Hitman's Holiday
Page 7
“Connie, I love you,” I said gently.
“Fuck you, Andreo.” His body was shaking, and he crossed his arms over his chest as he stepped back from me.
I followed and took him in my arms again. He fought me, struggling wildly, and I just held on, gently but firmly. I was startled when a sob slipped from him.
He dropped to his knees and I went with him, my arms still around him. He hugged himself tightly, his head on my shoulder as he whispered, “You can’t love me. It’s not possible.”
“I love you with all my heart, Connie,” I said quietly. “I always have.”
“You can’t.” His voice was barely audible.
“But I do. God, I do. The only time I ever feel truly alive is when I’m with you. All those in-between days, I’m just going through the motions, waiting for the moment we’re together again. You’re what I live for.”
“No one could love someone like me.” His voice was so small, almost childlike. “You know what I am, what I’ve done.”
“You got lost, Connie,” I said as I stroked his hair. “You became your father’s son. But that’s not who you are, not really. If you want to find your way back, I’ll help you. I’ll be right there by your side, every step of the way.”
“I don’t even know who I am anymore,” he admitted.
“But I do. I remember.”
He uncurled his arms from around his body and took my lapels in his hands. He wouldn’t look at me, his head still on my shoulder as he whispered, “I love you too, Andreo. I’ve loved you forever. That always scared the shit out of me. I tried to run from it, but I couldn’t. No matter where you were, no matter how far away, you were always in my heart.”
“Same here.”
After a long pause, he leaned back and looked at me. “Are you sure I’m what you want?”
“Absolutely. You’re what I’ve always wanted.”
He took my face between his palms and kissed me, then rested his forehead against mine. “Do you know what you’re getting yourself into? We’ll never be able to stay in one place for very long. I’ve made so many enemies, and we’ll always have to remain one step ahead of them. You’ll be in danger if we’re together.”
“Totally worth it.”
He sighed and hugged me to him, and I held him securely. “You have an answer for everything,” he said.
“I do.”
After another pause he asked, “Where do we go from here? How do we even do this? I don’t have the first clue how to be in a relationship.”
“We just love each other. It’s that easy. Then we take it day by day. Tonight, when you’re ready, we’ll rejoin the party. We have a lot to celebrate. Tomorrow, we’ll spend Christmas with your family and my brother, and then we’ll drive to the airport and get on a plane to anywhere. We’ll keep running if that’s what it takes to keep you safe. But from now on, we run together. Agreed?”
He nodded and kissed me before saying, “I’ll never run from you again. I swear it.”
“Good.”
He watched me for a long moment, and then the corner of his mouth curved into a lopsided smile. “Holy shit, we’re really doing this, aren’t we?”
“Absolutely.”
He grew serious again and said, “It’s going to be hard for me to really accept the fact that you love me. I was convinced no one ever would.”
“I’ll not only keep telling you, I’ll keep showing you. Eventually, it’ll sink in.”
“Thank you, Andreo.”
“For what?”
“For loving me. For believing in me when I can’t even believe in myself. For seeing something worthwhile in me that no one else sees.” He looked up at me and ran his fingers over my cheek. “I love you so much, Andy.” I sank into his kiss.
*****
Eventually, we rejoined the party, hand-in-hand. It was still in full swing. Everyone was dancing to Step into Christmas by Elton John, and I took Connie in my arms and we swayed to the music. That guy with blue hair was rocking out with his boyfriend beside us, and Luca and Nico smiled and waved at us from across the room. Josh and Emma, the middle school kids from earlier, were dancing the tango, each of them clutching a candy cane between their teeth in place of a rose. And Nana was up on a tabletop, twerking with a little old man. She’d changed her outfit, and they were dressed like Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
When the song ended, we braved Nana’s bright blue, festive punch. She came up to us as I ladled the highly alcoholic drink into a couple of glasses, and said, “Merry Christmas, boys. I’m glad you’re both here.”
“We are too, Mrs. Dombruso,” I said.
“Call me Nana. You’re part of this family now,” she told me. To Connie she said, “It’s been way too long, kiddo, you need to come around more often.”
“Andy and I both will,” he told her. “We’ll come through town for a visit every couple months.”
That seemed to make her happy. We chatted for a while, and then she asked my boyfriend, “So tell me, Connie, what do you want for Christmas?”
“Nothing. I already have everything I ever wanted.” He gave me an embarrassed smile, and I pulled him into my arms. I was never going to let go.
The End
######
For those of you of legal drinking age,
read on for a bonus section with some of
Nana’s very merry party cocktails!
French-Kiss Martini
In a cocktail shaker, combine over ice:
½ ounce Chambord (raspberry liqueur)
1 ½ ounces vodka
2 ounces pineapple juice
Shake and strain over ice. Garnish with a raspberry.
(Nana’s advice: If you want to avoid funky spunk, drink pineapple juice!)
Santa's Blue Balls
1 oz. Blue Curacao
¾ oz. Sweet and Sour cocktail mix
½ oz. Scotch Whiskey
Combine and toss it back
Santa's Slippery Schlong
1 oz. Kinky Liqueur
½ oz. Fireball
Cherry Limeade to taste
Combine and enjoy!
(or add whipped cream for a version called ‘Santa’s Cumming to Town’)
Tropical Fuckin’ Fruit Thing
1 part Southern Comfort
1 part Orange Juice
1 part Pineapple Juice (remember, it has magical properties!)
Combine in a big punch bowl, garnish the hell out of it, and enjoy!
Sex on My Face
½ ounce whiskey
½ ounce coconut rum
½ ounce peach liqueur
½ ounce banana liqueur
1 splash each cranberry, pineapple, and orange juice
Combine over ice, strain and enjoy with a good friend!
Nana says: please drink responsibly! And don’t forget the pineapple juice!
Happy Holidays!
#######
The Firsts and Forever Series will continue in
Spring, 2016 with The Distance, Jessie’s story.
Zachary’s story will follow in Summer, 2016
and the series will continue on from there.
Books by Alexa Land Include:
Feral (prequel to Tinder)
The Tinder Chronicles (Tinder, Hunted and Destined)
And the Firsts and Forever Series:
Way Off Plan
All In
In Pieces
Gathering Storm
Salvation
Skye Blue
Against the Wall
Belonging
Coming Home
All I Believe
Follow Alexa Land on Twitter @AlexaLandWrites
Or visit her blog at
http://alexalandwrites.blogspot.com/
this book with friends