by Tara Brent
Ali and I hug each other in a tight embrace, both of us pleased to see one another.
“Hasn’t it been amazing?” She says to me. “Did you go to Spain?”
“No, we went to the UK so I could visit Scotland, my pa's roots,” I tell her.
“Oh my god, Tiffany! Isn’t life different when you can have anything you want?” She laughs as we pull apart.
“It’s okay, I suppose," I say with a little reluctance to agree with her. "I'm up and down on the subject. One minute I like it and the next I hate it. Don’t you feel that something is missing?” I add.
“Yeah, constant worry,” she says, and I smile at her sensible attitude. If only I could feel the same way.
We sit together and chat about our plans for the coming week that we're to spend without our men. Calvin and Nico will be having business engagements. They had already warned us that such meetings will take up most of their time. So Ali and I are making our tourist plans. We'll tour the winery and then go on a boat trip on the lake, which I’m told is so large it has waves, just like the ocean. At least now I have Ali by my side. That feels like a little bit of home, so I won't feel completely out of place.
Lilium
I’ve enjoyed every moment of our European tour, with Tiffany by my side. I’d never been to Scotland so that was a first for me. It’s a place where I see lots of redheads, so it must be a Scottish gene or something like that. It got me thinking that if we have another child, I hope it’s a girl with red hair, just like her mom.
Every day we’ve spoken to our son. Tiffany misses him to the point of pining for him. Whenever we speak, she never wants to let him go and keeps him chatting over the computer. Though he shows no signs of missing his parents. For me, that's a good sign because he needs to learn independence now he’s at school. Maybe I’ll be the tough parent and Tiffany the soft one. Mind you, he does have me wrapped around his little finger, so I know I won’t be that tough.
I’ve loved our time together on this trip, with only the two of us. My fiancé is a stunner. Many take a second look at her beautiful red hair and cute freckles, which become more prominent in the sun. As I've got to know her better, I'm glad to say that she has an amazing sense of humor too. It’s also clear that she loves me as much as I love her. Now we have spent time together alone, it's clear we have similar likes and dislikes. They say once you live together you find out all your partners bad habits. Well, I have plenty of those, but the more I learn of Tiffany’s the more I love her.
So far on this trip, we’ve made love every single night, and sometimes more than once. She's a woman who satisfies my every need and I hope she feels the same about me. Sex is an important part of any relationship, and that part of ours is perfect.
I haven’t wanted to leave Tiffany's side, not for a second, since we started our trip. Now, I find I must tear myself away for a few days. I have other family commitments and a few personal dealings that I need to take care of. Ethan’s looking to make a new wine to name after his daughter and I promised I’d set things in motion while I’m here.
I’m watching Tiffany chat with Ali as I look through the glass window. Though I should be concentrating on the meeting I'm having with the wine producers here. This is a meeting set up to discuss Ethan's wish for a new wine but my mind wanders as I walk around the room to talk. I see she’s very animated and looks happy to be with her best friend again. Whilst she doesn’t know I’m observing, I enjoy seeing her smile and laugh. As if she can sense me observing her, she looks my way and sends me a special kind of smile. It’s as if we can speak to one another without the need for words. That will placate me for a now, and I turn my mind back on the business talk going on around me.
“We must get the right balance of ingredients,” I join in once again. “Ethan wants a gentle sparkle to the white, with the use of a particular grape infused with lily essence. The wine will be called Lilium, and the recipe will remain a family secret for his daughter, Lilly. You should all have a copy outlining the ingredients and process. I'd like to know your thoughts later. For now, I’ll take my leave as I have an incoming call. It’s a surprise for my wife-to-be, so please excuse me.”
I leave the room to take a call from an Estate Agent in Scotland. I’m buying an apartment in Edinburgh as a surprise for the New Year. I hear they celebrate New Year with style and gusto in Scotland. We’ll spend our first Christmas together in Texas, surrounded by family. Then, I hope to take Tiffany back to her roots for our first New Year. I always like to plan ahead. Once the deal is complete, I’ll get my people on board to organize the furnishing in the apartment,
It’s my hope that she’ll love it and it will be a place where we can spend many future vacations together.
Chapter 29
Europe
It’s official, Italy is spectacularly beautiful.
One evening we travelled to Isola Del Garda. It's a small island on the lake. We went there for an event at the huge villa that sits overlooking Lake Garda. The beautiful Venetian neo-gothic palace was like something from a fairy tale. Its magical gardens are filled with exotic plants and little canals and bridges. Of course, Calvin knew the owners very well. He moves in very different social circles than I’m used to. Though, so far, every one of his friends I’ve met have all seemed down to earth and even normal. Many of them share my own ideologies in life. Though there are a few prigs among them, but then there are in all walks of life.
I’ve always thought of rich people as stand-offish and ignorant to the plight of the world’s troubles. Calvin is showing me the other side of their nature. The wealthy people I’ve met so far are all hard working and care very much about the world and all its problems. I’m glad to say, so too does my fiancé.
My fiancé...my fiancé...I can’t help but repeat that in my head, it sounds wonderful?
One day it will be, “my husband.” I’m thinking of using the double-barrelled name of Tiffany Miller Luca, in memory of my pa. It was Calvin’s idea. When I told him how upset I was to lose my pa’s family name, he suggested it. I have no brothers to continue the family name. Calvin said he understood because he felt the same when he realized that he now has an heir to his wealth. It’s important to be proud of your family name. Well, that is if you have a loving family, which I’m thankful that I do.
Ali and I have toured the region on bikes, cycling through local villages and towns. The renaissance architecture was majestic and some of it very old. We passed Roman-style buildings with columns and we lunched in quaint little courtyards. One day we drove for three hours to the dolomite mountains. There, we visited churches with high towers and huge richly decorated arched ceilings. The whole country is like a huge museum, but it’s not staid or dreary. It’s so vibrant and full of life that it’s no surprise that Calvin loves this place so much.
Calvin has been busy with work, so I’ve tried to keep out of his way during the day. I miss him, but I’m also enjoying being in Ali’s company. At night though, he's all mine and I enjoy every inch of his hardened, muscled body. I hadn’t realized how well-toned he is. Looking at him when he's dressed can be quite deceptive. Most of the time he looks like a well-dressed citizen, but underneath he’s incredibly strong. He turns me on so much that sometimes when I brush his arm it starts my juices flowing. Every day that passes us by, I fall in love with him a little bit more. By the end of the week, even though I’ve enjoyed Ali’s company, I’m starting to miss him a lot as we all wind down our busy schedule.
I’ve experienced things on this trip I could never have imagined. Expensive wines and meals cooked by Michelin star chefs. Despite all the extravagance, I’m yearning for some normality. I want to go home. Our vacation is coming to an end and I’m glad of it.
Ali says she’ll be happy never to see the inside of a motor engine ever again. She’s made up her mind that she’s going to live in Texas. As for me, I’m going with the flow at the moment. I’m learning to depend on my other half and allowing Calvin to share in
the decision making in my life. I never thought I would ever let that happen, but it’s amazing how easy it is to let someone else share the burden. The old saying is true, a problem shared is a problem halved. I’m liking the thought of married life already.
Ali and I have only one more trip planned. We're going on a boat ride on the big Lake. I’m now searching for my hat before we whizz off into another hot Italian sunny day.
New Beginnings
We’re on our last day. Tiffany and Ali are taking a trip to the lake. I’m sitting on the small balcony of our room, enjoying the morning breeze as Tiffany sleeps on in bed. The long white lace door curtain billows up in the warm air, like a visiting ghost. It’s going to be another hot day. Luckily there’s air conditioning inside, so my love is sleeping well.
I, on the other hand, am in the middle of a land transaction in the States. I’m buying a small horse ranch not far from Nico’s cattle ranch, which is to be my wedding gift to Tiffany. I figured that she would want to be as near to Ali as she can be, at least for the first few years. Plus, I’ve always had a passion for horses so it's a new challenge for me. Tiffany doesn’t ride but she’ll learn to love it as much as I do. I know it’s a risk because I haven’t discussed this with her yet. My instincts tell me that she’ll come around to the idea of moving to Texas.
We need somewhere to live. I know that she's uncomfortable with me lavishing her with expensive gifts, but I figured as this will be our first home together, it's ideal. I want her touches everywhere and she’ll enjoy furnishing it. Then it will feel like hers. I can’t wait to see my son running around our new big house. He'll be so happy with his new life, I’ll make sure of that. To start with I hope to have a tutor to home school him. That way he’ll be by my side a lot, to make up for the missing years. Then, I hope that we’ll look for a private school in Italy, so my son can learn all about his family background. I had many amazing times at such a school as a boy, and it will provide him with many happy memories of his younger years. Of course, this all depends on Tiffany agreement.
I’m excited about the three of us being together and it makes me wonder how I managed all these years without them in my life. I quietly return to the bedroom and breath in Tiffany's perfume. It gives me an urge to wake her up so we can make love again. But, we have a long flight tomorrow so I’ll sacrifice my urges and leave her to rest. I leave the bedroom chamber to make some calls and I’ll see my lover at breakfast.
+++
“I’ll miss this place,” Tiffany announces over breakfast. “It gives me a sense of freedom from any stresses when I’m here. But, I suppose it can’t last forever, back to life and making decisions again.”
“You are free, my love,” I take her hand and brush my lips over the back.
“You Italians are so charming,” she mocks me, but lovingly.
“I mean it though. I don’t want my wife ever to have a moment of worry in her life, ever again,” I tell her.
“Life would be boring if we didn’t fret over something every now and then. And anyway, we don’t even know where we’re going to live yet, so of course I’m worried,” she finishes.
“Ah, I may have that small dilemma resolved.”
“You’ve been making decisions without me, haven’t you?”
“Maybe,” I mumble. “One or two, but I only want to make you and Callum happy. That will be my life’s goal from this day forward.”
“Oh, you are such a charmer, Calvin Luca,” she laughs at me.
I witnessed an amazing transformation in her since we've been in Italy. I expected her to be preoccupied with Callum's absence, but instead, she's blossomed. Perhaps I should have bought our marital home here in Italy, but then she wouldn't like having bodyguards.
Soon, we'll be complete again, and Callum will be with us. We’re flying back to San Francisco, but I need to let her know my plans for our future in Texas. We could first stay with Nico and Ali for a short while until our new home’s ready. That way, Tiffany can be with Ali and she can get to know my mother better, who I know already adores them both. Most likely because she wanted to see all her sons married off and now she has her wish.
Chapter 30
Slow Motion
I’m so happy that it's like I’m walking on air. The sexiest man in the world loves me. Ali let a secret out that he's busy buying us our first home and it's in Texas, near Nico's ranch. I’m so pleased with not having to make all the decisions that I say nothing. Moving is a stressful time for anyone, but my man has it all sorted. When he decides to tell me, I'll let him know that I had an idea but I won’t give away Ali's snooping nature.
At the lake, Ali and I have hired a small powerboat that takes us into the center of the lake. The water's calm with barely a ripple as it reflects the hills and mountains that surround this huge lake. It's so inviting that we decide to moor the boat and take a swim. Once we're stripped down to our bras and panties, we dive into the clear water. I love swimming so it’s a great way to spend our last day. Ali's not such a strong swimmer so she’s less adventurous than me. Being a confident swimmer, I swim away and leave Ali to stay close to the boat.
After around five minutes of energetic swimming, I pause for a rest. Oh, this is beautiful, swimming in a lake surrounded by mountains. Allowing myself to float on the water, I enjoy the calm setting and totally chill. As I happen to glance back towards the boat, I'm surprised how far I've gone, so decide to return. Ali will be out of the water by now, knowing her. As I get closer, I notice that our craft is no longer alone, there is something else bobbing up and down next to our boat. With a sudden sense of foreboding, I speed up my stroke, doing the front crawl to close the gap as soon as possible. Since becoming a mother I often experience gut feelings of terror as I worry about my little boy. Because I know I'm guilty of this, I assume it's my own mind running into overkill. As I am almost back, I see that Ali's no longer in the water, which isn’t a surprise. What does shock me though, is the cloud of dark water floating around our boat. Is that blood?
Reaching the boat, I pull myself aboard to see two men standing over looking at something. The deck is pooled in blood and with growing horror, I realize that it's Ali. Two Jet-ski’s bob on the water and I quickly assume there's been some sort of accident. My body freezes on the spot and I’m unable to move or make a decision on what to do. My mind whirls and I hear someone shouting in the background.
“Lady, we need to get her ashore now!” The voice invades my head.
For a few seconds, I'm completely lost. It soon passes and my professionalism kicks in. To help my friend, I need to switch off my emotions and treat her as if I don’t know who she is. That’s exactly how the next hour of my life passes by. The others on the boat are holidaymakers and one of them is very distraught. He must be the one that hit Ali.
"Can you take us to shore?" I ask the calmer one.
I have no anger or panic as I'm in auto mode and quickly tend to my friend. She has an open fracture on her right leg, with the tibia breaking through the skin and protruding out. The pain on impact must have been horrendous for her, my poor Ali. First thing is to stop the bleeding so I gently pad out the open wound with towels and our clothing. Her breathing is too shallow which concerns me. As I’m treating her, she goes into shock and stops breathing. Feeling for her pulse I don’t find one and instantly begin resuscitating her. Thankfully, I don't need to do it for long as she starts to breathe again, but her pulse is weak.
It helps that she’s unconscious, but that can also be problematic. Has she fractured her skull, or broken her back or neck? I pray not, but we won't move her while we wait for help. While I tended to her, one of the jet-ski riders steered the boat back and the other called for help. I feel the engine turn off as we dock and I tell the men that we can't move her. All I can do is stem the blood flow and pray she doesn't "crash" again.
The passage of time is surreal but I must keep her alive until professional help arrives. I’ve no idea how long we've been here
, but it all seems to play out in slow motion.
“It’s landing now,” a voice tells me.
I’m numbed at the events going on around me and soon find myself in a helicopter watching the paramedics battle to save my friend's life. They’ve brought me along too as I’m in shock. I'm only coming around from the warmth of a cover that has been wrapped around me. My whole body trembles and my teeth clatter. I can’t focus and my vision is blurry. A dark line of dots rush into my view and I slip into a state of unconsciousness.
When I awaken, I'm lying down on a medical bed. Through an open window is a cool breeze and I can see the mountains. At first, I don’t know where I am as foreign voices speak around me. The room's very clinical and it slowly dawns on me that I’m in a hospital. The memories rush back and I recall Ali's predicament. Calvin enters through a door and a sense of relief overcomes me. As I sit up he takes me tightly in his arms. I sob my heart out and I don’t even know if my friend, my soul sister, is alive or dead.
Trauma
The doctor informs me that Tiffany suffered severe shock. Then she goes on to explain Ali's accident.
“Your wife is a hero,” she adds. “If it hadn’t been for her quick thinking, her friend would not have been so lucky.
“Can I see her?” I ask, urgently.
“Yes. Yes, of course. She may be a little groggy as we've given her a sedative, but you can see her in that room over there,” she points to the room.
I enter and see Tiffany lying on the bed. She'd been sleeping and I breathe a sigh of relief when she sits up. I embrace her, holding her tight against my chest as she sobs. If she's only just woken up for the first time since the accident, it will all be hitting her right now.
When the boat hire people rang us, my heart had dropped into my stomach. They informed me what had happened and poor Nico was beside himself.
