Page 70 of Dante
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.”
