked, “Are you two good?”
“We’re great,” Kit said. “I like your boyfriend, Dad.” He probably still had a few reservations about me. I didn’t expect to totally win him over in a matter of minutes, but it was nice to know I’d made a positive first impression.
Arie grinned and squeezed my hand. “Me, too.”
“I hate to cut this short,” Devon said, “but the line to get through security more than doubled in the last five minutes. I think we should go, Kit, so we don’t miss our flight.”
Kit and his dad grabbed each other in another bear hug while Devon shook my hand again. “Sorry we have to rush off,” he said, “but it was great meeting you.”
As Devon and Arie said their goodbyes, Kit told me, “I’m glad I got to meet you, Salvatore. Keep looking out for my dad, okay?”
“That’s the plan.”
Kit took his husband’s hand, and as they hurried to join the ever-growing line, he smiled at me over his shoulder and called, “You really should tell him.”
Arie turned to me and asked, “Tell who what?”
I grinned and said, “It’s a secret,” before kissing him gently.
Kit was right, though. I was completely, utterly, madly in love with Armando. I’d been falling in love from the day I met him—gradually, and then all at once. It was like dipping my toes in the ocean, and then suddenly getting smacked in the face by a wave that came out of nowhere.
And I wanted to tell him, but it didn’t seem like something that should just be blurted out—not the first time I said it. I wanted to wait for the right time and place, and that definitely wasn’t a crowded airport.
“I’m glad you and Kit had a chance to chat,” he said, as we picked up our bags and headed for the exit. “He’s pretty protective of me, so I hope he didn’t try to give you the third degree or anything.”
“He’s very sweet, just like his father.”
This quick meeting really couldn’t have gone better. And by the time we saw them again in a few weeks, I wouldn’t have to worry about what was said, because Arie would know all my secrets.
I felt a lot less pressure now that meeting his family was behind me, but I still had every intention of telling Armando the whole truth this afternoon, once we were alone in our hotel room. First though, we had to get through brunch with my very colorful relatives.