Page 41 of Till Death Do Us Part

“She's going to be my wife.”

Ms. Hall’s stare grew heavy on the side of my face. “Roma?”

“I took one look at her and met the truth. You know when you know.” I turned and faced her.

She gave me a blank stare, her mouth open a little. She didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t need to. I said it so someone outside of my life could be witness to the truth.

“Umm...I don't know if that…” she stammered. “Shall we continue the tour?”

I almost laughed again but stuck with the grin. I was in a good fucking mood.

“Shall we?” I offered Ms. Hall my arm. She took it, but I could tell she was somewhat wary of me after the marriage comment.

She went over all the details she’d discussed with my mother over the phone. The only reason I cared as much as I did was because it was in honor of my old man. The Salvatore Maggio Heart Foundation provided heart-saving medicines and treatment for those who couldn’t afford them. It also did screenings, counseling, and maintenance for preventive health.

Our tour ended before Roma’s did. She was still talking to the kids when Ms. Hall went back to her office to grab some paperwork. As fate would have it, the teacher announced a break. The kids had to complete some sheets on their own.

Roma’s eyes met mine. She gasped when I picked her up and hauled her into the lady’s bathroom, the costume’s arms flailing and her feet dangling. I locked the door behind me. She had her back as close to the wall as the blow-up costume would allow.

“Hello, Dino,” I said.

“You’re wherever I go.” She was almost breathless. “Don’t you ever have to work? Or sleep?”

“I do.” I stalked toward her.

Her eyes darted from left to right, but there was nowhere to run. I pushed into the costume, hoping the fucking thing would pop. It was pushing back. I leaned in and kissed her lips. Her mouth tasted like candied apricots from the Mediterranean.

Her eyes slowly opened after I pulled back some. She gazed at me like she was high. “On the surface, you’re here to go over the plans for the event, but I have a feeling you want something else.”

“Of course.” I fixed my suit. “I have a proposition for you.”

It looked like she wanted to reach out and fix my collar, but she couldn’t. Her arms were trapped. It was the first time I’d ever gotten the sense she wanted to initiate the first touch without having a deal in mind. It did things to me that were hard to put into words.

“I can see it in your eyes.” She waddled down the wall some. “You have something reckless on your mind, but you can’t pop Herman. He was extremely hard to find, and the kids love him.”

“Herman?”

“The dinosaur I’m wearing, Felice.”

The grin that came to my face couldn’t be stopped. She grinned too.

“I know. I look ridiculous.” She glanced at herself in the mirror before she sighed. “But I love teaching the kids about prehistoric times, and Herman keeps their attention.”

It wasn’t Herman. It was her. Some people shared light with the world. Some people snuffed it out. I was usually the latter, but I couldn’t help but be drawn to her. There was no cure for whatever this was between us. I belonged to her, and she belonged to me. It was that simple, though the world was trying to complicate it.

She melted into my embrace when I ran the outer part of my finger up and down her face.

“Your proposition?” she whispered.

Her breath trembled when I moved to her lips. I traced them with a finger, already knowing the shape by heart, then I pulled her bottom lip down, keeping a grip on her chin.

“After the event, spend the weekend with me.”

Her eyes popped open. “I can’t,” she said right away. “You said you would give me—”

“Time. I am.” My voice came out hard and my tone was clipped.

“I don’t understand then.”

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