Sempre (Sempre 1)

She headed up to his office when she couldn’t delay it any longer and softly knocked, opening the door when he told her to enter.

“Have a seat,” he said, motioning toward the chair across from him. “How are you?”

She sat down, watching him cautiously. “I’m okay, sir.”

“Are you?” He raised his eyebrows. “You don’t seem okay.”

She stared at him, debating how to respond. “I’m dealing.”

“Are you starting to remember things?”

She was anxious about where the conversation was heading. “Yes, but I’m not sure how much of it to believe. I hallucinated a lot.”

“It’s not my place to press you for details, but if you have any questions, I can answer them.”

She debated his offer. “Am I really a Principessa?”

He leaned back in his chair, giving her an interested look. “Technically speaking, yes. My wife got too close to discovering that, which is why she was murdered.”

o;Well, you did a damn fine job at that.”

“Thanks, asshole,” Carmine said, feigning annoyance as an amused smile formed on his lips. “Don’t you have shit to go break with a sword or something? It’s Halloween.”

“Hey, that reminds me! Today’s the anniversary of the first time you two crazy kids made out.”

Haven smiled. “It was when I kissed him.”

“I still can’t believe you made the first move. Bet you’re regretting that decision now, huh?”

Glancing at Carmine, she took in his solemn expression. “I’ll never regret it.”

His face lit up at her words, and she was immediately ashamed for her thoughts. She was still hurt, unsure of what the future held, but one thing Carmine had never done was give up on her. She mourned a life she thought she lost, but it was a life she would have never dreamed of having if he hadn’t fought for her in the first place. He had sacrificed for her, his world irrevocably altered to give her a chance. Carmine deserved a life outside of the violence.

How would she forgive herself if he didn’t get it?

She sighed after Dominic left, setting her bowl of soup down on the small table beside the chair. She got up, wincing from the pain in her wobbly legs, and Carmine rushed forward when he saw what she was doing. She held her hand up to stop him, taking a few weak steps on her own to him.

“I love you, Carmine DeMarco,” she said, nuzzling into his chest. Her shoulder throbbed from where it had been dislocated and her knees felt as if they were going to give out, but she held on to him and ignored it all. None of those things mattered. They would fade, and with them the memory, but her love for Carmine would never go away.

He hugged her back, pulling her closer and resting his head on top of hers. Haven’s smile grew. Despite everything, she still felt safest in his arms.

* * *

Haven grew stronger, her injuries healing, but she still struggled mentally as days turned into weeks. She spent most days resting, but eventually ventured outside with Carmine. He held her hand the first time they strolled down the street, pointing out different landmarks from his childhood. They were about a block away from Celia’s house when her legs grew tired, and the two of them stopped in front of a large white house. Carmine pulled her to it and sat on the front porch.

“I don’t think you should sit on someone’s steps like that,” she said. “They might get angry.”

“This is our house, tesoro,” he said with a small smile, continuing as she took the seat beside him. “It’s where I grew up, but it’s been empty since my mom . . .”

Since she was murdered, Haven thought, finishing the sentence he still couldn’t say. She glanced at the bright blue door, a stark contrast to the chipped red paint of the shutters.

“What are we going to do, Carmine?” she asked. “What happens now?”

“We go back to Durante. Sal’s gonna give me some time before he expects me to move here. Other than that, I guess we figure it out as we go.”

* * *

And that was exactly what they did. A few days later, Dr. DeMarco rented a car, and the three of them made the journey back to Durante. She slept a lot, sprawled out in the backseat as Carmine and Dr. DeMarco took turns driving. They stopped so frequently it took a few days before they saw the brown wooden DURANTE WELCOMES YOU sign.