“I suppose that would be one way to describe their heavy-handedness.”
Maya looked down toward her toes. “Listen, Vito. I know Lynetta sort of finagled this whole invitation. I will find a way to back out of it and face her wrath if I have to.”
“Is that what you want?”
“I guess I’m asking what it is that you want.”
Now that was essentially the question, wasn’t it? The question he hadn’t been able to make himself face. Until now. She was due to leave Venice at the end of the week. After that, he might never lay eyes on her again. The thought was increasingly causing him an unwelcome sensation of pain he didn’t want to acknowledge. So he decided to tell her the truth.
“I want very much for you to come with me and my family to Verona, cara. I’d be honored if you would join us.”
* * *
What had she gotten herself into?
Maya plopped down fully clothed on the bed as soon as she’d shut her hotel room door behind her. Vito had walked her over to the lobby, then he had bid her a hasty good-night, stressing that they both needed to rest before the big day tomorrow.
She’d expected to be knee-deep in tissues right now, and wondering about what might have been after having bid a final goodbye to Vito. Instead, she was wondering what she should wear tomorrow and how much she should pack. What exactly did one wear to an Italian grandmother’s eighty-fifth birthday?
If someone had told her three days ago she’d be pondering that question, she would have pegged them as delusional. She wasn’t sure how to feel about this new development. On the one hand, she was thrilled to be able to spend more time with Vito; the moments spent in his company had been some of the most fun-filled of her days so far. On the other hand, she wasn’t sure if her heart could handle it. The longer their goodbye was delayed, the harder it was going to be on her emotions.
She was falling for him. Any outside observer would say she was no doubt rebounding, that it had been way too short a time since meeting Vito to have developed any kind of real feelings for him.
They’d be wrong. She knew the truth. As did her heart.
Meeting Vito had made her realize that she hadn’t been in love with Matt so much as she had loved the idea of being in love. The idea of having a husband. A future and a family. One she could finally call her own. Not one she’d been forced into.
Now, in contrast, she could tell that she and Matt had never been right for each other. And they never would be.
Her tablet dinged across the room signaling a text. It was her cousin Zelda.
Maya. If you get this text please check your email. Can’t get a hold of you.
Maya cringed at the message. She’d been woefully negligent in letting her family know her whereabouts after the loss of her phone. The truth was, she’d been putting off telling them the truth about Matt. A truth she couldn’t put off any longer, however.
With a resigned sigh, she walked over and powered up the tablet then tapped the mail icon.
Sure enough, a slew of new messages sat in her inbox. Most of them from Zelda.
Why haven’t you called or emailed? We’re all worried about you. Matt still in Boston. Says we should ask you for answers. What’s going on?!?!
Her other emails were essentially different versions of the same message. Maya tapped the Reply button and began to type on the screen keyboard.
Zelda, sorry to have worried you and everyone else. The truth is I haven’t been completely honest with you. Things aren’t exactly going well between Matt and me right now. It’s why I traveled here alone for the time being.
She’d barely hit the Send button when Zelda’s response popped up on her screen.
I knew it! What did he do? I’ll strangle him. Better yet, I’ll tell Dad. He’ll do worse. You better call me, Maya Papaya. As soon as you can. I mean it!
Maya felt her eyes well up, touched by Zelda’s immediate and automatic loyalty in response to her announcement. She and her cousins had had their share of differences and arguments; they’d grown up as sisters, after all. And sisters tended to argue.
But deep down, she knew they would both battle the devil himself for her if they had to. Same with her aunt and uncle.
Despite their loyalty and all their love throughout the years, Maya had never quite been able to feel a sense of true belonging. It was nothing overt that her family did to make her feel that way, it was more in the subtle nuances of family dynamics.