Sempre (Sempre 1)

Rolling her eyes, she reached up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his, her hands passionately locking in his hair. When she pulled away for air, Carmine laughed. “If I’m gonna be greeted like that, maybe I should go away more often.”

“No way! You’re not allowed!”

“Okay, then.” He pulled her to him tightly. “I fucking missed you, hummingbird.”

“I missed you, too.”

Haven grabbed his arm and tugged, pulling him inside. Carmine bypassed his father’s office and his brother’s bedroom, foregoing greetings for the time being. “Did you do anything exciting while I was gone?” he asked as they settled into his room.

She shrugged. “Mostly just normal stuff.”

Normal stuff. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he’d hear those words from her.

Sitting on the bed, Carmine rubbed his aching back as Haven eyed him suspiciously. She pushed his hand out of the way to massage him, and he moaned involuntarily at her touch. “You’re too good to me, tesoro.”

“You always say that, but it’s not like it’s agonizing to touch you,” she said. “So did you get sackled or something?”

He laughed. “Sackled?”

“Isn’t that what it’s called when you get knocked down?”

“When everyone else gets knocked down, it’s a tackle. When I do, it’s a sack. Two different things.” He let out a moan as she rubbed his sore muscles. “I had my ass kicked out there this week, but I impressed some of the coaches. They mentioned me playing after high school. I don’t know if I wanna go to school here, but it’s nice to know the option’s there.”

She continued working on his back. “Where do you want to go?”

“Wherever you wanna go,” he said. “I’m gonna leave that up to you.”

38

Haven stood off to the side and fought back the tears welling in her eyes. Everyone gathered in the foyer and chatted animatedly, the excitement palpable as Dominic’s booming laughter rang out above it all, infiltrating Haven’s ears and causing her grip to falter.

It was a Sunday afternoon at the end of August. Summer was coming to an end when, to Haven, it felt like it had just begun. The past month and a half had been filled with activity: art galleries, museums, aquariums, and zoos. She drove and read, laughed and played, loved and learned, and in the bustle of life, everything else faded away.

Carmine occasionally had football practice and took her along. There were others there—family, friends, and girlfriends—gathered in groups, but Haven sat off to the side on the bleachers, watching Carmine by herself. He was confident and aggressive on the field, and she told him he made her proud, but he shrugged it off as if it weren’t a big deal. It was, though, because it was his future . . . their future.

A future that suddenly seemed a bit more real.

Dominic’s bags were packed and stuffed into the Mercedes out front. He and Tess were boarding a plane in a few hours, and Dr. DeMarco was flying out to help them settle in. They were excited about the changes their lives were undertaking, but Haven dreaded saying good-bye. She had looked up the University of Notre Dame on a map with Carmine’s help, and while only a few inches separated Indiana from Durante, she knew those inches might as well be a lifetime.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Dr. DeMarco said. “We don’t want to miss our flight.”

Haven’s feet left the ground before Dr. DeMarco finished speaking. Dominic lifted her into the air and twirled her around. “I’ll miss you, girl.”

She laughed and hugged him. “Thank you for everything . . . especially that sandwich.”

He set her on her feet. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his keys and carefully took one off. He slipped it into her palm, squeezing her hand tightly around it. “Keep my car safe for me.”

She gaped at him. “What?”

“I can’t take it, so you may as well drive it.”

Final good-byes were exchanged, and Haven felt the tears slipping down her cheeks as they disappeared out the door. Only a few seconds passed before the door flew back open, Dominic peeking his head in again. “Oh yeah, Twinkle Toes? Good luck on your test tomorrow.”

* * *

The trip to the city the next morning took an hour. Carmine talked nonstop the entire drive, but Haven heard nothing except her heartbeat thrashing in her ears. They made it to the local community college with time to spare, and Haven headed inside alone, black spots infiltrating her vision as she fought to keep herself together.

The bright fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling irritated her eyes. Haven stood in the doorway, taking in the small wooden desks and hard blue plastic chairs. She’d never been inside of a classroom before. People pushed past her, not bothering to apologize, as she hesitantly walked to the big desk at the front. She smiled politely at the instructor, although she felt like she’d be sick. “I’m Haven Antonelli.”