Page 82 of Fight

Twenty-Six

P

The next morning, I sat at Bunica Mary’s kitchen table holding a hot cup of coffee that I hadn’t yet drank from. She’d hovered over me, fussing like I mattered, but I’d finally convinced her to rest.

I missed the company because without her, I was alone with my thoughts, which was one place I didn’t want to be. Best not to avoid it, though, try to stall. Everything had changed now, and I needed to figure out my next move.

The first thing I’d do was see to my mother. I trusted Ioan when he said he’d taken care of her, but I needed to see her one last time, say my final good-byes.

After that…

I didn’t know. I tried to be hopeful. If nothing else, this time with Ioan had shown me that I was capable of loving someone, of being loved, and maybe that was what I’d strive to, try to build the life and maybe even the family that had felt so tantalizingly real with him.

Almost immediately my mind rejected the idea of doing that with anyone but him. I didn’t try to fight it, though. I’d eventually get used to the idea of living without him.

With a sigh, I stood from the chair and walked to the sink where I emptied the untouched coffee. Then I washed the mug and stuck it in the dish rack, looked around for some other task to occupy me.

There were none, so I leaned against the counter and sighed again, feeling exhausted, sad, and completely at loose ends.

When the front door opened, I had a moment of pure joy. It was Ioan. I knew that, and being happy at the prospect of seeing him was my natural response. One I tried to tamp down and failed to.

The feeling only got stronger when he entered the kitchen, his eyes on me. I could see the faintest signs of tiredness around his eyes, saw his jaw shadowed with stubble. But then, I felt nothing but pure joy.

He walked and then stopped in front of me, his dark gaze searching my face. There were so many things I wanted to say, but words had left me. So I just looked at him, waited, knowing that yet again I was showing him vulnerability, and yet again being unable to stop myself. Because as angry as I was, as sad, none of those emotions compared to the peace I felt when he looked at me, the love I knew would never die.

He moved forward slowly, and one instant he was standing in front of me. The next, he had swept me into his arms, holding me tenderly.

I stared into his eyes, looking for some clue as to what he was thinking, but I saw none.

“Ioan, what are you doing? Put me down!” I said, though I could think of nothing I wanted less than to be out of his warm embrace.

He smiled faintly. “As you wish, jefe. But only after I’ve taken you home.”

I wanted to protest, tell him I had no home, but I stayed quiet, the wish that I did, the hope, stealing any words I might have managed. Carrying me gently, Ioan walked to the car and deposited me inside. He got in and minutes later, we reached his house. Once there, he lifted me out of the vehicle, and this time, I didn’t even offer a token protest.

Instead I held him, enjoyed being held by him as he moved into the house in silence, not stopping until he had settled me on his bed.

His face twitched, a haunting smile crossing his face as he kneeled beside me.

“I love you, P,” he said, his eyes locked on mine as he grasped my chin. “I should have said it yesterday, a thousand times before. But I’m saying it now.”

My eyelids dropped low as I heard him speak, but I stayed silent.

“You don’t believe me?” he said a moment later. He tightened his hold on my face, and I looked up to meet his eyes again.

Part of me did think it was unbelievable, but another part wanted it to be true so badly. Still, instead of answering, I asked a question I hadn’t dared ask before.

“Why? What did you see that made you help me?”

I’d dropped my gaze but looked up now, directly into his eyes. There was a softness now as he studied me as if he was searching for some answer.

“You want to know what I saw?” he asked.

I nodded my head quickly, drawing another smile from him.

“I saw an innocent woman about to die, and I couldn’t let that happen. And later, I saw an opportunity,” he said.

My heart dropped. “A chance to do right, make the world a better place?” I asked.

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