Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
As she climbed into her bed, joy enveloped Aria as she thought about her evening with Alex. Remembering that she had promised to text Corinna when she got home, she grabbed her phone.
Aria: Letting you know I'm home!
Corinna: AANNDD???
Aria: It's too much to text but let's go for dinner tomorrow night. Are you free?
Corinna: I'm in.
The girls made plans for where to meet and said good night.
Aria grabbed her journal, her thoughts coming faster than she could write. Forty-five minutes later, she read some of what she had written and was not surprised. She sounded like a woman who was falling in love.
People come in and out of your life, much like the perpetual waves of the ocean.
Some are there for a season, some stay for much longer.
Was Nicholas meant to stay for my whole life?
It’s a question I will never get an answer to.
I’m finally getting to the place where the pain of what I’ve lost is overshadowed by the gratefulness I feel for the years I was gifted with him.
I can’t imagine my life without him, but is it time to want more for my life now that I’ve heard another man say, ‘I love you’?
Aria took a cleansing breath as she continued.
When Alex first came into my life, I didn’t see him, not the way a man like him should be seen.
He is kind and gentle. We share the same love of family.
There’s a strange peace when I’m around him.
I didn’t see him all those years ago, but for some reason, he saw me.
I still don’t understand what he saw in me, but when I look into his eyes now, all these years later, I see the woman I’ve become.
Scars and all. Cracks and all. If I could talk to that younger me, I’d tell her to pay attention because many years later, this man would come back into her life.
I’d let her know that the love she dreamed of would find her and heal the brokenness.
Nicholas and I were meant to be and if he were still here, he would be my future. But God chose differently for me. I can no longer feel guilty for what was not my decision. I want to be free from this weight and today, I choose freedom.
Aria read over the words she had penned, a growing feeling of joy permeating her mind, her heart, and her soul. Laying back against her pillow, her journal sliding to the bed, she stopped fighting and gave life to that joy. She would no longer hold it at bay.
She was falling, but as scary as it was, it made her feel light as air.
The next day was a flurry of activity at the publishing house. Aria was excited when Natalia emailed her that she was finally finished with the first round of edits for Michael’s book.
Aria was headed for some coffee when her phone alerted her to a text.
Alex: Good morning. I wanted to see if you were free tomorrow for lunch at my dad's.
Aria: I'd love that.
They made plans for him to pick her up the following day. She was excited to spend the evening with Corinna, dodging her curious texts all day.
Aria had gotten so wrapped up at work, she arrived at the restaurant a few minutes late and saw Corinna waiting at the bar.
“Hey, sorry, sorry,” she said as she rushed in.
“It’s fine. Waiting for a table to become available.”
Apologizing again, Aria settled in the seat next to her friend.
After ordering a glass of white wine, Aria explained what Alex shared with her about Bella, thanking the bartender when he delivered her drink.
“And you feel certain he’s telling the truth?” Corinna asked, sipping on her red wine.
“Yeah, I do,” Aria said, nodding enthusiastically, taking a sip of her wine.
“Then I trust your judgment. Oh, before you go on, give me Alex's number. Looks like you guys are going to be spending time together. Just in case of an emergency,” Corinna said as she set down her glass and slid her phone to Aria to airdrop it.
Ever since Nicholas' accident, Corinna was nervous about not being able to get in touch with Aria if something happened to her.
“So, anyway, he met me at this path that led down to his house. He was holding another bunch of flowers. He had lit candles in glass lanterns all the way down the path,” she recounted with a dreamy smile.
“Oh, man. Rossi is pulling out the big guns romantically.”
“He was nervous, I was nervous. I hardly said a word at first.”
“Serves him right,” Corinna deadpanned, making Aria giggle.
“His house is on the water and, wow, you can see all the love he put into it. Said it was an old shack. I can’t imagine that from being inside it now.
Wide open concept. Bright tiles, wooden mantel.
Oh, and his photographs are amazing. He's so talented,” she said as she remembered the photos of the villagers in Africa.
“So, did he kiss you?”
“I was just getting to that. Hang on, now. First, he gave me the painting that I fell in love with at the gallery.”
“Oh, the one you guys were looking at. That's sweet.”
“It was. I was so surprised. He wanted in exchange for the scarf I accidentally left behind the night I was on his…” Aria said, her words trailing off.
“Got it, let’s move on from that night,” Corinna said, patting her hand.
“Yeah, don’t want to go back there. Anyway, I let him have it. Crazy but...”
“Kind of sweet, though. He wants something that’s yours. I think it’s romantic.”
“Shy at first but yes, very romantic,” Aria said with a goofy grin.
“We’re sitting on his sofa and he’s staring at me, making me all kinds of nervous, so I asked him to let’s walk on the beach, which we did.
And then he stops, and I feel like I’m going to faint ‘cause he’s looking at me with these smoldering eyes. ”
“Man, I love the smoldering eyes,” Corinna said, drink halfway up to her mouth, completely caught up in the story.
Aria said, sighing with her hand over her chest, “And then it happened. He pulled me in close, gazed into my eyes and—”
“Yes?” Corinna asked, impatient to hear the rest.
“He kissed me,” Aria whispered.
Corinna pumped her fists in the air, making the bartender chuckle.
“It was so amazing. Gentle but passionate. You know the line from that Meg Ryan movie with the French guy when she was describing a kiss?” Aria asked as they both nodded their heads.
“That's what it was like. Our lips moving together like we’d been doing this for years. There was no awkwardness that you sometimes have with a first kiss. It was like we shared a little bit of our souls with each other.”
“Girl, I’m so glad you decided to give him a chance. I love seeing you so happy,” Corinna said, rubbing Aria’s arm.
“I am happy. Oh, it was magical. After the kiss it got even better.”
“Now, we’re talking,” Corinna said, sitting up straighter in her chair.
“Corinna! Geez, you’re worse than Santo and his friends. Not that!” Aria said, playfully smacking her friend’s leg. “He said he had to confess something, couldn’t hold it in any longer. Then he said, ‘Aria, I'm falling in love with you.’”
Corinna rubbed her arms vigorously, trying to control the goosebumps.
“What did you say back?”
“I didn't say it back because I'm confused, happy, excited, nauseated, starry-eyed—all of it. But when I finished writing down my feelings at the end of the night, I realized that, yeah, I may be falling for him,” she answered as she closed her eyes.
Hugging her, Corinna said, “This could be your second chance at love.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Aria whispered.
“I know I’ve already said this, love, but I’m happy for you. Whatever happens, wherever this takes you, I will support you and your decisions. And I know Nicholas would have wanted this for you, too.”
Aria answered, her voice choked with emotion, “You have no idea what that means to me.”
As their conversation continued, Aria was struck with a revelation. Alex Rossi was taking more and more of her heart and putting her back together again, piece by piece.