18. Chapter Eighteen
Later that Night
Good thing Matteo’s friends had saved them a spot because cars and trucks lined up on the hard-packed sand, and the rest of the beach was a patchwork of blankets, towels, and tents with hardly any room to walk, much less stretch out.
Snuggled together on their beach blanket, Danielle and Matteo watched the fireworks grand finale blossom and boom. Olivia, Noah, and the half-dozen kids attached to their group hooted Oohs and Aahs with each new burst.
With a dreamy smile, Danielle leaned onto Matteo’s broad shoulder. “We did exactly the same thing when I was a kid.”
“Us too.” He chuckled. “But back then, I wasn’t remembering a certain night in a tent with a certain lady.” He kissed her hair. “Talk about fireworks, bella. Kapow.”
Her body heated at the reminder. Since the kids’ arrival, she and Matteo had to settle for clandestine groping. No matter how cool they seemed with the idea of Mom dating, she wasn’t ready to sleep with Matteo under the same roof as her kids. And man, was she feeling the lack.
“Cowabunga!” Noah dove down beside them, spraying sand everywhere. “That was great. Is there any food left?”
Danielle pointed. “Go ask Jerry. He’s in charge of the grill.”
He was halfway to his feet when Matteo stopped him. “Fix yourself a plate, and get your sister, okay? I want to talk to you guys.”
Noah cocked his head to the side, then shrugged and trotted off.
Goosebumps prickled her skin. “Matteo, what—?”
He patted her knee. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna propose.” He winked. “Not tonight, anyway.”
She prodded him, but he only grinned and pulled her in for another far-too-chaste kiss.
A few moments later, Noah returned with a hot dog, a mound of potato salad, and his sister, who eyed Matteo as if he might bite. She dropped onto the blanket. “What’s up?”
Matteo’s grip on Danielle’s hand tightened. He gave her a soft, private smile, then faced the kids. “So, uh, I know you guys have to go back soon. Summer soccer league starts next week, right?”
Noah held up a finger. “Yeah, about that—”
“Let me finish, okay?” Matteo sucked in a breath. “I have to stay here and help my Zio Sal with the shop. But I talked to Sal, and his guest room is yours whenever you want it.”
Olivia wrinkled her nose. “All three of us in one room? Eew.”
He chuckled. “I was hoping your mom would stay upstairs with me.” He squeezed Danielle’s hand again. “The thing is, I’m in love with her.”
Her heart karate-kicked her ribs.
Eyebrows sky-high, the kids gawked at each other, then at her.
She forced her lungs to inflate. “Matteo, I—”
“Still not finished.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. “So I want you guys to know I’m not trying to replace your dad or anything. I’m not trying to rearrange your lives either.”
Slow nods from the kids.
Matteo’s bright-eyed gaze held hers as he finished his obviously rehearsed speech. “I just want to spend as much time as possible with her. And with you guys, if you’ll let me.”
A juicy sniff burst through Danielle’s blurry, stunned state. She snapped her head toward Olivia, who swiped away a tear.
“Aww. That’s so sweet.” She elbowed her brother. “Isn’t that sweet, Noah?”
He shrugged. “I guess.”
Another sharp jab.
“I mean, that’s cool with me. Especially since we’re not playing soccer this summer.”
His sister nodded. “Right.”
Still reeling from Matteo’s declaration, she wheeled on the kids. “Since when? Your dad already paid and—”
Apparently, this was Interrupt Danielle Night, because Olivia jumped right in. “So Noah and me were talking on the plane.”
“Dad was asleep,” Noah interjected. “He was snoring so loud this lady in the next row kept giving us the stink eye.”
Olivia glared at him. “Anyway, since we both play sports during the school year, we thought it would be cool to just, you know, chill during the summer.”
“Especially at the beach,” Noah added with a grin, as if the whole brilliant plan had been his idea. Had it? Or were her kids and Matteo in cahoots?
Danielle forced her shoulders down from their ear-level perch. “Um, why don’t you guys go hang out with your friends for a while? I need to talk to Matteo.”
They hopped to their feet and trotted away, but before Danielle could open her mouth, Olivia dashed back, talking a mile a minute. “I almost forgot. Emma and Jayce are having a sleepover in their backyard tonight. Can we go? Pleasepleaseplease?”
Matteo nudged her ribs. “Jerry and Lana’s kids. I can vouch for the parents. They live right next door to Sal.”
Okay, definitely in cahoots. “I’ll think about it. Give me a minute.”
The kids scooted back to their new friends. Danielle sank onto the blanket, flopped onto her back, and blinked up at the stars. Matteo reclined next to her, propped on his elbow, and twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. For several minutes, they lay side by side as bottle rockets and firecrackers exploded up and down the beach. The sharp scent of gunpowder filled the air and made her eyes tear, but she kept her gaze on the heavens while her mind spun and fizzed.
He loves me. He’s in love with me. She turned it over and over, not quite able to grasp the shape of it, the heft and color and taste of this amazing…serendipity?
She hadn’t allowed herself to believe this could be possible. No matter how sweet their union, no matter how high she flew in his arms, how easily she laughed with him and walked with him and shared cozy silence, she’d been bracing herself for the pain of goodbye.
Matteo leaned into her field of vision and wiped the dampness from her cheek. “Talk to me, bella.”
A laugh burbled up. “Is this real? Or was there something funny in those brownies?”
His hopeful expression crumpled. “Damn. I screwed the pooch, didn’t I?” He sat up and hugged his knees. “I thought, since your kids will be impacted, I’d better tell them too.” He dropped his head onto his folded arms. “I feel like that guy who proposed on the Jumbotron and got turned down.”
She pushed upright and hugged him, resting her cheek on his hunched shoulder. “No, bello, you didn’t screw the pooch. You did exactly right.”
Slowly, he straightened and faced her. “Really?”
“Yeah.” It was difficult to speak through her mile-wide grin. “Telling the kids was so thoughtful of you. And sweet. And perfect.” She stroked his cheek. “And I love you too.” She sniffled hard. “Crazy, right? We’ve only known each other for two weeks.”
His smile shone brighter than the fireworks, brighter than the stars, brighter than anything she’d dared hope for. “When it’s right, it’s right. Sono pazzo di te.” He pressed his lips to hers.
“Wait,” she murmured into his kiss. “I know that one. You’re, um…”
He smiled into their kiss. “Crazy about you, bella.”
“Mom, they’re packing up. Can we go?”
She looked up to find Noah beside his sister, wiggling like a puppy. Clearly, seeing their mom kissing a new guy was not the traumatic experience she’d feared.
Olivia wheedled, “C’mon, please? The parents will be there. They’re Matteo’s friends.”
He chuckled against her temple. “We’ll be able to see them from my balcony.”
She raised her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Let’s go.”
Together, they packed up their gear and walked, arm in arm, through cool sand and fireworks-toasted ocean breeze, into the first night of their new life.
Thanks for reading! Read on for more Trappers Cove books and other series by Sadira Stone. But first…