Taking a deep, shaky breath, Adeline continued. “I’m leaving for Spain again the day after tomorrow. I’ll be finalizing the job offer and then starting preparations for my move there. I know that you’ll be gone by the time I get back. I don’t want to see you again after today.” There was hurt on Nicolo’s face when she spoke those words, but it was the way it needed to be. She wouldn’t have a transient father coming in and out of her child’s life. She wouldn’t allow Nicolo to shower it with over-the-top affection only to neglectfully ignore it when life made being around inconvenient. It had been difficult enough for Adeline to handle the way he was in and out of her life as a whim, all based on his wants and his needs. A child wouldn’t be equipped to understand that his constant leaving wasn’t about it, and she would not have her child thinking it was less-than—less loved, less worthy, less valued—just because its father couldn’t be bothered to be around. No way. No how… but, she wasn’t heartless. “When the time comes, you can meet the baby, of course. But I don’t want you confusing the little one by making them think that you’ll be around to see their school plays or”—her voice broke—“tuck them into bed. I don’t want them to thi
nk that they can depend on you to be there the next day.”
Tears stung Adeline’s eyes. She felt as though she was being torn in two.
Nicolo leaned back from the table, and he shook his head, causing fear to grow within Adeline that he would not honor her wishes. His body was stiff, and his hands were balled into tight, white-knuckled fists. When he spoke, his normally expressive voice was flat. “Whatever you want, Adeline. Anything at all. I’ll do whatever you want. Whatever you think is best for you. Whatever is best for our child.”
Adeline’s heart broke. He’d accepted her terms. The love of her life was leaving her life.
14
Adeline
It had been two weeks since Adeline’s feet had been on Sicilian ground, and she had to admit that it felt good to be home again.
Home…
It was not a word that she could attach to Sicily much longer, and that was an unnerving thought. Even when she was growing up in America under the care of an agoraphobic and overprotective mother, she had always held Sicily as her home within her heart. But she was going to have to give that dream up, and it was time to say goodbye to the Romano del Mare. Though, she wouldn’t do that without seeing it at least one last time. Spain wanted her in place as soon as the middle of next week, and moving that quickly would take her every spare moment to make all of the necessary arrangements.
“Grazij,” she said as she was handed her cappuccino to-go cup. She’d made sure she’d gotten decaf because of the baby, but she was still in Sicily. She would have her morning cappuccino. Giving that up on top of everything else would simply be too much to deal with. She needed her creature comforts.
Her thoughts turned to the medieval resort that held so many fond memories for her. She’d achieved her long-time goal of getting the resort restored, though the restorations would take months to complete. It was bittersweet that as the place she had loved most as a child, its second chance at life was going to be met without her.
But it was as it had to be. She couldn’t stay—not after all that had happened between her and Nicolo. The Romano del Mare was no longer just the place that she had learned about life and love through the time that she had spent there with her grandparents. Now, the Romano del Mare was also the place where she had lost her heart and had her life completely altered. She was about to become a single mother, and it was the most terrifying adventure of all.
Slipping inside her car, she put her drink in its cup holder and set off to the one place that she wanted to be most. She needed to reconnect with the life that she was leaving behind. It was a life she had loved.
Am I making a mistake? I could stay and teach the bambina about her heritage. In truth, she could not think of anywhere else that she would rather raise her child than on the sleepy island of Sicily with its laid-back lifestyle. The people were happy and kind, and life was never rushed. It was a rich heritage, and for the hundredth time Adeline began to doubt herself and her decisions. But, in her gut, she knew that leaving was the way it had to be. If she stayed, it would be too easy, too convenient, for Nicolo to waltz in and out of their lives. Whether he thought it was or not, Sicily was the place that Nicolo would always gravitate back to. She wouldn't allow their child to be hurt by having a part-time father who came and left when he had nothing better to do. So, she had to leave Sicily.
It took only fifteen minutes to reach the Romano del Mare. The parking lot was scattered with several vehicles of various kinds, and with her windows down, Adeline could hear the shouts of people working and hammers banging inside. As far as she could tell, the restoration was moving forward at a good pace, and Alberto and his large family were doing an excellent job.
Adeline parked at the far edge of the parking lot so as to be out of the way. But that was only part of the truth. The other part of it was that she did not want to be seen. She wanted a quiet moment within which to reconnect with the place she loved. She needed to say goodbye.
Getting out of the car with her cappuccino in hand, Adeline walked the long stretch of crumbling dock toward the spot she considered her favorite. It was the spot where Nicolo and she had picnicked. She remembered sitting with her feet dangling over the edge, then she thought of standing on the boat dock while Nicolo tried to coax her into the kayak.
A smile reached Adeline’s lips. Even though her heart ached, her memories were good.
Dodging a pitted spot in the dock’s surface, Adeline slowed as her surroundings changed. The portion of the dock that stretched out before her had been repaired. The crumbling edges had been fixed with new cement and rock. The pitted spots were fixed, and loose segments no longer rolled under her feet.
Adeline turned around and looked at the dock’s surface over which she had just walked. It was still damaged and crumbling, yet the other half of the dock was now fixed.
Adeline turned her attention to the large three-story building. She’d seen the renovation schedule, and fixing the dock wasn’t on it until near the end. Turning back to look at the dock some more, she saw that the fixes had been completed with a fine skill. A lot of detailed effort had gone into it. The surface of the fixed areas was perfectly level with the original dock work, and the surface of the rocks were not marred by excess cement. They had been wiped clean so that they would be smooth for bare feet to walk across.
A familiar voice reached her ears even though the words were too faint for her to pick out. Turning, she looked back at the main building to see a tall man with broad shoulders and black hair coming out of its open front double doors. He was wearing a quarter sleeve button up shirt and khakis that were splotched with paint. On his feet were heavy work boots that had seen their share of a hard day’s work.
In the man’s hand was a blue bucket that pulled down hard on his shoulder. In his other hand were a couple of trowels for working with plaster, and his pockets were stuffed with old rags.
There was something familiar about the way the man moved, and it was not until the man stopped, frozen at the sight of Adeline, that she realized who she was seeing.
“Nicolo!” Her exclamation was quiet and for her own ears. Her mind raced, trying to remember his schedule. She was sure that he was not due back in Sicily for at least another week.
The man put the bucket and trowels on the ground, then in a jog that gained speed to a run, he covered the distance between them. Five feet away, though, his run fell to a walk and then he stopped just out of arm’s reach.
“Adeline,” he whispered with his hand over his heart. The smile he wore was like that of a man who had been reunited with a love he had thought long since dead.
“What are you doing here?” Adeline felt silly asking the question. The Romano del Mare was Nicolo’s birthright after all. He owned it. Who was she to question his presence? She was the one who was trespassing.
Nicolo held out his hands to his sides. “This is where I am now. I’ve come home, Adeline. I haven’t left Sicily since that day in the restaurant.”