Page 135 of Men or Paws

He dropped the microphone on the backseat, jumped out of the car, and straightened the collar of his leather jacket.

Like magic, the people cleared a path for him.

He walked in my direction, determined, his eyes never leaving mine.

I held my breath as he stopped in front of me.

Rocco smiled. “Hey . . .”

Tears of joy traveled down my face to my neck. “Hey . . .”

“Give them space, people!” someone yelled.

The crowd backed up, giving us some privacy to talk.

“You were right,” he said, wiping a tear from my face with his thumb, then grabbing both of my hands. “It was destiny that we met.”

There was so much I wanted to say.

The words were trapped in my throat.

All I could do was nod.

Rocco pulled me closer into a wonderfully warm embrace. “I’m sorry for acting like such a fool.” He shrugged and kept his voice low. “Actually, Marcello called me an idiot and I think that’s spot on. I should have never let you leave. I hear love can blindside people sometimes and make them do stupid things. I’m proof of that.”

“Love?” I said, cocking my head to the side.

I needed to hear Rocco say it.

“Yeah,” he said, grinning. “I love you.”

The three words sent tingles up my spine.

“I love you, too.” I ran my fingers up his chest.

“Kiss her!” a woman yelled.

Rocco looked around and then chuckled. “I guess we still have an audience.”

I smirked. “Just a few people.” I glanced over to the right. “And a TV crew.”

The crowd chanted, “Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!”

Rocco grinned. “It’s a good thing I take direction very well.” The crowd cheered even more when he swept me into his arms and kissed me soundly.

Luckily, he was holding me tight because my knees grew weak and buckled.

I pulled away from the kiss when I thought of something important.

“What about Italy?” I asked.

Rocco caressed my cheek. “It was never about Italy. That was a means to an end to find out where I came from. After you left, I realized how it must have looked and sounded to you. Italy will always be there and I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you. Let me state this emphatically so there are no misunderstandings, you’re the most important thing in my life. Everything else is secondary.”

That just about melted my heart, but there was something he needed to know.

“I appreciate that, I really do, but please understand that I don’t want to stand in the way of your dreams,” I said, keeping my voice low. “You deserve them as much as I do. What about working with Spielberg? I know it’s something you really want.”

“He’ll be there when I’m ready. No rush,” Rocco said. “The only thing I want right now is located between your nose and your chin.”