Dani’s insides were tied up in knots and it was her own damn fault. Why hadn’t she had the courage to discuss what was really going on between them when Gabe wanted to talk? He’d come to her with a serious expression the evening before and said, “We have to talk about us.” She’d panicked, turned defensive, and said in a false, lighthearted tone, “Hey, it’s okay. I know. What happens in Verona stays in Verona.” Which was the opposite of what she felt.
He’d looked at her a long time, said, “That’s lame,” and walked away. Later that night he’d come to her bed, however. Without saying a word he had staked his claim, making love to her thoroughly, showing her repeatedly just how perfect they were for each other. She choked up just thinking about it.
He’d been reserved all the way back to Milan and now, here they were, waiting for the first flight of their trip back to San Francisco. He sat off by himself in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, killing time before the boarding announcement, acting as if he’d already forgotten everything that had happened between them. A week earlier they’d changed their seats to sit together, but given his attitude, it promised to be an excruciating flight home.
He was driving Dani crazy.
She went over and tried to break the ice. “Did I tell you Dante’s going to have those two paintings shipped to me in Little Eden?” she began. “I found a slip of paper behind one of them. It was written by Lia, giving them to my great-grandfather because they had served their purpose.”
“Yeah, you told me. That’s nice.” Gabe didn’t appear to be in a sociable mood. He had picked up a copy of Sports Illustrated and was thumbing through it, not reading at all.
She tried again. “Nonna Stella called this morning to say she was all for selling La Tana. She agrees with Dante, Uncle Aldo, and me that the place has nothing but bad memories for all of us.”
“Makes sense,” he said.
The man was infuriating.
Dani couldn’t stand it any longer. “Okay, you want to talk. Let’s talk. You want to tell me you had a good time but it’s over. Okay. Fine. But I…I want to say thank you.” Her voice broke. No, don’t go all wobbly now. Or at least get it all out before you do. “I mean it. Thank you for being such a…such a…good friend to me, and—”
Gabe’s eyes blazed. He stared at her as if he were trying to see into her heart. “Is that all I am to you?” he growled. “A friend?” He stood up and looked around in apparent disgust, shaking his head. It seemed like the only thing standing in the way of him throttling her was the sling he still wore on his arm.
And in that instant it hit her. What her Uncle Aldo would call an epiphany. Gabriele loved her, and he wanted to know if she felt the same. Now it all made sense.
“Yes, you’re my friend,” she said, approaching him and speaking in a low, clear tone. “My best friend. The one person who knows all my faults, who sees all of my baggage and is willing to carry it for me.” She gestured to his sling. “The one who is willing to take a bullet to avenge me.” She came closer and Gabe backed up a step. She kept her voice low. “You’re also my lover. The one who makes my body sing, who fulfills me on every level. The one whose babies I want to carry. And…and the one I would give anything to spend the rest of my life with, because I love you.” She was now as close as she could be to him without touching.
Gabe stared at her a moment longer, breathing rapidly, and she watched his expression as his heart opened and a warmth seemed to spread up through his entire being. Then, with his good arm, he swept her into his embrace. “Ti amo, bella,” he murmured, and kissed her reverently at first, then more forcefully, as if he were realizing bit by bit what their declaration to each other really meant.
When they reluctantly broke apart several minutes later, Dani noticed some of the passengers were gawking at them. She smiled at the group and said, “It was just a lovers’ quarrel. He really is crazy about me.”
Gabe laughed and kissed her again, his strong arm holding her safe within his reach.
Reluctantly, Dani took a deep breath and stepped back. “Gabriele, if we’re going to make this work, we can’t have any more secrets between us, so I have a confession to make.”
Gabe caressed her shoulder with his good hand. “You should know by now you can tell me anything.”
Biting her lip, she hesitated. She knew how much Gabe loved Italian food. “I…I can’t cook.”
“What?”
“I said I can’t cook. I even forget when I’m boiling water on the stove sometimes. Nina and Paulo just got this idea in their heads…”
“Ah, you mean the idea that the fastest way to bring you and me together was through my stomach? That I’d fall in love with you over your Venetian meatloaf?”
Dani frowned. “You sound like you aren’t surprised.”
Gabe smiled that slow, luscious smile that got her every time. “Daniela, I’ve known from the beginning you can’t cook. I could tell from the first conversation we had about a dish you supposedly made. You couldn’t remember what was in it. No cook worth his or her salt forgets the ingredients of a dish they just made. But you know something else?”
Speechless, Dani could only shake her head.
“I love you anyway. Completely. Without reservation. Until we leave this earth, and even beyond that. We were meant to be together, bella. I finally believe in fate. And I believe in us.”
“Oh, Gabriele…” They kissed again but were interrupted by the announcement that boarding would now begin.
“And now I have a confession to make to you,” he whispered.
“What is it?”
“Flying scares me to death.”
Dani looked into his eyes and smiled. “Then you are with the right person,” she said. “Because I was meant to love you and keep you safe. Now let’s go home.” She put her arm around his waist and they waited their turn to board.