Page 57 of Inside the Maelstrom: Part Two
We exchanged details, and I told him I’d be in touch when we got back to the States.
“I wouldn’t hurry back if I was you. It’s a bit of a shitshow around your family at the moment, and honestly, there's no rush. Timothy isn’t going anywhere, is he?”
I gasped, and then laughed. It was either that or cry again. After saying goodbye, I hung up and looked around at the guys. “I think I’d like to sleep now.”
Hendrick won the argument over who got to sleep with me, since he was the only one married to me, and therefore the only one who should share my bed in this extremely conservative Catholic village. Tricky bastard.
But soon enough, I was wrapped up in his arms, drifting into a restless sleep filled with nightmares of giant tentacle monsters pulling me down beneath the waves.
We decided to catch the midday ferry back to Messina, giving us time to visit Nemo’s grave once more. We’d hiked back up to that hill and laid flowers we’d bought from the back of a three-wheeled truck selling fresh produce. The owner had been a young guy, with a straight white smile that promised passion, and slicked-back dark hair that shone in the sun.
Sampson had growled at him when he’d flirted with me right in front of them, which honestly took some serious balls, so you had to respect that.
I laid the flowers, pink peonies, on his grave. I felt less raw today, like the sight of his headstone was no longer a personal failure. Maybe talking to Mitch Goetz had helped that; he’d known Timothy Smith, and he hadn’t been able to save him either. Logically, I knew that I’d never stood a chance, but I still felt wracked with guilt.
I looked out over the ocean, calmer than the day before. I hoped Mitch didn’t get him repatriated home. This was a good final resting place for someone with a chaotic soul.
The guys hadn’t all walked up with me today, just Otto and Evan. Hendrick and Sampson were drinking copious amounts of coffee at some little cafe that overlooked the water, and then they were going to settle all the accounts we’d managed to accrue in our short time on Stromboli. They were giving me space, which I appreciated, but no one was willing to let me wander around alone. It annoyed me, but I understood. They’d all had to bear witness to my small emotional breakdown yesterday.
I stroked a hand along the stone which had been warmed by the sun. “Sorry. I wish I’d been faster. Had my mental breakdown earlier.”
I looked up at Otto and Evan, who were hanging back, talking to each other on the small, well-worn track. Tapping the headstone once more, I mentally said goodbye, not just to the grave of Nemo but to his ghost as well.
I picked my way through the grass, back to the small path that counted as a road on this island and straight into Otto’s arms. He kissed my temple, his arms holding me tight.
I breathed him in, letting the scent of his skin chase away my own lurking shadows. “Have I told you lately how thankful I am for you?”
“You don’t have to, baby. I know.”
We walked back to the village, and I held each of their hands. The soft heart and the brawn. They were polar opposites and yet, they weren’t really. Deep down, they were both ferociously protective, empathetic people.
We found the other guys still at the waterfront cafe, and they looked up from where they were talking vigorously with a guy who seemed to only speak broken English. Whoever he was, they were having a great time.
Hendrick got to his feet, coming to wrap an arm around my shoulders. “Guido, this is my wife, Aviva,” he introduced proudly, and it made my heart swell. I was getting the impression that Hendrick wasn’t looking at our marriage as a temporary thing at all, though he’d never said as much. It didn’t feel like a sham marriage to me either—it felt like the real thing—but I wasn’t making any promises just yet. We had a lot to overcome, and while the guys now owned me heart and soul, I didn’t fool myself into thinking it was going to be easy.
“Ah,bella!Beautiful.” The old man uncurled from the table. “May you have safe travels.” He shook hands with Sampson and Hendrick, and then Otto and Evan, even though they’d never been introduced. He kissed me on both cheeks and then waddled off, the smile on his face as large as his protruding stomach.
“He seemed nice. Who is he?”
Sampson shrugged. “He’s the cafe owner. He also owned the house next door.”
I narrowed my eyes, because if being with these guys had taught me anything, it was to pay attention to the words coming out of their mouths. “Owned?”
Hendrick laughed, pulling me into his arms. He grabbed a piece of paper I hadn’t noticed until now. “Happy wedding present, wife.”
I pulled back and glared at them both. “Seriously? I can’t leave you guys alone for two minutes without you doing something ridiculous.” Otto groaned, rubbing a hand over his face, like he’d momentarily forgotten he was the only voice of reason in the group.
Hendrick kissed me, spinning me around on the spot. “Don’t be like that, Viva. This is for all of us. Besides, we haven’t bought you anything too outrageous.”
“You bought me a bookstore!”
Sampson lifted a hand, looking smug. “No, I boughtmyselfa bookstore.”
Hendrick captured my chin, planting several soft kisses on the corners of my mouth. “We wanted you to have something tangible to mark your journey. And we figured you might want to come back and visit Nemo every now and then. Plus the weather here is fucking amazing.” His grin dropped, his lips returning to their normal pouty expression. “I love you. I can’t promise that this isn’t the last over-the-top thing we’ll ever buy you, because that's a lie. But this?” He indicated the house next door. “This is for us, for our family.”
I sighed, because I really did like the island, and I liked the idea of coming back to visit once things weren’t so hard.
“Fine,” I sighed, kissing him on his dimpled chin. “Thank you. Both of you.”
