| |
Lana couldn’t believe what had just happened. How could one man be so self-centered? So controlling? She shook her head in disbelief as she rode through the cobbled lanes. How could she have stayed with a man like that for so long?
She could see it clearly now. See it for what it was. Tom’s criticisms weren’t meant to improve her. Weren’t intended to help her be a better, fuller, more well-adjusted person. No, they were simply intended to control her, to mold her to his taste. Make her into the kind of woman that he wanted her to be, for his own sake.
It was all so clear to her now. And she was so grateful for having realized it ... in time. So grateful to be free.
She rode the little scooter up to her bed and breakfast, parked outside, and lowered the kickstand nimbly with her foot.
Pulling off the helmet, a sound caught her ear. It was a familiar sound, a throaty rumble, growing closer.
Her heart gave a thud. Wasn’t that the sound of ...?
No. She pushed the thought aside. It was impossible. It couldn’t be Alex’s car. Bella would never have let on where she was staying. And there was, surely, no other way he could have found out? She lifted the seat of the scooter and stored the helmet inside the small compartment, after lifting out her handbag.
Turning to head for the quaint wooden front door of the BnB, she smiled at her silliness. There were plenty of sportscars on the island, she realized. Plenty of people with enough wealth to afford them. She was being foolish to suppose this one might be his.
She inhaled, exhaled and settled her thoughts. Inside, a cosy room and bed awaited her - and her alone. She looked forward to a night of good rest. It had been such a busy, crazy, unbelievable day. She could already feel herself settling in between the cool sheets, resting her head on the soft pillow. She longed for the peace of her own room, the stillness of sleep ...
But in the meantime, the engine noise had grown closer. Then, suddenly, it died as the car was parked and turned off somewhere in the street behind her. She smiled at the knowledge that it was someone else. A stranger. Just another anonymous island visitor.
That was when she heard the footsteps - walking just a step or two, then running.
“Lana ...? Lana!”
She froze in her tracks. Her heart suddenly started pounding. She held the out key before the keyhole, ready to open the door. It would be so easy to just unlock it, slip inside and close herself away. But she didn’t. Couldn’t. Her hand wouldn’t move. Nor her legs, her arms. Her entire body, in fact.
Alex quickly caught up. She imagined him before she turned and saw him, let her mind conjure his face, his body, his scent. He stood behind her a moment and she could hear his breathing begin to settle. “Lana ... I can’t believe I found you,” he said. “I can’t believe ...”
She turned slowly, taking him in as he stood before her. His handsome face, his sorrowful eyes, his kind mouth. “Please ... talk to me,” he said. “I’m sorry, Lana. So sorry. All I ask is that you just ... talk to me. Just talk to me. Tell me what’s been going on.”
She looked at him, her mind spinning. Alex. Alessandro. The handsome, powerful heir to an automotive empire. The struggling creative. A man of hidden tenderness, empathy, soul, depth. A man with the weight of the world on his shoulders ... a man who had, perhaps, just made a mistake? Or one who was too self-centered to see beyond himself, maybe ever?
“Lana, please. Speak to me. Say something.”
“Alex ... I ...”
And yet, for whatever else, he was also the man who’d saved her. Beguiled her. Held her. Understood her.
“Alex ... I ...” she took a deep breath. “After what happened ... I had to go. You understand why? Why I had to leave the villa?”
He nodded slowly, his eyes locked with hers. “I ... yes. I understand, Lana,” he said. “I just wish ... I wish I hadn’t acted the way I did. I had no right to demand those things of you as I did. I’m sorry.”
She looked at him for a long moment. Things had been hazy to her, she realized. Muddled. But everything was clearing now. Everything. And not just about Tom. “It was right that I left,” she said. “It would have been the right choice, no matter how you had acted. I couldn’t go on being your guest. Couldn’t go on being some woman you had rescued ... and had to protect.”
His eyes filled with emotion. “But ... I want to protect you, Lana,” he said, softly.
“I ... I understand, Alex,” she stammered, shaking her head. “But maybe I need to learn to protect myself, too.”
They looked at each other, their gazes tightly, intimately locked. And slowly, mysteriously, beautifully, Alex realized he was talking to a woman who was, truly, blossoming into herself. His heart caught in his chest at the sight of her, the knowledge of her inner change. He wanted so badly to hold her, kiss her ... But he dared not. For now, it was enough just to be near. “You’ve been alright, though? Since you left?”
She nodded, her face brightening. “Yes. I finished my novel today. And I saw the island.”
“That’s wonderful,” he said. “About your novel, I mean. I’m so happy for you, Lana. I know how long you’ve been working on it.”
“Yes.”
He smiled.
“And then tonight,” she said. “I saw Tom.”
Instantly, Alex’s face drained. He took a step back. “You saw Tom?” he repeated. His heart felt frozen.
“Yes. I was having dinner at a small restaurant by the marina. He just happened to be there. It wasn’t planned.”
Alex said nothing. The news was a blow that drained all the air from his lungs. “What did ...” he stammered, then caught himself.
She knew what he wanted to ask. What he was so burning to know. Perhaps another woman might have held him in suspense. She wouldn’t. “It’s over between Tom and I, Alex,” Lana said, simply. “Totally and forever. I realized that tonight. Seeing him now, after all this time, made me realize what I couldn’t see about him before. I can’t believe how blind I was, in so many ways.” She took a breath. “I know he’s not going to be a part of my future.”
Alex felt everything around him begin to tumble and spin. Just a moment ago he had felt as though he’d had the wind knocked out of him. But now, now ... His heart raced. He felt elected. Ecstatic. “I ... I would say I’m sorry but ... I’m not, Lana. Not even close to it.”
“Nor am I,” she said. “I’m only sorry that I wasted my time.”
He couldn’t help it. Without thinking, he took a step towards her. Gently, he reached out his hand and took hers. “Lana, while I was driving here, I had no idea what I was going to say to you if I found you. I knew I wanted to apologize. But more than that ... I didn’t know. Now, standing here with you, seeing you, hearing you speak, it’s all clear.” He looked around them, taking in the quiet little street, the stars twinkling above. “Lana, I want you to know that the past few days with you have been ... some of the most wonderful days of my life. Being with you, seeing the island with you, having you feel like a part of the family ... It’s been more than I could ever have asked for. And yet, at the same time, I’ve been so foolish, distracted and, you’re right, self absorbed. Which meant I hurt you. For that I am so, so sorry. Things have been cloudy for me these past weeks, Lana. But now they’re clear. I know what I want.”
She smiled gently, looking up into his eyes. She was glad he’d sorted out his mind, his priorities. It was good that he’d ...
“What I want, Lana, is you.”
The words broke over her like a warm wave. “... What?” she shook her head in disbelief.
“You, Lana. You. Above all. Above ... everything. It sounds crazy, I know. But .. it’s true.”
“What about your work ... What about ...” her mind was reeling.
“It’s all secondary. It’s all ... Without you, none of it feels like it matters, Lana.”
“... What are you saying, Alex? I ...”
He looked at her for a long time. “Please, Lana. What I’m asking is that you come back with me tonight. Please, come back to the villa. Come back to me. To us all.”
She looked into his eyes, burning with emotion. Part of her wanted to ... So wanted to ... And yet ... She wouldn’t allow herself to be hurt again. And more than that. If she was ever going to be the person she wanted to be, needed to be, she needed to see where this new journey of independence would take her. Could take her, yet. In her heart, she felt like she was just getting started. Like there was still so much more to explore, to know, to become. And on a journey like that, you had to go alone. There was no choice.
“Alex,” she said, her voice trembling a little. “Thank you ... thank you for coming here. For everything you’ve said tonight. But right now, what I need to do is ... stay here. I’m still figuring a lot of things out. About me. And about the world. And I need to do that on my own.”
Alex gazed at her, dumbstruck. At the beautiful woman who’d stolen his heart. The woman who raced through his mind near constantly.
He longed to touch her, hold her, change her mind. And yet, he understood and respected her decision. Respected it deeply. “I understand, Lana,” he said slowly, nodding. He sighed, closed his eyes. Was she slipping away from him now? Was it possible? He couldn’t let her, not totally. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his card. This was it. The only thing he could do. On it was his mobile number. The other where she could reach him at work in Naples. He pressed it into her hand, folding her fingers around it. “If there is anything you need while you’re here, I want you to call me,” he said. “I’ll be on the island another few days before I have to head back. After that, you can reach me in Naples.” He paused, looking into her eyes. “If there’s anything, anything, Lana, I want you to call.”
She nodded, her fingers tightening around the card. “Thank you, Alex.”
He gave a small bow, his heart heavy, heavy. Then, he leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “Well, goodnight,” he said.
At the touch of his lips, she shut her eyes. “Goodnight,” she replied, savoring the warmth of his kiss, the feel of his breath on her skin.
As she watched him walking away, her heart gave a tug. She felt like she’d made the right choice. But had she? Had she really?
***
Ricardo was in the garage, walking from car to car. He had all of the double-wide garage doors open. Light flooded out onto the driveway. The cool sea air swirled in.
It was one of Ricardo Marino’s favorite things to do: be among his cars, trace their evolution from past to present, remember the energy and emotion that went into the design of each and every one. He moved along the line, letting his fingers linger on the body work, the curves, the angles. He smiled as he walked, buffing away any fingermarks on the paint or windows, marveling over his empire.
Yet, it was one car short. The XL. He’d heard Alex pull the car out of the garage not long after he’d bolted from the library. Now, an hour on, he heard the familiar burble of the engine as it returned.
Would the car carry two passengers? Ricardo wondered. Had his son found his mysterious siren? Had he convinced her to return to the villa?
He was blinded by the headlights as Alex swung the car into the driveway. It took his eyes a moment to adjust. No. No siren. Just his son, alone.
“You did not find her?” he asked, keeping his eyes on his cars. He didn’t want to embarrass his son by seeming too curious.
Stepping out of the car, Alex sighed. He slammed the door closed a little harder than he’d intended. “No, I found her alright ...”
“Then ...?” Ricardo could hardly contain himself. “If you found her, then surely ...?”
“I asked her to come back to the villa. To me. To us. But ... she refused.” He shook his head.
Ricardo nodded to himself. She was willful, this Lana Davis. It was a very good sign in a woman. A very good trait for ... a wife. Yet, he could see how deeply her refusal had hurt his son. “But she is still on the island, tomorrow, the next day?” he asked.
“Yes,” said Alex. “Unless her plans have changed.”
Ricardo nodded. “And the ... fiance?”
“She says it’s over between them.”
Ricardo’s heart lightened instantly. He clapped his hands. “But this is wonderful news!” he exclaimed. “Things are moving in the right direction! You know, when I was trying to woo your mother, it took weeks, weeks before she began to think, to admit, Lorenzo was wrong for her. You are much further ahead.”
“It doesn’t feel like I’m very far,” said Alex.
“No?” asked Ricardo. He put his hand lovingly on his son’s shoulder. “My boy, in matters of love, pain and joy live side by side. There is no one without the other. They are the light and dark of our lives. Of all that makes us feel human.”
Alex lifted his gaze, but said nothing.
“I think you know what you need to do,” said Ricardo, nodding, his eyes bright. “I don’t think I need to say another word.”