Turn Towards the Sun Book Two: After the Rain

by Jennifer Domenico

  HB&M: I love you. You’re the most amazing woman and I’m happy you’re mine.

  Me: Per Sempre.

  I take a deep breath. We’ll make it through this. It’s just a bump in the road. I pour myself a glass of water and walk over to the couch to sit down. I’m ready for all this drama to be over. As much as I didn’t want to go back to Colorado anytime soon, at least it’s a quiet place where we can get away from all of this.

  I turn on my iPad and start searching for flights. I click on ‘Arizona to Colorado’ on Delta, and it returns with no search results. How is that possible? It isn’t like it’s a holiday or anything. I check another airline, but there are no flights either. Weird. I decide to call my parents.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi dad.”

  “Hey, princess,” he says. “Welcome back, jetsetter. How are you?”

  “Good but I was a little under the weather for a couple of days.”

  “Oh. Are you feeling better?”

  “Yes. Just a bug, I think. How are things out there? Where’s mom?”

  “You didn’t hear? We’re expecting a blizzard tomorrow. Your mom is at the store grabbing whatever food she can.”

  “Oh, a blizzard,” I say. “That explains why I couldn’t find any flights.” It also explains why I never want to live in Denver again.

  “Flights?” he asks.

  “Yeah, Enzo and I were thinking about coming out for a couple of days for a visit. He’s about to get very busy, so we just thought it would nice. But I guess it’s not an option now.”

  “Ah, too bad, princess,” he says. “We’d like to see you both. Is everything okay? You sound a little down.”

  “Just sad we can’t visit. But otherwise, I’m good.”

  It’s just a little white lie. I don’t want to worry him.

  “How was Italy?” my dad asks.

  “Good,” I reply. Brightening up, I tell him all about our trip and the neat things we did. And then we talk for a few minutes about everything that is going on with my parents, too.

  “And how are you after… the incident?” he asks.

  “Incident?”

  He can’t possibly know about the book. It wouldn’t be national news.

  “Mad woman at your wedding, remember?” He sounds exasperated with me.

  Oh, right. That incident. I’m losing track of them.

  “Good, dad,” I tell him. “Really.”

  “Okay. Oh, we’ve got a bunch of mail for you. I sent it off a few days ago, after we learned about the blizzard, so you should get it soon.”

  “Thanks dad. Tell mom I said hi. I’ll call in a few days. Stay safe.”

  “We will. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  I sink down into the couch. Great. No trip. I guess I’ll just have to sit here and deal with all this shit until it passes. I pick up the phone and call Enzo.

  “This is Enzo. Leave a message.”

  Voicemail. He must be busy. Or maybe he’s with Emma already. I hope they both get the closure they need.

  I check on my soup and ladle some into a bowl. I could watch television, I suppose. Sitting down on the couch, I flick on the TV, and aimlessly click through until I stop at a talk show I have always wanted to watch, but never could because I was at work. Finally, a benefit to being unemployed.

  “The topic today is what to do when you catch your man cheating,” the host announces.

  Yeah, not watching that. I flip to another channel. Besides, I’m positive that is one thing I won’t have to worry about, at least I hope not.

  I look up as Cassie walks in the house, Chris following behind her.

  “Hey girl, what’s up?” she asks, cheerfully.

  “Are you busy, Cass?”

  “Never for you – whatcha doing? You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m feeling a lot better. Doctor thinks it was stress. I’m just bored,” I admit. “Enzo isn’t here and I don’t really have anything to do. He doesn’t want me to go out alone right now until things calm down.”

  “That makes sense. Don’t you have anything you can do?”

  “She’s going to die, Cass,” I blurt out.

  “Who?”

  “Emma, the woman who wrote the book,” I explain. “She did an interview last night and she has breast cancer. It’s terminal.”

  “Shit. That sucks for her. But what’s it to you?”

  “Nothing, I guess. It’s the reason she wrote the book – a confession, she called it.”

  “Nice confession. Well, I guess the good news is she won’t be a problem for long, right?”

  “That’s mean, Cass.”

  “No, it isn’t,” she replies. “It’s the truth. It isn’t like she’s your friend. In fact, I would say she’s the opposite.”

  “I sent Enzo to see her.”

  “You did what?” Her voice rises. “Are you nuts? The sun must be frying your brain. Why would you want him to see her?”

  “You should have seen her on TV, Cass. She was crying and asking for his forgiveness. It was so sad.”

  “You lost me somewhere along the way. You felt sorry for her?”

  “I guess so.” Now that I’m saying this out loud, it does sound pretty stupid.

  “Okay, let me get this straight…” She takes a deep breath. “Some chick who had a twisted relationship with your husband writes a totally embarrassing book as a confession, and you feel sorry for her?”

  Biting my lip, I reply, “I admit it sounds pretty stupid when you say it like that.”

  “Oh good, so maybe you aren’t as crazy as you sound. Listen, Ava, your kindness is misplaced. You have no idea if this woman is legit. You don’t know whether she’s sincere or if she is really dying. For all you know, it might be a ploy to try and get Enzo back. Did you ever think of that?”

  “No. Obviously,” I reply, feeling sick again. “Anyway, I trust Enzo. Even if it is a ploy, he won’t fall for it. She disgusts him.”

  “I’m sure you’re right, but why set yourself up for that?” Cass asks. “Jesus, Ava, sometimes you shock me with how gullible you can be.”

  “Excuse me, Miss Know-it-all, but I’ve never been in a situation like this before. No one gave me the damn handbook on how to handle public scandals with your husband’s ex. Maybe you can let me borrow yours.”

  Cassie takes a deep breath. “Sorry, Ava, but I’m just trying to get you to open your eyes.”

  “They are open,” I argue. “I just want this behind us. I thought it was the best way.”

  “Maybe it is. What do I know?”

  We sit silently for a moment.

  “It’ll work out,” soothes Cass.

  “Yeah…”

  “I’m gonna take a shower.

  “Okay,” I say.

  Now I feel worse than I did earlier. What if Cass is right and this is all just one big deception to get Enzo’s attention? Emma’s tears seemed real enough to me, I remember, so if she was lying, she must be damn good at it. Although I wish Enzo would call or text, I don’t want to pester him, especially since it was my idea that he go and see Emma.

  To take my mind off things, I finish my soup while watching a show on the Food Network. If I trust my husband, like I say I do, then I need to distract myself until he gets home, and stop worrying.

  10 CHAPTER TEN

  The sound of the garage door going up makes me jump and I glance at the clock. Five hours have passed since Enzo left the house. Fortunately, I found a good book to read and it kept me pleasantly occupied. I sit up and try to act nonchalant when he walks in.

  “Ciao, bella,” he greets me. Although he is smiling, his face is creased with tension, he does not look happy.

  “Ciao, tesoro, is everything okay?” I ask him.

  “Yes,” he replies. “It was an exhausting day though. How do you feel?”

  “Good. I ate some soup and it stayed down.”

  “Where did you get that? Did you go out?”

  “Of cour
se not,” I answer. “I found it in the freezer.”

  “Good. I’m glad you ate.”

  “Did you eat?” I ask.

  “Yes, I stopped by Silvio’s and grabbed a bowl of pasta. I was able to get quite a bit of work done, too,” Enzo adds. “Did you book our tickets?” I watch him remove his cuff links and set them on the coffee table.

  I guess we’re not going to address the elephant in the room.

  Shaking my head, I tell him, “No. They’re expecting a blizzard tomorrow, so no flights in or out.”

  Enzo frowns. “That’s a shame. What do you want to do instead? We could go to Sedona or Vegas – anywhere you want.” He sits down next to me on the couch.

  We sit silently for a moment.

  “I’d like to tell you about my meeting with Emma,” he says.

  I breathe a sigh of relief. “I’d like to hear about it.”

  “It was very sad. Emma looks worse in person than she did on television, and her home is full of nurses and equipment. It took a lot out of her to do that interview, but she felt she had to. I got the sense that Emma knew the book would be shocking, but that she really did seem to think it was going to affect her more than the men she named.” He shakes his head. “She didn’t seem to understand how much trouble she caused until she got all the lawsuits.”

  “You don’t think there is any chance it was meant as revenge?” I ask.

  “No, mainly because she doesn’t feel vengeful towards the men she was with. She feels like she got herself into these situations and that her choices were wrong, not her relationships.”

  “Did she talk about her feelings for you?”

  “A little,” Enzo admits. “Emma told me she really did love me, but always knew I didn’t love her back. She asked me why. It was a very difficult conversation.” He rubs his forehead.

  “Did you tell her?”

  “Yes, I told her I was incapable of loving her. I was hurt in my own way and I didn’t even love myself at that time. I thought her feelings for me were misplaced. Then she asked me what it was about you that changed everything for me.”

  Surprised, I ask, “And..?”

  “I told her you brought out a side of me that I thought was long dead. I told her that with you, I felt worthy of love and knew I could open my heart to you.”

  “That must have been hard for her to hear. What did she say?”

  “She asked me how you did it,” he replies. “It’s a great question really, and easy to answer. I told her I felt safe with you and that you only wanted me for me, not all the bells and whistles that go along with it.”

  “How did she take it?” I ask, full of curiosity. Enzo’s words are always so sweet and romantic to me that it had to be difficult for Emma to hear them.

  “She cried a lot. It was terrible.”

  I frown, thinking that must have been hard for Enzo to watch. “Then what happened?”

  “Then she apologized a hundred times. Emma told me she didn’t mean to cause me any trouble and that it was the last thing she wanted to do. She genuinely seemed upset that you had to hear all of the details. But, she did ask me if we had that type of sex life.”

  I glance up at my husband, feeling a little surprised that Emma would pry on such a personal level, but I guess she could ask anything at this point. “And you said..?”

  “I said it was a personal question, but that I would answer it for her. I said we didn’t, and that neither of us needed that. I told her we have an equal relationship and you bust my balls on a regular basis.” He laughs.

  I shove his arm. “You did not say that.”

  “No, not the last part,” Enzo admits, grinning. “That was just for you.”

  “Okay, so how did it all end?”

  He sighs. “She told me it’s a matter of days for her, less than a month, for sure. Can you believe this – she went to the doctor because she was feeling really tired. They did some tests and found cancer. No other symptoms.”

  Shaking my head, I mutter, “Awful.”

  “Yes, it’s tragic. She’s only forty-three.”

  “She’s forty-three? She’s looks thirty.”

  “She used to,” he adds, “but she looks bad right now. I was shocked at how sick she looks in person.”

  I nod. “Did you end things on a good note?”

  “Yes,” Enzo replies, smiling a little. “She asked me if I could forgive her. I told her how angry I was initially, but how you helped me see that it was something we could get past. So I told her I forgave her. She seemed to need to hear those words. I asked her to forgive me for how I treated her, and she said she did a long time ago. Then she told me I was lucky and so were you, and I told her I agreed. I gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and told her that I hoped she would be able to find peace.” He strokes my hand, before adding, “She thanked me for coming and told me it meant everything to her. That was it. I left.”

  “How do you feel now?” I ask.

  “I feel like the luckiest man on the planet to be married to you. You were so right. I needed the talk as much as Emma did. Now it’s truly over. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off me and my marriage. Thank you for pushing me to do this, and for trusting me.”

  Enzo leans close and kisses me. It’s the first deep kiss we’ve had in days and it feels wonderful.

  He continues, “You should know that I’m calling another conference. Alex thinks it’s the best way to close this down after the interview she did. And the media was waiting for me when I left her place. I’m sure it will make it into the papers tomorrow, unless I can get Alex to stop it.”

  I nod my head. “When is the conference?”

  “I was waiting to hear when you had booked our flights.”

  “Well, it’s open now,” I say with a smile. “Has Alex always been your main lawyer?”

  “Pretty much. He’s been with me since I built Girasole. He’s very smart and I trust him with my brand.”

  “Yeah, he seems like a good guy.”

  “He is.”

  I poke him in the arm. “So, I’m a ball breaker, am I?”

  “Yes, and I love it.”

  “Since we’re on the topic of your balls,” I say, grinning, “I’d like to get my hands on them again.”

  “Would you now? You’re sure you’re feeling up to it?”

  “I want nothing more.”

  “I’m happy to oblige. It’s been torture keeping my hands off you. It felt like June all over again.” Now we’re both laughing.

  Enzo pulls me off the couch and scoops me up into his arms, and I let out a girlish squeal. “Why are you carrying me?” I giggle, as we head down the hall towards our bedroom.

  “Why not?” he asks.

  Well, why not?

  Feeling incredibly light right now, I hope we’ve turned a corner and all is well. And, finally, I’m going to make love again to my breathtaking husband. Enzo lays me down on the bed and walks into the bathroom. I can hear the bathwater running.

  “I’d love a bath with my beautiful wife,” he says, walking back out. “If we can’t leave, we’ll just have to make our own paradise here. I want you to know, Ava, wherever you are is where I’m happy. You are my refuge.”

  For a moment I’m lost for words and these feel especially good after so many angry ones have been exchanged over that book.

  “I like that idea – our own little paradise,” I reply.

  Peeling off my clothes, I climb into the bath tub. Enzo always gets the temperature just right, to that level of hot that feels like heaven when you sink into the water. When I do it, it’s so hot that it’s almost unbearable.

  My husband watches me for a moment before removing his own clothes. I can’t take my eyes off his body. It’s still amazing, but I notice how we both look thinner, and not in a good way. I guess we need to shake off the stress and get back to eating properly.

  “It feels so good being here with you,” he says, distracting my mind away from food as he wraps
his legs around mine. “I’d like to wash your gorgeous body, and then I’m going to kiss and lick every inch of it, if you’ll let me.”

  I grin. “It would be my pleasure.”

  “I think the pleasure will be mutual in this case.”

  Enzo moves onto his knees and spreads my legs apart. Grabbing a cloth and the body wash, he begins to lather it up. The entire time, he keeps his eyes locked on mine. Enzo drags the cloth up and down my shoulders and back as I lay my head back on the edge of the porcelain tub, enjoying the delicious sensation. Then he stops and a beautifully seductive smile suddenly graces his face.

  Dropping the cloth, he waves his fingers in the air, saying, “I think I would prefer to use these.”

  “Yes, please.”

  Enzo slides his hands all the way down my body and across my thighs. Then his hand dips below the water and I feel his fingers gently probing the opening of my sex. All the time, he hovers over me, gazing down with those intense blue eyes of his.

  “Your skin is so silky, signora. You should be touched and caressed as much as possible.” He grins, still teasing me with his fingers.

  “Whenever you want to, my prince,” I reply, moving my body towards him in an attempt to get those fingers of his inside me.

  “Patience, amore. You get so impatient when you want to come.” He drags his finger up my labia and circles it slowly around my aroused clit.

  I release a small moan from my lips. “Please baby, we’ve waited so long. No teasing…”

  “I’m not teasing,” he replies, softly. “I’m preparing you. You need to be nice and wet for what I have planned.”

  My body courses with tantalizing expectation. I can’t wait to get to the part where I get to have another mind-blowing orgasm with this man.

  Enzo reaches forward with his other hand and pinches my hardened nipples between his index finger and thumb, first one, then the other. I love how every part of me always gets equal attention.

  “Mmm, you have such delectable nipples, bella. So big and juicy. I wish I could chew on them.”