* * *
It was only sleep that could stop her from crying. She'd cried for hours on end until it gave her a fever.
Gage took her to the study and sat with her on the sofa where she'd snuggled against his chest, clinging onto him, holding on as if she were indeed scared of slipping away.
She fell asleep just like that, holding on. He stayed with her and took care of her as he promised, and didn't feel like he could leave her side.
The last few days had been crazy, and he found himself acting like some hormone crazed teenager who'd do anything to get a girl's attention. Why else would he drive around for hours looking for pink marshmallows?
After that first kiss, he found himself unable to control himself around her. Gage wasn't the kind of guy to take things slowly, but this situation was different. She was different, and he found himself wanting to do anything to be with her. He wanted to show her that she could trust him and while he'd joked about it at the time, he didn't like that she thought he was with Giselle. Gage knew she was scared to feel for him because she knew what he was like.
And, now there was this.
He knew she'd be heartbroken when she found out about his grandmother. He had been too. But this was devastation. She was devastated, and he felt sorry for her. He felt bad that there wasn't anything he could do to make her feel better.
He'd been completely wrong when he thought she'd understand. Who would just understand something like that so easily? It meant letting go of someone who meant everything to you.
He'd watched her with his grandmother for so long, following in her footsteps with her love for playing the violin. When he heard them play together the other night, he'd thought they were both more than incredible. A sense of strength had come to him just from listening and lessened the hopelessness he'd felt that night. Gage had looked at Evie as she played and thought she was something his grandmother had created, with love. Of course, she would be devastated at the news.
When the first ray of sunlight spilled through the crack in the blinds, he realized that he hadn't slept. He'd been awake all night, watching over her.
She shuffled against him and latched on to his shirt. He ran his hand lightly over her silky head to let her know he was awake. Tears spilled out of her eyes as she looked up at him and she shivered as she tried to talk.
"Hey there," he said stroking her head. She leaned into him allowing him to hold her.
"Gage." She whispered his name and instinctively held his hand when he smoothed his over hers.
"I should have told you," he stated softly, against the sweetness of her hair. "I should have told you myself."
She lifted her head but didn't let go of his hand. "I know why you didn't. It was for Lucy to tell me." Her poor voice sounded croaky and ragged.
"I wanted her to have the surgery too, but she won't listen to me. I get it, I do, and I understand but I want her to live. Forever if possible. That's selfish isn't it?"
She shook her head. "No. A part of me understands. I wouldn't know what I'd do if I couldn't play anymore. Or if there was nothing left of me. That wouldn't be living. But choosing not to have the surgery is choosing to die." Her voice shook, and more tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Hey," he pulled her back to his chest and continued to stroke the top of her head. He thought he'd share what his grandmother had told him when he first found out about the tumor. "She said she'd lived several life times, and had been luckier than most to see the world change in so many ways. She'd lived through wars. Loved and lost, lost her world when my father was taken from her but found him in me, and pulled through it by teaching you how to play the violin."
She lifted her head again on hearing that. "She said that?"
He offered a smile. "Yeah. My parents were killed a year before your family moved into the neighborhood, and it's no excuse, but I probably wasn't the nicest of people because I just lost them. Lucy was devastated to the point where she couldn't play. The first day she played was the first day she met you, and your love for the violin mesmerized her. When she first found out she was sick, and what the surgery would entail, she said she couldn't give up her memories. She said it would kill her if she were unable to play, or if she couldn't remember how. The doctors said she'd be lucky to have ten years without the surgery and she was happier to take that."
He rested his chin on top of her head.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Me too." He pulled in a ragged breath. "When she goes I won't have anyone left." He'd be completely alone. He had a few great cousins, but he rarely saw them, and his father was an only child so that line would end with Gage. It was a sad thought. One he'd battled with as he tried not to be selfish.
So much had happened to him in the last few years. So much had changed drastically. Not even football was the same. He used to be able to forget about all his problems when he played, but that feeling of refuge hadn't happened in a long time. He still loved the sport, but he'd been off his game since the accident.
It was the feel of her soft lips against his chin that pulled him away from his troubled thoughts. He looked at the beautiful woman in his arms and appreciated the soft smile she offered.
"You have me," she breathed. Evie straightened up so she could see him.
He felt touched that she said that, and as he looked at her, gazing into her beautiful green eyes, he felt the sincerity of which she spoke.
"Do I Evie?" he took a lock of her hair and curled it around his thumb. It was habit now.
"Yes." She nodded.
"So does that mean no more slamming doors in my face?" he thought he'd lighten the atmosphere.
"No more slamming doors." She smiled.
"And you aren't scared of me anymore?" This going slow wouldn't last. He could do his best, but when he was with her, his emotions took over. The day would soon come when he'd have no control whatsoever.
"It's not you I'm scared of." She gave him a worried look. "It's me."
"Please don't tell me this is you breaking up with me before we've even begun. That sounds a lot like that it's not you it's me line."
She laughed a little, and made him feel at ease when she shook her head. He didn't know what he'd do if she said yes.
"I hear music when I look at you." She confessed. He held her gaze as she looked at him with that scared expression she had yesterday. He didn't know what he expected her to say, but he definitely hadn't expected that.
"Music?" he smiled. Her cheeks turned pink as she blushed and looked away nervously. With care, he took hold of her face and turned her back to him. "There's music coming from me?"
"Yes."
"What does it sound like?"
"Beautiful," she replied with troubled eyes.
"Why would that be a bad thing princess? You're scared because you hear music when you look at me?"
"That's never happened to me before, and I've never met anyone that..." her voice trailed off.
"Evie." He prodded running his finger along her jaw. "Tell me." He was desperate to know how she felt about him.
"It's just never happened before." She was holding back. He could see it. Maybe she needed time. Honestly, they both did. He didn't want to rush things and end up making mistakes or making her feel uncomfortable. However, maybe it would help to tell her how he felt.
"I like you a lot Evie," he said, hoping it would give her some encouragement.
That brought a smile to her face. "I like you too. I like you a lot too." She tucked her hair behind her ear.
He was really happy to hear that. It excited him in a way that made him feel alive. Just like when he first kissed her.
"So, what are we going to do about this? Will you at least allow me to take you for a morning walk on the beach? Will that scare you?"
"No. It won't." She brightened up.
"What about when I make up some excuse to kiss you?"
"What excuse were you going to make up?" She giggled.
He liked th
e playfulness that existed between them. It made him feel like he could just be comfortable in being himself. "I was going to wait for twenty minutes, then say my lips felt like they were going to fall off and would need a kiss to save them. Then I'd try to kiss you, slowly of course."
She laughed, and he relished the sound. "You were going to wait twenty minutes?"
"Should it be longer? I don't know if I can wait any longer."
"Then kiss me now."
"That's even better."
It was with the greatest pleasure that he met her lips and relished the feel of her hands as she smoothed them into his hair and over his neck. He ran his hands down her soft, delicate shoulders and absorbed the feel of her against him. Taking hold of her tiny waist, he pulled her onto his lap where they continued to enjoy their kiss.
Chapter 11
Evie would never get over the pain she felt at the thought of losing Lucy. But she thought she could find the strength to respect her wishes and try to understand.
Gage took Evie to the beach, and they had a good walk, walking as far as they could to where the beach ended and the rocks took over. The fresh air cleansed her mind and revitalized her. Holding Gage's hand also helped too. She liked that feeling of closeness between them. It kept that glow that surrounded her heart present.
When she looked at him, she thought that she'd without a doubt found a lot more in Italy than she bargained for. He was a totally unexpected occurrence, and the strange thing was they acted as if they'd always been this way. As if they'd been together for a life time.
When they got back, and she saw Lucy, Evie gave her a big hug, letting her see that she was okay. Lucy had been in the living room, curled up on the sofa and looked quite worried until she saw Evie. Gage left them alone to talk.
"Are you okay?" Evie asked her.
Lucy smiled and straightened up. "I'm fine Evie. I mean, I'm not a hundred percent, but I'm managing. If I hadn't been told about the tumor, I would never know."
"How did you know?" Evie wanted all the details. "How'd you find out?"
A sad look filled her eyes. "Gage came by to visit and found me on the floor. I'd passed out. I remember blacking out, and when I came to, I was in hospital with a bunch of doctors around me telling me I had a brain tumor."
"Weren't you scared?" Evie asked because Lucy had this calm look on her face, as calm as if she was talking about the weather.
Evie clasped her hands together when Lucy shook her head and laughed.
"The first thing I asked was if it would affect my hands. I at least held back on talking about music. But I had to tell them I played the violin when they started giving the information about the surgery and the potential repercussions. That was the scary part, Evie. That was the scary part."
Evie nodded. "It would terrify me if I couldn't play anymore."
"I thought about the times in my life that I couldn't play, and it was always when some tragedy had happened. The first time was when I was told Angelo was killed. The next was when my son was killed. On both occasions, it felt like my spirit died along with them and I was in a place where I'd never be happy again."
It had been awhile since she'd spoken to Lucy like this, where she shared her most inner thoughts and feelings with her. Evie was happy to have this relationship with her. She felt like she could tell her anything too.
Lucy reached out and tapped her head giving her a warm smile. "I don't ever want to feel like that again. You saved me from going back to that place the other night, just like how you encouraged me over all the years I've known you." Her face was full of strength, shining with a steadfast and serene peace that captivated Evie.
Evie's eyes filled with tears. "It's you whose encouraged me. I know I would never have gotten anywhere without you. Losing you terrifies me."
She wiped at the tears as they streamed down her cheeks. She didn't want to make Lucy feel bad but she also couldn't hold the tears back either.
"My dearest girl. You will always have me. Whether in body or spirit you will always have me and when you play, I'll be there in the music, because you play from your heart and your emotions. You play with everything that is you." Lucy nodded.
"Thank you." Evie leaned into her awaiting arms snuggling against her like she used to when she was a child.
"You're eternally welcome dear. How about we go somewhere nice today? We haven't really looked around Tuscany yet. We have to do that."
"I would absolutely love that." Evie nodded settling back into the sofa.
"Maybe just us girls?" Curiosity filled Lucy's eyes. "Then we could talk about Gage."
Evie could feel herself blushing as her cheeks grew warm. "Gage... like what would we talk about?"
Lucy laughed. "Sweet girl I wasn't born yesterday, and I may be an old boot, but it doesn't usually take two people to make punch."
Evie shrugged sheepishly, and Lucy laughed again.
"Don't worry." Lucy smiled. "I won't grill you too much."
* * *
They enjoyed a lovely day in Tuscany and Florence where they saw some of the grand landmarks like Piazzale Michelangelo, Piazza del Duomo, Della Signoria and del Campo. They also visited the Siena cathedral and finished up with a scenic walk through the historic center of San Gimignano where they went shopping and had a perfect dinner of the best ravioli Evie had ever had in her life.
They had a good time together. It reminded her of how they were when Evie was younger, and as promised Lucy didn't ask too much about Gage. It was more like she allowed Evie to tell her what she was comfortable with, which wasn't a lot. She did, however, manage to get Evie to confess that she did like him, which she supposed was enough details to tell her everything. When they got back, they resumed their calls, and when Lucy retired to bed, Gage took Evie out on to the terrace.
It was a cool night, and the stars were bright, filling out the sky with their beauty.
"What's this?" she asked looking at the candlelit table between the wooden bench. It had rose petals slashed across it and in the middle were steaming mugs of hot chocolate with a swirl of whipped cream and pink marshmallows dotting the top.
After she'd tried it the other night and loved it, Gage had taken to making it for her every chance he got. Usually inside the house. This setting was very different.
"It's the prelude to our first date." He smiled.
"Prelude?"
"Yes, because I have to ask you properly if you'll go out with me."
She gazed up at him and couldn't help the smile that played on her lips. Gage Montgomery was asking her out. It was funny. The quarterback was asking the music geek out.
"You're asking me out?"
"Yes, I am Miss Evie. I am asking you to go on a date with me. Will you?"
Her smile widened, and she was just about to answer when she saw Giselle's blonde head approaching from the steps leading up to the terrace.
"Hi." Giselle beamed brightly giving Gage a dazzling smile that displayed her super white teeth. She was wearing one of those halter-neck tops that showed far too much cleavage and a pair of gold short shorts. Her blonde hair was pinned up on top of her head, and her eyes were enhanced with heavy eye make-up. She looked like a walking advert for a high-end designer like Dior or Chanel.
They'd been here for over a week now, and until now Evie hadn't spoken to her. She'd seen her a total of six times, and she'd never given any regard to her, the same way Giselle overlooked Evie and focused entirely on Gage.
"There's a massive party on the other beach, and I came to see if you'd like to come." Giselle beamed. Her eyes were on Gage, not Evie. An obvious indication that she'd come to see him, and the invitation was for him, not Evie.
Evie was used to women like her. It wasn't that they looked at her and thought they were better. It was more that they looked at her and tried to be better. It was Lucy that had pointed that out to her once after a particularly awful incident in high school where the head cheerleader played a nasty prank on her that was a
imed at crushing her self-confidence.
Since that day Evie knew she could hold her own because she was no less beautiful or whatever there was to compare.
"That sounds great Giselle, but we're actually on a date," Gage replied, surprising both Evie and Giselle.
It was only then that Giselle looked at Evie, and her narrowed her eyes at her.
"Oh, right. I didn't realize you two were together."
"Yes, we most certainly are." Gage looked over at Evie and smiled. "Twenty-five years and counting."
Giselle looked peeved. Obviously she'd had her sights set on Gage.
"Okay, well. See you around." She left, looking quite put out that Gage didn't even look back to her to say goodbye. Evie guessed it was probably because she wasn't used to being told no.
Evie continued to look at Gage and held his gaze, then bit the inside of her lip. "You could have gone with her if you wanted to."
"I didn't want to." He shook his head. "Why would you say that?"
"Because she's your type."
He looked annoyed by the comment. "I don't have a type."
"You forget who you're talking to." Although she smiled something inside her felt cautious and fought to protect her heart. It was crazy really when she thought of it. No one had hurt her more than Gage in her life but her heart, the most fragile part of her, sought after him as if it needed him.
"You don't trust me." He looked hurt. "I get it, and I guess you're right to be wary of me. Evie, women throw themselves at me all the time. In your case, they fly at me naked." He was trying to joke around.
"That was an exceptional case." She grimaced wishing he would forget about that.
"But it was good, for me." He nodded with a smile, but the serious expression returned to his face. He took her hand and brought it up to his lips kissing it. "I want you." He held her gaze again. "And I'll work hard to earn your trust, however long that may be."
Her heart hung onto every word, drawing itself even closer to him. An uneasy look filled his eyes as he continued to gaze at her. "Please, will you go out with me?"
"Yes," she replied.
Hearts Entwined Page 11
