Page 195 of Play of Love
"One last walk on the beach?" he asked rolling over and cupped my face.
I nodded, too choked up to talk.
The sun welcomed us with is usual brilliance, bathing us in its light. He held my hand as we walked along barefooted leaving our footprints behind us in the sand.
Before we went back inside Gage knelt in the sand and picked up a sharp looking pebble from the rock pool. I watched in complete awe as he drew a heart in the sand and wrote our names inside. I did my best to hold back the tears that threatened to flow, especially when he took both my hands and kissed us as he stood. Instinctively, I reached up to his broad shoulders and pulled him towards my for a sweet kiss that I wished could last forever.
* * *
Gage
* * *
Although we could have potentially made the journey to Bacoli a little quicker by taking the train back to Rome it was easier and more straightforward for us to drive.
Vanessa had been in touch with Angelo's family who was now expecting us. Angelo, on the other hand, was staying at their summer home in Procida, an island just over an hour away from Bacoli. He went there at the start of the summer to catch the essence of the season in his paintings. Since he refused to be disturbed by things like phones he was completely unaware of their mission to him.
It would take us the whole day to get to Bacoli then we'd have to catch a ferry to Procida in the morning. It was understandable that while Grams was glad to finally have news of Angelo she was also eager to see him. Hearing she'd have to wait another day to see him made her sad.
Everyone could see it, and it was Vanessa that succeeded in cheering her up before she left, and we began our journey.
Evie sat in the passenger seat and from time to time I'd hold her hand for a few brief moments. When I caught Grams eye in the rear view mirror and saw the pleased expression on her face, I remembered that she didn't know about us. Although, I knew she must have suspected something. She was very intuitive, and I hadn't exactly held back on showing Evie affection since coming back from Venice. I decided I'd tell Grams everything after we saw Angelo.
Until then, I had a lot to think about, so the long drive was good for me. When I woke up this morning, I realized that there were changes I would have to make to my life to make it better.
Changes only I could make because I couldn't go back to a life without Evie, a life where I was already quite unhappy, to be honest. I'd tried to patch my grief up after that accident by getting lost in training and trying to be the guy I used to be. But some things couldn't be patched up. It was only a matter of time before disaster struck if you tried to fix a thing that couldn't be fixed. Why fight so hard to keep things going when they weren't working? Surely it was better to fight for life to be better, for something that mattered. That made more sense to me. When I looked at Evie, it seemed like the only viable choice.
It was Angelo's son that greeted us first. Grams brightened upon meeting him. According to her, he was the splitting image of Angelo, and so was his daughter.
They were both in their late fifties and had children and grandchildren of their own, some of whom were there. The family had gathered for a meetup. The house we were in was the family home they'd grown up in. A vineyard surrounded it but since it was night the true beauty couldn't be fully appreciated.
Evie sat next to me as we got to know the family. Everyone was intrigued by the story of how we got here. Again I felt happy for Grams, and saw how eager she was to see Angelo. I wondered what she would do when she saw him. She hadn't mentioned what she planned to do after.
I doubted that it would just be a general catch up like she'd had with Vanesa. I supposed I'd have to wait to find out.
* * *
Evie
* * *
Since the first ferry was at nine, Gage snuck me away for a walk in the vineyard.
He looked at me as we walked through the beautiful vineyard that appeared to stretch on endlessly.
We had about an hour together before we had to leave. It was nice spending time with him. Just us together.
"I'm going to your next game." I stated looking over at him when we sat on a solid oak bench at the edge of the vineyard. "And the one after that, and all the others after that too."
He smiled at me and took my hand. "That would be really nice Miss Evie. I know football isn't your thing."
"It is if you're playing it." My smile widened then faltered. "It's going to have to be if I want to see you."
"You'll see me." He assured me.
"Gage." I adjusted myself on the bench so that I was facing him. "I don't want things to go back to normal."
The tears I’d been holding back ran down my cheeks. I tried but this was too much, and since Gage hadn't said anything I was only left to assume what our next move would be.
