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30

MONTE

I ’ve made up my mind.

Tonight, after the carnival, I’m going to ask her.

The only reason why I hesitated at all is because I wanted to give her time.

For my part, I’m completely sure about Sabrina. I intend to spend my life with her and we can have a long engagement if that’s what she wants. I love that she has her own goals and her own dreams and I know she can do anything she sets her mind to.

This girl is my everything. And tonight I’m going to ask her to marry me.

Yes, we are technically still married. Doesn’t matter. I need to speak those vows again and truly mean them this time.

I can’t fucking wait.

The sky has been light for hours but she still sleeps soundly in the bed beside me. We drove up here last night in my dad’s car since Cass Tempesta now owns my car and I’m still deciding what I want to get to replace it. Sabrina’s been curious about the cabin in the Catskills ever since she saw my childhood photo album.

The cabin belonged to my Uncle Vinny. When he died, it became Aunt Kiki’s sole property. Though she lives in Seattle now, she couldn’t bear to part with a place that held so many memories. Family and friends are free to use it and we’re lucky that it was empty this weekend. The last guests were some of Vinny’s cousins but they did a decent job cleaning up. All we needed to do after driving in was dust off the countertops and put fresh sheets on the bed. The nearest town isn’t exactly around the corner so I brought plenty of groceries. Honestly, I enjoy showing off my cooking skills for Sabrina. And I’d crawl over glass to earn that look of delight on her face whenever I set of plate of homecooked food on the table.

Last night a late summer meteor shower fired up the sky. We turned off all the lights and dragged a cushioned patio chair out to the front yard. The night air is chillier here than it is in the city and I wrapped her in a blanket as she straddled me. We made love slowly beneath that canopy of shooting stars and it was fucking magic.

I wanted to ask her then. But passion got the better of us both and soon I was carrying her into the house in order to worship her more thoroughly on the bed.

No wonder she’s still sleeping. I wore her out and I’m damn proud of it.

Sabrina’s hair spills all over the pillow and she rolls to her back with a soft moan. I know what that sound means and I’m not surprised when her breathing quickens and her hips move as she dreams.

Instead of waking her up, I decide to give her the relief her body wants. My hand slides between her legs and my fingers nudge aside the elastic of her panties.

“You win, baby,” I whisper in her ear and her moans grow louder, which means the words have penetrated her dream. But she doesn’t wake up, not really. Not even when I tease her and stroke her to the verge of an orgasm and then slide two fingers deep to finish her.

There’s now an angelic smile on her sleeping face and I tuck the blankets around her before heading to the shower.

As I brush my teeth while standing under the harsh cascade from the showerhead, I keep thinking about what I want to say to her when I propose. The only reason why I didn’t buy a ring is because she should have the chance to pick out her own ring. She didn’t get to choose her last one. It was chosen for her. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t wear it anymore.

As for my ring, that’s a more unsettling matter. After I left it in Wyoming, I assumed I’d never see it again. But last week a small box was delivered via Fed Ex to Gino’s. Inside the box, wrapped within wads of newspaper, was my gold wedding ring. There was also a note in the box, words scrawled in black marker on a carefully folded sheet of white paper.

FAMILY IS EVERYTHING.

The gesture wasn’t supposed to be sweet or sentimental. It’s both a mean joke and a reminder of blood bonds that can’t be erased. The Tempestas want me to know that they’re watching.

This isn’t news to me. I’ve known they were watching since someone tipped them off about my marriage to Sabrina. I’m still bothered by the fact that they found out I was in Colorado.

Ever since then, I can’t shake the feeling that they’re still watching. I wonder about the faces I see on the street. Even more, I wonder about the eyes I can’t see, staring at the back of my head.

The bed is empty when I emerge from the shower. I find Sabrina standing by the front window. She’s wearing my old Gino’s Pizzeria tee and drinking a small container of orange juice. Her hair is adorably messy and for a second I’m just blown away that this incredible, perfect girl is mine.

No wonder why I never fell in love before. I was waiting for her all along. No one else has ever or will ever measure up.

Sabrina turns her head and gives me a smile. “There’s a family of squirrels in the yard,” she says and sets her orange juice down on the windowsill. She stretches her arms, the peaks of her nipples visible through the thin fabric. “I was dreaming of you earlier. It was such a nice dream.”

I drop my towel in a hurry. Still flushed with sleep, she’s cooperative and giggly as I peel the shirt off and roll her damp panties down. We’re going back to the bedroom.

Sabrina, no longer tired, is in a feisty mood and demands to be on top. As if I’m going to complain about watching her bounce on top of my cock. We’ve been trying to be more careful so I slide on a condom, which has the added bonus of helping me last longer as she takes me into her body one inch at a time.

I love how she doesn’t hide from me anymore. She rides me with sexy confidence, holding back nothing and giving me a prime view of her flawless naked body.

“You’re perfect, Brina,” I tell her and she comes, throwing her head back, looking for all the world like a goddess on earth as she trembles.

I hold back until she’s finished. Then I seize her gorgeous hips to push as deep as possible and fill the condom.

But now I’m in need of another shower and so is she. I can’t think of a better way to solve this problem than to carry her into the bathroom and shower together. She loves it when I rub shampoo into her hair and I take my time lathering her up. At the end, I help her towel off gently and offer to cook breakfast.

While I stand at the counter and whisk frittata ingredients in a glass mixing bowl, Sabrina sits at the tiny kitchen table, cuter than ever in a loose pink dress with her damp hair falling over her shoulders.

“The signal here is spotty,” she says and clicks some laptop keys.

I turn around to give her a grin. “I guess I’ll have to find other ways to entertain you.”

My choice to wear only a pair of nylon gym shorts while standing in the kitchen is deliberate. I know how much she likes to look and I can feel her watching me when I turn my back.

Sure enough, in a few more seconds her chair scrapes the wood floor and she stands behind me, sliding her arms around my waist. She plants a kiss along my spine.

“What happened here?” Her fingers lightly touch a faint bruise on my lower right side, beneath my ribs.

That bruise has been there for two days and I hoped she wouldn’t notice. Silvio was having trouble collecting on a debt and offered me a tidy sum to make the problem go away. I did, and while the guy is still in the land of the living, he won’t soon forget that it’s a bad idea to snort all his cash up his nose before settling his obligations.

“Minor job hazard,” I assure her. “I forgot it was there.”

She continues to prod the area gently. “They hurt you,” she says in a soft voice and kisses two of her fingers before touching the bruise again.

I take a break from food prep to turn around and wrap my arms around her, flashing back to the day of our wedding. Her uncle’s men had roughed me up and Sabrina knelt in front of me with pain in her eyes.

“They hurt you.”

Those bruises were nothing then and they’re nothing now. The one thing in the world that has the power to destroy me is losing her.

I give her a soft kiss of reassurance and she’s content enough to return to her seat while I shove the frittata in the oven and then cut up a fruit salad.

Sabrina is excited for the carnival. I hope she’s not going to be disappointed. From what I remember, the annual carnival in nearby Cherrytown is small and ordinary. Nico and I loved it when we were little but by the time we were teenagers we would quickly get bored.

Then again, I doubt Sabrina will be bored. She has a way of being easily delighted.

After breakfast, Sabrina wants to go for a walk. Her summer dress and delicate flats aren’t really suited to hiking in the woods so I offer to carry her on my back.

“Tell me if I get too heavy,” she teases in between admiring the scenery while hugging my neck.

“That’ll never happen,” I tell her and she kisses my neck, making it tough to focus on the nature trail.

In a little while, we come to a small clearing dotted with wildflowers and surrounded by tall trees. The only noise is bird music and the vague, constant bubbling of an unseen creek.

The words are running through my head. “Marry me, Sabrina.” It’s on the tip of my tongue to speak them.

Later. I’ll bring her right here to this spot. There will be a full moon tonight. After she’s had her fill of the carnival games, I’ll carry her here and get down on one knee to propose for real.

This will be the perfect day.