I would not think about the last time I freed them from the basement. When Dante had asked me to consider being with him, and I already wanted to. Even then my heart knew what my head refused to accept.
Droopy and Snoopy came tumbling up the steps, and they got even more excited when I asked them if they wanted to go outside. I grabbed one of my old jackets, still hanging by the back door, and went out to wander around the ranch.
Fireflies winked their little lights off and on, and for the first time, they didn’t immediately remind me of Sterling and our first kiss. Which made me glad, because I had always loved fireflies and I didn’t want him to taint everything in my life.
I ended up in the orchard, and I let the dogs off of their leashes. They started to frolic around, sniffing everything in sight.
It mended my heart just a little to see their joyful exploration. A full moon hung overhead, casting a mellow, soft light over everything. I found the family lemon tree. A soft wind rustled the leaves overhead, and the faint scent of lemon blossoms surrounded me. There were initials carved on it from the members of my family who had kissed their true loves here.
Something I might never have.
I sat down at the base of the tree, leaning my back against it. I had to find Dante. I had to explain. Kat would help me. She knew what this felt like. If I could just make him understand me, if I could find a way to make him see . . . but how could I? I’d ruined everything. Like in one of those romantic movies where you get so frustrated with the hero and heroine because if they would just talk and communicate, then everything would be fine. There wouldn’t be an obstacle. I had been that idiotic. I had been totally irrational and unreasonable and let all my issues and baggage cloud everything, and it had cost me one of the best men I had ever known.
Snoopy perked up his ears, and Droopy followed. They started to bark, which could only mean someone was approaching.
I got the shock of my life when I saw Dante in his wrinkled Armani suit, looking exhausted. The dogs ran over to him, circling his legs. He patted them briefly and walked until he stopped a few feet in front of me.
“Dante! You’re here.” I stood up and leaned against the tree for support. “I didn’t think you would come. I thought I had ruined everything and you’d never want . . .”
He held up his hand. “Are you still getting married?”
My tears made it hard to see. “No.”
He came so close. “Do you love me?”
“Yes, I love you—” He didn’t let me finish, and his mouth was on mine and everything exploded into flame. He grabbed me by the waist when my legs gave out. He literally took my breath away.
And whatever I’d thought about all the other kisses we’d ever shared, this one put them all to shame.
When he finally stopped, I felt like I had been drugged. He stroked the side of my face, my neck, my shoulders and arms. “My darling Limone, how could you ever think that I wouldn’t come for you? I love you.”
“Because I didn’t trust you when you asked me to. I thought the worst of you.”
He seemed to be considering this. “Maybe that should matter more to me. It doesn’t. At some point, when I have loved you for many years and been one hundred percent faithful to you, there will come a time when you will be nothing but absolutely secure. I can wait for that.”
I hugged him tight, and he rested his head on mine. Then I took him by the hand, tugging him to sit down next to me. I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to keep standing if he kept kissing and holding me like that. He took off his suit jacket and laid it on the ground so we could sit on it. He pulled me to him, wrapping me up in his arms.
“About Rafe being on the show . . .”
“I thought you knew,” he interrupted me. “I would have told you if I’d known. But to be honest, I don’t know how you could have been confused. He’s clearly nowhere near as handsome as I am.”
I kissed him then, a soft sweet kiss, to show him how happy I was.
“I don’t think I mentioned it earlier, but you look unbelievably awful right now,” he said with such sweetness and love I wanted to melt.