Chapter 19 #2
It was You were right. And You’re right where you need to be. Where you should be. But most importantly he heard what else she wasn’t saying: And we’re proud of you.
“Of course.” Carla cleared her throat. “It’s a great life you’re building for yourself there, Will. Don’t forget to live it.”
“Is that an admonition to not work too much?” he joked.
“You know it is. You have that handsome man in your life now, you need to enjoy him.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. Even if I was very stupid and forgot, I think he’d be first in line to remind me.”
“He would. It’s one of the reasons both me and your father liked him so much. He’s going to be so good for you.” She paused. “Whether you get married or not.”
“About that, Mom—”
“No,” she interrupted. “We don’t have to talk about it. I know you and Enzo were only trying to do the right thing. We were just a little slow on the uptake.”
“And I wasn’t very good at telling you the truth,” Will said wryly.
He’d gotten better at the end, but there’d been so many years when he’d avoided the truth or not wanted to address anything directly.
By the time he’d finally started, it had almost been too late, and his parents were so entrenched in the normal way of doing things that they hadn’t known to really listen to what he was trying to say.
But now, hopefully, they were listening again.
Will wanted to believe that this phone call was his mom’s way of saying they were.
“Maybe. Maybe not. In any case, we’re aware now. You’ve got your own life. Your own business. And we’re so proud of you for both, Will.”
Will smiled. She hadn’t need to say the words—he’d felt them nonetheless—but it sure helped to hear them.
“Thanks, Mom. Enzo was telling me today they’re gonna have a big dedication of the mural next year, during the Sweethearts Festival. I’ll text you the dates so you can pencil them into your calendar.”
“Pencil? I’ll be writing them in with pen,” she said firmly. “Though I’m sure we’ll see you before that.”
“I’m sure,” Will said. He’d never wanted to be a stranger from his family; he’d only wanted his own corner of his own life.
And now he did.
“Take care of yourself, honey.”
“Good luck at the store opening.”
“And you too, during the Fourth. I’m sure you’ll be slammed.”
“That’s the hope and the worry,” Will joked weakly.
“You’ve got this,” she said confidently.
There was a brisk knock on the door. Sounded just like Kate. And yeah, Will really needed to help her with the prep, or else they’d never get done. “Hey, I gotta go. But, Mom? Thanks for calling.”
“Of course, honey. Anytime.”
When he opened the door though, it wasn’t Kate standing on the other side, but Enzo, grinning madly.
“Do you have a minute?” he asked.
Will raised an eyebrow. He tossed the empty takeout container in the trash. “I’ve got at least one. Maybe a few, for you.”
“What about for your building?”
“What do you mean?”
Enzo whipped out a paint brush. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s paint your mural.”
Will held up his hands. “No way. I’ve not got an artistic bone in my body. I’ll ruin it and then you’ll hate me.”
“Not possible. Either one. Seriously, it’s on your building, and it was your idea.”
“Do you ask the owners of every building you paint a mural on to contribute?”
Enzo shook his head. “No. But you’re special. Makes sense that I should.”
“If you’re sure . . .” Will trailed off, dubiously.
“I am sure. Come on,” Enzo straight up ordered this time, wrapping a hand around his forearm and tugging. “We got this. I wouldn’t let you do something to ruin it. I promise.”
“Alright,” Will finally agreed. Let Enzo lead him outside.
He was working on the current generation of buildings surrounding the story of Eliza and Nathaniel. “This should look familiar,” Enzo said, pointing with the brush to a building that had Cherry’s signature white and bright pink striped awning.
“Yeah, sure does.”
“I just want you to take this brush and paint the rest of the building. It’s just white. I’ll be adding the fine details later so no worries about that.”
“Okay.” Will took the brush and gingerly dipped it into the paint and even more carefully dabbed it onto the wall, right where Enzo had sketched out the outline of the building.
“How’s that?” Will asked apprehensively, but Enzo just laughed.
“You’re barely doing anything. Come on, paint it.”
So Will did, Enzo standing behind him coaching him through it with easy, judgment-free suggestions.
“See?” he asked. “Just like this.” He moved behind Will, mirroring his body with his own, and reaching out cupping his hand, guiding the brush. “Yeah, you’ve got it. Just keep going like that. Fill in the outline, and I’ll do the rest.”
Will kept going, and the more he did, the more confident he felt. There was a stray stroke or two that went out of the outline, but Enzo just brushed off Will’s worries. “Oh, I’m a much messier painter than you,” he said breezily, but Will wasn’t entirely sure.
Still, when he finally stepped back and the building was finally filled in, he felt an unexpected surge of satisfaction and accomplishment. He’d done that—and Enzo had been the one to suggest it in the first place, which was something he certainly hadn’t needed to do.
“Thank you,” he said, turning to Enzo, who was standing there grinning like he knew exactly the kind of gift he’d given Will.
“Of course. It’s your building. It’s your business. It made sense for you to do it.” He leaned in, dropping his voice a little. “But don’t tell anyone else. I wanted this to be special, just for you. Because I love you.”
Will met his kiss with one of his own, fierce and passionate, and ending way too quickly. “I love you too. Seriously. Thank you for this. It means a lot. More than I’d imagined.”
“I’ve got a few ideas how much,” Enzo mused, his gaze flicking up as he took a step back, looking over the entirety of what he’d created.
“I didn’t know that I’d care so much about creating a mural in my hometown.
I kinda wanted to forget my hometown existed at all—but you gave it back to me.
All the good things, and none of the bad. ”
“It’s both of ours, now,” Will said.
Enzo’s hope was by the time Fourth of July rolled around and the impromptu ceremony that Joy had talked him into, the mural would be done enough he’d be proud to stand next to it and take credit.
But as he did, Joy’s voice raising to carry to the small crowd that had gathered in front of the mural, he realized he was feeling even more than the normal amount of pride at his work being admired and displayed.
He hadn’t been exaggerating a few days ago when he’d told Will that this one was special.
Enzo glanced in the back of the crowd and met Will’s eyes. He looked stressed—but undeniably proud—as he stood in the back and gave Enzo a smile that told him exactly how much this meant to him.
How much Enzo meant to him.
There was Giana next to him. Beaming up at him like he’d done so much more than paint a wall. Or maybe that was Joy she was beaming at.
Or . . .maybe it was both of them getting that look.
Their relationship was still taking a bit of getting used to, but Enzo had meant everything he’d said to Oliver the other night. He was thrilled they’d found happiness, and in some way, it made total and complete sense they’d discovered it with each other.
On the other side, Luca and Oliver must’ve taken time out from their busy schedules, because they were there, not holding hands, but with such an air of possession around them, an air of belonging, that you’d never believe they weren’t still madly in love with each other.
Oliver was even looking at his mother with fondness in his gaze—making Enzo hope that any wrinkles from the fallout of Joy and Giana’s relationship coming to light had been smoothed over already.
“And now, a big round of applause for our local artist, who came back to his hometown to paint this incredible representation of Eliza and Nathaniel’s story. Ladies and gentlemen, Enzo Moretti.”
Enzo waved and stepped up to the makeshift podium.
He tucked his sunglasses into the open collar of his shirt and lifted his voice.
“Thanks for that welcome, Joy. I’m going to be honest. I was not all that grateful to come back to Indigo Bay.
For as long as I could remember, what I wanted most wasn’t to stay here, but to leave.
To learn to paint. To show people from all over what I knew I was capable of.
I wasn’t looking for an opportunity to come back, and give back, but I am so happy that I was gifted one, anyway.
“Growing up here in Indigo Bay, I never really understood Eliza and Nathaniel’s story.
I knew love existed, but I had never experienced it, so I couldn’t understand it.
But now . . .I’ve fallen in love and it was not only my pleasure to paint this mural, to give this town a visual representation of its history, but it’s been my joy.
I’m honored that I was the artist selected to do it.
Even more, the artist trusted with this commission. ”
Joy went to shake his hand, amongst the applause, but he hugged her instead, tightly. “We’re family now,” he said to her, and she smiled wide, clearly pleased at his words.
After their speeches, the crowd milled around, many of them approaching Enzo to tell them how much they loved the mural.
By the time he was finally finished shaking hands, making polite small talk, and taking compliments, he looked around and realized Will had gone back inside Cherry’s.
Well, that was fair. The town, festooned with red, white, and blue banners all down Main Street, was full of tourists and as a result, Cherry’s was probably full of tourists.
Enzo turned the corner and yep, he could see through the big picture windows that the interior was packed. Will was working hard behind the counter, along with Kate, Rocco, and Mari.
Enzo hesitated only for a moment, then pulled the door open, working his way around the crowds inside, until he stepped around the counter.
Rolling up the sleeves of his dark blue button-up, he slid into place next to Mari. “Can you make ice cream stuff?” he asked her under his breath.
She looked over at him in surprise. “Yes?” she asked uncertainly.
“Okay. Then you do that. I can’t, but I can take orders.”
“You’re sure?”
“If Will’s unhappy about it, he can take me into his office later and punish me,” Enzo said, giving her a wink. “Promise. I can handle this crowd.”
“Alright.” She looked relieved, and she stepped away to help Kate with an order.
Will met his gaze for a second and Enzo was pretty sure he was saying thank you.
Enzo straightened, taking in the fairly straightforward screen. He could figure this out. He could do this, for Will.
For himself.
“Hi, welcome to Cherry’s,” he said as the next family stepped up. “I’m Enzo. What can I get for you today?”
Every muscle in Will’s body ached—except one.
Well, it did ache, but in a deliciously sweet way.
His heart felt like it kept expanding more and more, giving him an infinite capacity for love.
“I just flipped the sign off,” Enzo said as he came back around the counter.
Rocco was in the back, washing dishes. Kate and Mari were in the seating area, cleaning up tables and sweeping up abandoned napkins and cherry stems on the floor before they went back over and mopped every inch.
It meant that for now, it was just him and Enzo.
Enzo, who’d taken one look at the crowd inside Cherry’s and hadn’t even hesitated for a second.
He’d come in, Will’s very own knight in shining armor, rolling up his sleeves, gently pushing Mari off to help them make ice cream, and had taken every order.
Had figured out his point-of-sale system on the fly and soothed impatient tempers at the long wait and did it all with an easy, charming, very Moretti smile on his face.
“I don’t think I had time to say, but thank you. Thank you.” Will pulled him in, not worrying about the smears of ice cream and caramel and chocolate and strawberry streaked across his T-shirt and apron, because Enzo’s shirt had hardly been clean before this.
Enzo had scooped ice cream too, even though he’d never done it before.
He’d been exactly what Will had needed, when he hadn’t even realized he needed it.
“I’d say it was nothing, but it was hard work. Still, I was happy to do it.” Enzo dropped his voice, and love was shining so unmistakably in his brown eyes. “For you. I love you, and this is part of you, so I love it, too.”
“Really?” Will didn’t even think he loved it, right now. He was so exhausted he didn’t think he could make another sundae or milkshake or scoop another cone, not even if someone wanted to pay him a million bucks for it.
“Really.” Enzo paused. “But maybe it’s time to hire some extra help. I think you’re a hit, Stud Muffin.”
“Honey Bunny, I think you might be right.” Will grinned. “But that’s a problem for tomorrow. Tonight . . .”
“Yeah? I think we gotta get clean, first,” Enzo asked, and even though his eyes were drooping, he still looked hopeful, like Will might press him against the cold tile in the shower and leave him panting with pleasure.
And Will? He’d do it, too. Use the very last of his energy to lavish it on the man he loved.
“Anything for you,” Will said and meant it. “Let’s go home.”