Epilogue
THE PROMISE
D ante skirted around the workmen carrying plywood and tools inside the mall that Nadia was converting into Moonbeam. Glancing around the bustle of activity taking place, he searched for Nadia.
Amo had texted him to explain which portion of the mall Nadia was currently working in.
Taking his phone, he was about to text Amo back to ask for better directions, when he heard a laugh coming from somewhere above his head.
Recognizing the joyful sound coming from the ceiling, he moved forward and looked up then nearly lost his lunch.
Nadia was balanced on one board between two scaffolds, walking on the thin plank as if she were a fucking gymnast. Dante lost ten years off his life at seeing her casually hanging a “Welcome” banner from the ceiling.
Afraid to take his eyes off her, he started making his way toward one of the scaffolds.
How in the fuck did she even get up there?
Terrified that if he said something, she would lose her balance, he snarled at two workers who were walking past him, in too big of hurry to get where they were going to pay any attention to him.
He lost another five years of his life when the long sheet of plywood they were carrying came within a hairsbreadth of hitting one of the scaffolds that Nadia was on.
Silently reciting the rosary, Dante finally reached one of the scaffolds, trying to determine how to get up the fucking thing.
“I’m up here, Dante!”
Jumping in his shoes at Nadia yelling down at him, he managed to choke down the hellfire he was going to bring down on her head once she was on firm ground again.
“Having fun?” he asked blandly.
“We’re having a blast!” She smiled, completely unaware of his feelings.“Amo and Leo are around the corner, if you’re looking for them.”
It was everything he could do to stay cool. “I came to see you. Can you come down here so we can talk?”
Nadia leaned over the side to frown down at him. “I’m a bit bus—”
“It’s important,” he urged as ice-cold fear had him promising to seek the nearest confessional right after he turned her ass the same color as the red-hot rage streaking through him. “How did you get up there?”
“I climbed.” She lightly walked to the side of the plank farther away from him, and he saw her swing a leg over the metal bar and begin to climb down.
Swiftly, he went to hold the bottom of the ladder that had been hidden from his view by a large pillar.
She jumped down the last two steps, then Nadia’s jubilation collided full force with his fear.
Taking her by the arms, he jerked her into his.
“What in the fuck were you thinking to be up there? You could have broken your neck,” he blasted her.
“I told you I didn’t want to lose another woman I love, and you’re up there, prancing around like you’re going to win the gold medal on the balance beam! ”
“I-I’m sorry.” Nadia snuggled into his chest instead of pushing away. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Scare me? You took ten years off my life, and you’re going to pay me back for each one of them.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” she asked politely, twining her arms around his waist.
“I want us to go away for a couple of weeks.”
Nadia shook her head. “Look around. This is a madhouse.”
“Haley can take care of anything that needs to be taken care of.”
“That’s true,” she said after a few moments of thinking. “To tell you the truth, I think she would rather I disappear so I will quit spending money.”
“So, you’ll go?” he asked hopefully.
“Depends. I have no desire to get on a boat ever again. The last time, we almost got blown to smithereens.”
“We could fly to a Greek island?” he suggested. “Desmond has a plane.”
Nadia laughed. “I don’t see him letting you borrow it anytime soon.”
“I’m sure he would.”
“I wish I could be a fly on a wall for that conversation.” Raising her chin from his chest, she gave him a critical glance. “You really were worried about me, weren’t you?”
“How could you tell?”
“You haven’t let me go, and everyone is standing around, watching us. I think some of the workers are afraid for me.”
Dante shot an icy glare around at the onlookers. “I wouldn’t hurt a hair on your head.”
“I didn’t think you would.” Using her shoulder, she nudged him to turn to the side. “You want a tour?” When he still didn’t let her go, she nudged him again. “Come on. I want your opinion on an idea I have.”
Dante tried to pay attention as Nadia pointed out several areas where the workers were making repairs, or the changes Nadia and Haley wanted.
Concentrating was difficult because he still was picturing Nadia carefree walking on the plank feet above the floor.
One small slip, and Nadia could have been seriously hurt, if not killed.
He was unable to take his eyes off her as she explained Moonbeam’s future plans, and all he could think was that all those future plans would have been snuffed out with one slip of her tennis shoe.
The realization he had come full circle with Nadia overlapping the love he had shared with Melissa slapped him in the face.
Neither circle was stronger or weaker than the other.
He would be just as lost if Nadia had fallen as he had when he had lost Melissa.
Love couldn’t be measured by length or depth.
No, what he was feeling was more intrinsic and simpler than that.
The other person’s happiness had to go above your own.
He had been a selfish, stingy bastard even before Melissa’s death, and it had only grown worse afterward.
Having Nadia walk away from him because she refused to accept any potential thing that could bring unhappiness to her life was a self-defense mechanism she put in due to her childhood.
You could see she only wanted to start each day with a smile, and regardless of how tired she was at the end of the day, she only wanted it ending with a smile, too.
“This is the area I wanted to show you.”
Dante saw a group of construction workers had taken out a portion of the wall to install doors. Carefully, they walked over lumber to make their way outside.
The area sat snugly between two curves of the mall. Each of those curves had their own separate exits. There were even more workers out here. Another wall was being built opposite of the one they had gone through.
“This is going to be our tranquility garden. The kids can come out here to relax, or just to have some time alone.” Nadia grabbed his hand.
“I want to plant different types of trees here. The ceiling is going to be like a conservatory, so they’ll be able to sit outside despite the weather.
Can you imagine sitting out here in the winter when it’s snowing? ” she asked breathlessly.
He actually could.
“It’ll be beautiful.” Dante imagined the area filled with trees and kids using the opportunity to unwind.
“I think so, too. We’re going to use artificial turf so they’ll be able to sit and have picnics, even when it’s freezing outside.
I get a tingle inside just thinking about what it will look like when it’s done.
In the middle, we’re going to have a big pine tree so all of the kids living here can help decorate it during the holiday. ”
Dante saw hesitation in her gaze when she turned back to him.
“With your permission, we’d like to call this area the Melissa Caruso Tranquility Garden?”
The tightness in his throat prevented him to speak the words for a moment, “She would like that.”
“I thought I would ask Lucca for help to know what flowers and trees to plant.”
He could only nod his head, knowing Lucca had brought Melissa’s garden, which he had let die, back to life.
“I would appreciate any help he or any of your children would be willing to give.” Linking her arm through his, she proudly beamed at the work that was taking place in front of her. “I want the garden to reflect how much you and her children loved her.”
Dante placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “That isn’t all it will reflect.”
“What do you mean?”
Wistfully, he stared into her eyes. “It will show how much love and dedication you put into Moonbeam. You give everything. You never measure the cost to you. You just give all of yourself. Even to me when you said you wouldn’t.
You caved after just one kiss. You share your heart with everyone you come into contact with. ”
She lovingly wrapped her arms around his neck. “What can I say? I’m easy.”
He didn’t laugh at her humor. “Just do me a favor and don’t get on anything above four feet.”
Surprise showed on her face. “You were that scared for me?”
“Put it this way, I made two promises when I saw you up there: go to confessional to confess my sins … and tell you I love you.”
“I was perfectly safe, Dante—” Realization hit her at what he had just said. “You love me?”
He nodded, having only been this sure once before.
Like what this room would one day hold, Dante had a woman who smelled of flowers, and now a woman who smelled of sunlight.
That was why he had been so attracted to Nadia’s scent; it was so different from Melissa’s, but it was the exact thing you needed for flowers to grow.
Whereas a flower’s time would come to a beautiful end, the sun was always there to greet you in the morning.
And it was clear his sun had been waiting for this day and wanted to cherish it.
“How much?”
Dante smiled. “A lot.”
“I love you, too,” she said the words that he, too, had been waiting to hear. However, it was obvious from the heat that continued to radiate off him that he was still unhappy she had been up there. “I swear I’ve been much higher than that before. There was nothing to worry over.”
Dante felt himself breaking out in a cold sweat. “If that’s supposed to make me feel better, it doesn’t.”
“If it means that much to you, my feet will stay firmly planted on the ground from now on. I promise.”
Dante gave a sigh of relief. No arguments, nothing except the agreement that she wouldn’t put him in that position of fear again.
“You know, I’ve never begged for anything my whole life, not from any man, woman, or even God have I considered lowering my pride for. Darling, I was getting ready to beg you for that promise.”
“Now you don’t have to. You won’t ever have to with me, Dante.” Her words slipped from her lips like an oath. “Anything you want from me, all you have to do is ask.”
“Then are we going to take that vacation I wanted to?”
“Yes,” she laughingly agreed.“But I still say Desmond won’t fly us there. He wouldn’t let us near his plane and made us fly commercial to Cancun.”
“This is different. I plan to give him a good reason.”
Slight concern showed on her face. “Like what? Is there someone else who wants to kill us?”
“No. We’re going to be celebrating.”
“What will we be celebrating?” She frowned, wondering if an occasion had slipped her mind. “Neither of our birthdays are near.”
Knowing Dante had fulfilled the promise to his late wife, he was now finally ready to move on with his life and make a new promise. “Our honeymoon.”