Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

G iovanni wasn't sure what to expect when he got to Erin's. As he entered the house, he paused at the doorway, double checking that he was at the right address.

The house smelled incredible, like fresh-baked heaven, and Sinatra played from the kitchen. He glanced at the jacket hanging on the hook. Yup, that was Erin's.

Sliding off his boots, he quietly crossed the den. She didn't hear him come in and he paused for a moment, watching her stir something at the stove, her hips swaying from side to side as she sang along with Frank and Nancy crooning "Something Stupid."

It felt like the first time he smiled in weeks. He could watch her forever like that. There was nothing prettier than seeing her completely unguarded.

Crossing the room, he came up behind her and hugged her, startling her. Catching her hands in his, he kissed her neck.

The words were there as Sinatra's voice filled the kitchen, so Giovanni sang along, "And then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like I love you…"

Her chest lifted and her breath hitched as she leaned into him.

He let it sink in, let her understand he was saying more than the lyrics to a song. "I love you, Erin. You don't have to say anything back. I just wanted to let you know." He nuzzled her ear with his nose and breathed her in. "I've waited all week to hold you like this."

She relaxed into him and shut her eyes, simply letting him hold her as they swayed to the music. He hummed to the beat as the lyrics faded repeating the line I love you…

The song changed to "That's Life" and the spell broke the moment she broke away from him. She set two plates on the table next to a mixed salad. He glanced at the pots on the stove. "What are you making?"

"That's potpourri. The other one's spaghetti."

He glanced at the jar of sauce on the counter and grinned. Was she making this for him? He wouldn't be a snob about the sauce, because it was about the gesture. "I love pasta."

"I know. I'm sure it's not going to compare to your grandmother's, but I did my best."

He wondered how long the noodles had been boiling. "What can I do to help?"

"Just wash up. I've got everything covered. Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes."

She obviously wasn't making al dente . He grabbed a quick shower and changed into clean jeans and the sweater she loved.

Things between them seemed okay, so far. Maybe he'd spent the week worrying for nothing.

When he returned to the kitchen the pasta was ready. He stilled at the sight of a crumb cake on the counter. "Is that…"

She smiled. "I made dessert."

For all he cared, the pasta could be cooked to mush and the marinara could be ketchup. She'd made him a crumb cake. That had to mean something.

She put a heaping scoop of pasta on his plate. "Eat up."

The spaghetti actually turned out okay. The fact that she'd cooked specifically for him made it one of the most satisfying meals of his life.

He reached for her hand, bringing her fingers to his lips. "I missed you." He bit her knuckle and she smiled.

"I missed you, too."

"It looks like your little trip did you well." She seemed so clear headed and happy. That made him happy.

"It did. I was finally able to think."

"About us?"

"About everything." She sucked a long noodle between her lips and laughed when the sauce went everywhere.

He dragged his thumb across her lower lip, cleaning her mouth and licking his finger. "Delicious."

She flushed, dropping her gaze to her dinner as she chased a slice of cucumber around her salad plate with her fork.

"So, you said you had news," he reminded, anxious to hear what it was.

Her smile faltered. "It's nothing really." She finally stabbed that cucumber and took a bite.

"It didn't sound like nothing when you mentioned it on the phone."

Her hand shook as she poked her fork into a piece of lettuce. She was avoiding eye contact and it felt intentional.

"Hey." He rested a hand over her trembling one.

She looked up at him, appearing on the verge of tears.

"Erin, what's wrong?"

Her chin quivered and her brow pinched. "I don't want you to be mad at me."

"Okay."

"I did something."

He sat back. "What?"

His worst fears rushed through his mind. Had she met someone else?

She set down her fork and opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Shit. This wasn't good. Had she sold the house? Rented an apartment in Chester Heights or whatever the hell corner of bumble fuck she'd been in?

"Tell me."

She folded her hands on her lap and looked down. "I queried a bunch of talent agencies with clips of your act."

It took a second for her words to sink in, but he still shook his head. "Come again?"

She bit her lip nervously. "I did some research and found a bunch of entertainment agencies. I figured out how to send a query and I made a montage of your skits and saved it on several thumb drives. Then I mailed them."

"Them?"

"About twenty of them. Nineteen to be exact. Well, thirty-two if you count the digital applications. Every agency has different guidelines for their submissions."

He blinked at her as if he were in some sort of a dream. "You sent my resume to thirty-two talent agents?"

She nodded. "Are you mad?"

Was he mad? He laughed, the sound short and disbelieving. "That's what you were doing all week?"

"You were so miserable when I left. I couldn't bear it. I wanted to help you. Maybe I made things worse. I don't know. I should have asked before sticking my nose in your business, but I just…wanted to see you happy again."

He was utterly speechless.

"I'm sorry," she blurted, suddenly in a rush to clear the table.

He snatched her wrist, stopping her escape. "Just, give me a second to process this."

He'd honestly thought she was dumping him when he woke up and found her gone. All this time, he'd assumed they were over and she was mad at him. He'd never been more off the mark in his life.

He rubbed his brow and laughed again. "I don't know what to say."

"Are you mad?"

"I'm feeling a lot of things right now, but anger isn't anywhere on my radar." He looked up at her. "No one's ever done something like that for me."

She flushed. "You're not a lumberjack, Giovanni, and I don't want you to be. I want you to be funny and happy, and I want you to love what you do."

"You're not breaking up with me?"

"God, no." She lowered back to her chair and took his hand. "I don't want to break up. I want to be with you. I'm not going to obsess over all the things that might go wrong, and I'm going to do my best to trust that you'll talk to me when you're upset."

"What about you?"

"I'm talking now, aren't I?"

Yes, she was. And he loved everything she was saying.

"I'm in love with you, Giovanni. It's the scariest feeling I've ever known, but I know I'd rather be with you than without you. I don't like being apart and I don't care where I live, but I want to go wherever you are."

His mind was blown. "I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled and lifted his hand to her lips, biting his knuckle softly. "Yes, you are. One of those agents is going to sign you and you're going to be busy traveling all over the country. And one day, you'll have your own special on Netflix. I believe in you, and I want to be there when it happens."

It was his turn to be overwhelmed. "Is it hot in here?" He stood and opened the kitchen window, letting in a gust of wind.

His chest constricted and the back of his throat hurt like he might cry. He couldn't cry. Not in front of her. But damn, she…

His heart filled with so much emotion he could hardly breathe. It actually hurt. Then, because God was set on making an ass out of him, their song came on. The familiar strings and flutes filled the kitchen just as they had played that night at the bar.

Her hand pressed to his back and he tensed, blinking hard against the onset of tears.

She pressed her cheek to his back and whispered, "Honey, they're playing our song."

He turned and blinked like a total sap. "I think I liked it better when you were mean."

She laughed and hugged him. "I'm still mean."

"I know. But, Er, I fucking love you when you're nice." His arms wrapped around her, lifting her off her feet and hugging her body to his. "I'm never letting you go."

She laughed. "Promise?"

His lips pressed to her throat and he nodded, sniffing back his tears. "Promise."

"Good. Because I've decided that if I'm gonna love someone, I'm gonna love them all the way."

He looked into her eyes. "That's how I love you, Erin. All the way."

She kissed him, nuzzling her nose along his. "Like the stars love the sky?"

"More. Because I never want to spend a day without you."

His mouth pressed to her and her arms wreathed his neck as he carried her to bed. They didn't think about the lights being on and she didn't flinch when he looked into her eyes. She let him hold her and touch her and kiss her, never pulling a single bit of herself away.

Her openness left him exposed. As they filled the hollows of each other's soul, he didn't know what the future had in store for them, but he finally felt like he had a place to call home—in her arms, in her heart. That was where he wanted to stay.