Matching in all black as we went to the mausoleum to bury someone who had been a major part of Israel and his family's lives. Nonna raised a family filled with amazing powerful women who had never known limitations, she raised accountable sons and tried her hardest making sure the world does not dim their light. She was a pillar of this family and it is disheartening seeing them fall apart after her disappearance.
Mia looked forward to seeing the Mausoleum, she thought it was a museum and was disappointed when all we saw were crypts.
It was a beautiful ceremony and everyone got the chance to say goodbye, even the great-grandchildren. Afterwards, everyone retreated to the house. We decided to spend yet another day with his family so Mia could spend more time with her cousins. Israel already has the lawyer working on the custody transferral paperwork.
We are in the family room, filled with all the family portraits from before he was even born. He wanted to go to the one place in the house where he feels closest to Nonna. He admires the paintings, slowly and lovingly, he takes his time reminiscing about all the memories he had with her. I sat waiting for him to take it all in.
"I love her."
"She loves you even more."
"I miss her, you know. I miss her more than words could ever describe." Standing up to console him "but she left me so much to remember, I will be okay."
"You will be okay plus you have a little girl called Mia who loves you, who else's love do you need when you have hers?"
"Honestly, nobody." He nudges me
"How will I ever live in her shadow?" A giggle erupts from my lips
"I feel for you, Amore." A peck on my forehead and he pulls me into his warm embrace. "You think we will be good parents?"
"I don't know about good but we will try our absolute best and she loves us, I mean she says it."
"She adores us, who doesn't?" I raise my eyebrow "except them."
"Then nobody."
We went to the playroom to get Mia, we said our goodbyes with no fights or arguments. We took Mimi to McDonald's before we went to the hangar, a happy Mimi is a sleep-filled night.
Travelling with a four-year-old can be tasking but I think we are handling it well, I wish I could pull my hair out sometimes but I love her so much that I forgive her for her tantrums, her inattentiveness, her excessive clumsiness, she bumps into everything and she gets bruised easily and it looks like she gets physically disciplined but I have never lifted a hand to her. It is just a bummer having to explain that she did it to herself. The flight was silent because she was sleeping.
The island is beautiful, it is secluded with green luscious trees and clear blue water, there is a mansion on the island but it does not take away from the beauty of its surroundings.
"We never had a honeymoon so I thought it would be nice if we finally had one. The original would have been three months but I could only manage three with the short notice."
"Three weeks is enough." He leads me into the house and gives me a tour. I got to meet the staff, most importantly, Mia's Nanny. Lily, thirty-eight, has been a nanny for royalty so let's see how she deals with Mia. I laid her to sleep, before changing into a bikini to join Israel on the beach.
"Ciro!" He turns his head to look at me. "It's so hot here."
"It was not that hot before you came out, are you sure it's not just you?"
"I hate you." I walk into the water and feel so much cooler.
His hands wrap around my waist, my head rests on his chest. I love the safety I feel in his presence.
"You are my happy place."
"Sure it's not food?"
"Look who is ruining my romantic confessions now."
"I'm sorry, Amore, continue."
"That was it, I love being around you." He sways us side to side.
We spent our time sunbathing, of course, we had sunscreen on, would not want to burn. After our time in the sun, we enjoyed the sunset before going inside to a screaming Mia and dinner.
"Mimi, what's wrong?" She runs into Israel's leg, the moment he picks her up she calms down, still crying but softer. "Guess she missed us."
"Can you ask the chef to make nuggets with fries?" I ask Janet, the head helper. She nods and goes into the kitchen.
"I don't want nuggies."
"Can you eat nuggies tonight and you can have something different tomorrow?" She grimaces, "Just tonight."
"I'll try." She gets the plate put in front of her and she eats all the fries no problem but struggles with the nuggets.
"What do you want to have tomorrow?"
"Hotdogs!" Her new obsession. She slides off Israel's lap and runs off to her room.
"We need to talk about taking her to the doctor."
"For?"
"She is too picky an eater for it to be just four-year-old stubbornness and call it teacher instincts." He shrugs and nods.
"That's a three weeks from now problem. My problems right now are trying to get you on my lap without your niece coming in and finding us here."
"Wait until she is off to sleep."
"Patience has never been my strong suit."
"Well, it is your shade today." He slumps into his chair. "You want to see if she wants to sleep?" He nods and goes to her room while I go to ours.
As I put my gown on after bathing, he walks in.
"She finally fell asleep, how many questions can a girl have?"
"She is like a dog with a bone with her questions, if you do not answer her in a way she can understand, she will not go to sleep."
"She is the face of curiosity."
"And it is weird cause she hates reading." He walks into the bathroom, as I apply my skincare routine.
Waking up every day for the next few days next to Israel or getting woken up by a screaming Mia, seems like torture but to me, this feels like home.
"Today, we are going to Cuba." He says as I get Mimi dressed.
"Cuba!" A moment "What's Cuba?"
"Cuba is a lovely country, we will be visiting it today."
"Yay!" I wish I could be as excited about everything as she is.
"Come on buddy let's go have to breakfast."
We spent a few days in Cuba, never intended to spend a few days there but we could not leave, there was much to see and explore, the Three Musketeers, me, him and her.
It is the last night we are here and I already put Mimi to sleep. She was exhausted from all the swimming we did today.
He is sitting in the sand, on a blanket, looking at the stars.
"Mr Rumming, may I join you?"
"It would be a delight to have you join me." Taking a seat next to him, closely next to him. "Is the place not paradise?"
"The island? Yeah, it is."
"The island is amazing but I am talking about the stars."
"Oh, the balls of gas in the sky, they are beautiful."
"When Massimo kidnapped me, he treated me like his son, I ate with the family, slept in the room next to Enzo and shared with Nathan. One night, he was tucking us in, it was weird since we were thirteen, he was telling us a story about how he had always been told the stars represent all those we have lost."
"So when someone dies, they become a star, I like that." He chuckles.
"Nate had recently lost his parents so it comforted him, it soothed his soul but it did nothing to me because no one I loved was dead but now, I understand why it soothed his heart." I wrap my arms around his torso and he drapes his arm around my body. "They are all in the sky and when we miss them, we just need to look outside and they are already looking at us." A nod before I wipe a tear from my eye. He notices and cups my chin between his fingers, we lock eyes, his brown beautiful eyes.
How a great one-night stand caused all of this is beyond me but I love how it all turned out.
Closing the distance between our lips, I feel his hand trying to close the distance between our bodies. Our lips connect, for a moment it felt brand new, it felt different, something about this kiss felt unknown. Tender, we were being gentle, giving the flame air to grow, naturally, my hands make their way to the back of his neck and my fingers massage the base of my head.
He pulls me onto his lap and we continue the tender and gentle kisses, we lean to lay on the blanket, with me on top of him, he escalates the kiss and we increase the intensity and moans and groans are said into each other's mouths.
While his hands roam my body, mine get working on removing his pants, I am wearing a dress so no worries for me, whenever we have sex in public, I always happen to be wearing a dress. I should wear dresses more often.
With his hands wrapped around my waist, I take his length in before I start grinding on him, hopefully, no one hears us because we are rather loud.
"Oh, God." He starts thrusting into me as I grind on him.
"Fuck, just like that, Mimma."
"Israel, I'm going to cum."
"Not yet." He continues thrusting into me before saying "cum with me." With a few more strokes we orgasm together, I stay on his chest before laying next to him on the blanket.
"Definitely not an old man," I remark
"Knew you would admit it one of these days."
"Don't be a sore winner." He chuckles and we stay looking at the stars for a while, admire their beauty and enjoy the sea breeze. We go back inside to get alcohol from the kitchen before heading to the jacuzzi.
*****
The Epilogue is after this.
We are nearly done😭 I am so excited for everyone to read the Epilogue and I know you will love it.