“That had better be me, dolcezza.”
“I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather dive with.”
Long after Tony’s breathing had become rhythmic again, sleep eluded her. Finally, she began to yawn. Just before she drifted off to sleep, Tony whispered, “Love you, Carmella.”
Her breath caught as she waited for him to say something more—as if that wasn’t monumental enough—but his shallow breathing told her he wasn’t awake. Was such a declaration coming from deep within his subconscious any indication that he meant what he said?
“Love you too, Tony,” she whispered back.
While assertive in many things, she wanted him to express his love for her first, and she definitely wanted him to be conscious when he said it. Carmella also wanted Tony in her life for more than infrequent dates and diving vacations. She stroked his chest, not really wanting to wake him but waiting to see if he might say something more. But he remained deeply asleep.
After another twenty minutes or so, she gave up and nestled next to him until she dozed off herself.
Carm awoke to an empty bed and the smell of bacon frying. At least Tony hadn’t run off again without a word. Despite the nightmare, he’d stayed.
Ignoring the cold and wearing only her skimpy nightgown in the hope of enticing Tony into having a quickie before he left for Aspen Corners, she got out of bed and made her way toward the aroma of food.
“Good morning, dolcezza.” Tony stood dressed in a T-shirt and jeans at the range in the kitchen, scrambling eggs. He seemed none the worse for wear despite the nightmare. The smell of fresh coffee overpowered the bacon.
Carm poured herself a mug. “I thought you were just going to grab something on the way home.”
“And leave the woman who paid good money for me without a decent breakfast? Not a chance. I do have to be at Mama’s by 1 p.m. for our weekly family dinner.”
Carm set down the mug after a sip and came up behind him to wrap her arms around his waist. She placed kisses on his neck above his T-shirt collar. He hadn’t shaved because he wasn’t on duty today. “I thought my bonus was the hot sex after the gala ended.”
“I promise you more of that can and will be arranged. I aim to please my girl.”
“No complaints here.” Growing more serious, she drew a deep breath. “How are you doing after…the nightmare.” She had not intended to bring it up, but acknowledging what happened seemed important.
He stopped stirring and remained silent a moment. “Having you beside me made it one of the best nights of sleep I’ve had since Provo, despite the bad dream.” Tony moved the sauté pan to a side burner and turned to face her. He brushed the hair back from her face. “Thank you for last night, Carmella.”
She ran the tips of her fingers over his scruff to hear the sexy rasp. Unsure which part of the night he referred to, she chose to acknowledge her part in putting the gala together. “I’m so excited for you. To see you take something awful and find a way to make it better—”
He pressed a finger to her lips to silence her. “I wasn’t referring to that, but now that you bring it up, you’ve moved mountains for me, principessa.” He kissed her gently on the mouth but didn’t deepen it. “I’ll never be able to repay you.” When he pulled back, he searched her eyes. “More importantly, you made me feel safe after I woke from the nightmare.”
Carmella’s heart swelled at the thought she’d been able to help in some small way. Apparently, he had no memory of the declaration he’d made to her while sleeping. She’d keep that to herself for now, but she wanted a future with him, whatever it looked like, and knowing how he felt deep inside gave her hope. They’d figure out ways to deal with their geographic and career hurdles.
“I’m glad I could be there for you, Tony. I can’t imagine how frightening it must be to wake up from a nightmare like that alone.”
He nodded, but he didn’t seem ready to go back to cooking. She waited, wondering what else he wanted to say. He stared at her for a long moment, then blurted out, “I love you, Carmella D’Alessio.”
Carmella smiled, elated to hear those words spoken in the light of day with Tony fully aware of what he was saying. Perhaps his subconscious had been practicing earlier.
Before she could respond, he added, “I’ve never said I love you to a woman before, well, other than Mama, Angelina, and Nonna, of course.”
“Well, it’s funny you should say that, because I’ve grown to love you over these past few months too.” She kissed him, playfully at first, then more passionately. When she ended the kiss, she smiled. “How’d we let this happen, T.G.?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know, but I don’t care.” He stared into her eyes again. “When we’re apart, I can’t get you out of my mind, Carmella. We need to find a way to spend more time together, despite our jobs. Things should loosen up for me now, but with ski season starting in a couple of weeks, I know you’re going to be strapped for time.”
She sighed. “Yeah. You’re welcome to stay here as often as you’d like.”
“That’ll help some. I have two nights off for every one that I’m on duty.”
Not ideal, but better than nothing.
For now.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Shortly before noon, Tony walked into Mama’s house, calling out to her as he entered. He’d hated leaving Carmella’s early but had decided he needed to talk with Mama about something before the rest of the family showed up.
“In the kitchen, Bambino!”
Tony smiled. Where else would Mama be? She often said she didn’t know how much longer her kids would show up for these dinners, so she wanted to keep them going as long as she could. Tony would have missed this
