Forever, For Always Read online

  “Yeah, Benny’s pretty hard to say no to.”

  “I think it’s the curls.” Isaac laughs as he spins his finger above his head imitating Benny’s hair.

  “So, how do we do this? “ I ask, rocking back on my heels. I don’t know why I’m all of a sudden nervous around him.

  “I’m not on duty until Sunday. After that, it’s three days in a row I work and I’ll be pretty busy because I have training two of those nights. How about the two of you come over for dinner tonight?”

  “We can do that. Are you cooking?”

  He smirks. “I think I have something I can pull from out of my sleeve.” I hadn’t realized how close in proximity the two of us have gotten, like we were in our own little bubble, until Gloria’s voice pops it.

  “It looks like there is a pretty important conversation going on over here.” She is smiling at the scene she just interrupts between us.

  I look at Gloria and am sure I’m blushing, which I hate.

  “We were just discussing what I should make her and Benny for dinner tonight. Do you think I need to break out my specialty?” Isaac smiles with pride at Gloria. I love seeing how much he cares about her. She really is a mother to him and you can tell he respects her immensely.

  “Is it a special occasion? I thought you only made that for special occasions?” Gloria is not dumb. She knows what she is doing here.

  “Yeah.” he answers her as he looks over at me. “I think it is.”

  Gloria looks back and forth between us and shakes her head trying to hide a big grin. “I’m not sure what happened between the last few weeks and yesterday, but maybe it is a good the two of you took some time out and had some adult time together. Kids are amazing little blessings, but sometimes it’s also healthy to focus on you. Am I looking at some evening date night babysitting duty in the near future?”

  I feel so out of my element here. I don’t do this. I don’t get close to people. But, this, this feels good. It feels right.

  “Possibly.” I reach over and link my pinky with Isaac’s. I think he may be just as shocked as I am that I made such a move, even as miniscule as it seems.

  This gets quite a rise out of Gloria for some reason, sending her into full on Spanish. She contains herself to finally speak in English. “Okay, kids. I’m going to head back inside now. I have my novelas recorded than I need to catch up on.”

  “I’ll run Luca home before I head to the store.”

  “Okay, thank you, Isaac. Have fun tonight.”

  Gloria turns and walks to where Luca and Benny are now drawing with sidewalk chalk. She kisses the top of both their heads to tell them goodbye, then heads back into her apartment.

  “I need to get a few things after I drop Luca off. I wasn’t prepared for making dinner tonight. I’ll be back in about two hours to pick you two up.”

  “You don’t have to make anything special for us, Isaac. You know Benny and I aren’t picky.”

  “Hush,” he says against my lips, quickly drawing away before the boys see. His smile is ear to ear. “I’ll see you two in a bit.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  We walk into Isaac’s house and Benny takes off to the couch. He’s already working the remote like he owns the place. The savory aroma in the air immediately takes over my senses. My eyes dart over to Isaac who is standing to my left. He changed his shirt before picking us up. He’s still wearing khaki shorts, but traded his tee shirt out for a black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He laughs at my expression. “What?”

  “What are you cooking?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  I stare at him for a moment and realize that he doesn’t know that I hate surprises. He is blocking the main entryway to the kitchen so I take off in a run to the living room so I can make my way around the breakfast bar, but I’m caught mid turn around the granite countertop. He swoops me up by my hips and I let out a scream that turns into a fit of giggles. He spins me around so I’m no longer facing the kitchen.

  “I don’t think so,” he murmurs into my ear.

  “I’m not really big on surprises.”

  “You don’t say?” he says sarcastically.

  “Benny, I have a job for you,” Isaac calls to him.

  Benny hops off the couch and struts over to where we are standing. He doesn’t even seem fazed that Isaac is still holding onto me so that I don’t try to make it into the kitchen. “I’m good at jobs. I like helping.” He seems so sure of himself that it’s cute.

  “I need you to take your Mommy for a walk out on the beach. I need to finish up dinner but she’s getting in my way in here,” he tells him with a disgusted look.

  Benny giggles. “Okay, I can do that.” He reaches for my hand and takes the lead as we walk out the big glass patio door.

  I turn around once my feet hit the sand and stick my tongue out at Isaac. He replies with a wink and walks back into his kitchen.

  Around twenty minutes or so later, Isaac walks out to the beach to where Benny and I are. Benny has a stick and is practicing writing his name over and over in the sand, trying to mimic the BENNY that I drew first.

  “Dinner’s ready.”

  “About time,” I joke.

  “Why don’t you sit out on the patio? Benny and I will bring out the food. Right, Ben?”

  Benny drops his stick and runs to Isaac’s side. “Right.”

  I sit down and there are already three places set at the glass patio table along with ice waters. I look up just as Isaac walks out the door with a huge serving dish. He sets it down to the side of the table. The dish is overflowing with filet mignons smothered in sautéed mushrooms and onions along with a giant side of king crab legs.

  “Fancy,” I mock at him after he sets down the tray of baked potatoes that Benny just handed him and they both take a seat.

  “Ooops! I forgot the other thing,” Benny screeches as he hops down out of his chair and sprints back inside the house. He comes back out carrying a vase that is holding two hot pink roses. He hands it to Isaac who puts it down in the middle of the table while Benny retakes his position in his seat. “We always bring women flowers before dinner,” Benny says, imitating what Isaac told him the first time we went out to eat together.

  “You are such a smart boy, you are very right,” Isaac commends him as Benny beams.

  I set Benny’s now full plate with his cut up food in front of him so he can eat.

  “So, what do these represent tonight then?” He knows I’m talking about the roses.

  “Bright pink roses express gratitude, appreciation and recognition,” he says as if he is an eloquent poet. “In other words, thank you.”

  “Thank you?” I’m not quite sure what he is thanking me for.

  “Thank you for giving this a chance. I know how hard this is for you. I know it may not seem like it since I was the one pushing for this, but this is all new to me too. I told you, I’ve never really made time for any type of relationships before. Not one with any meaning to it that is.”

  The mood of the conversation is broken when we hears taps of crab legs walking across the table. Benny has one in each hand and is pretending they are walking toward us. “How do I eat these?” he asks puzzled. Isaac and I both chuckle at him.

  “I’m sorry, Benny. I forgot you’ve never eaten them before.” I tell him as I get up and make my way to stand behind him. I grab a crab leg in between my hands and break it in half, showing him the meat inside. “You take this out and dip it in the melted butter in this little dish.” I dip a piece of crab meat into the butter and hand it to him. He looks at it with peaked interest and takes a bite.

  “Yeah, I like that,” he happily says mid chew.

  I laugh at him. “Don’t get used to it.”

  After finishing our dinner and dessert, Isaac gives Benny his phone so he can play a game on it while I cut myself a second slice of the decadent homemade tiramisu Isaac made.

  “I can’t believe you made this,” I say to
him as I slip the fork slowly out of my mouth, savoring every bite. He got just the right combination of espresso, custard, and lady fingers. “Are you sure you are not really an undercover high end chef on the side? This is seriously the best tiramisu I’ve ever eaten,” I tell him after stuffing another bite into my mouth and pointing to the small amount left on my plate.

  “I kinda got that after your second slice.”

  Something hits the deck and we both look over to where Benny was laying on the patio swing playing games. He must have fallen asleep and dropped Isaac’s phone.

  “Uh oh, sorry! I hope your phone’s okay.”

  Isaac walks over to pick it up. “It’s fine. That’s what a case is for. I can lay him on the bed in my spare room if you want. I wouldn’t want him to roll off the swing next.”

  “That would be great, thanks.”

  I walk out to the beach while Isaac carries Benny inside. I step into the water just where the tide meets the sand. The gentle waves lap up against my legs so I lift up the bottom of my crème colored skirt so it doesn’t get too wet. This is the second evening I have gotten to see the sun set out over the ocean. I don’t think I could ever get sick of this view.

  ***

  “I don’t ever think I could get sick of this view,” Dominic says from behind me as we stand out on the balcony of our hotel room in Venice. We traveled to Italy four days ago so Vincent could visit his ill mother, Dominic’s grandmother. She doesn’t have much time left and is really the sweetest woman I’ve ever met. Even without understanding a single word she says in Italian, I can tell she has a heart of gold. It honestly makes me wonder how Vincent became so evil.

  We haven’t seen Vincent in two days, who knows where or who he is with.

  “I know!” I breathtakingly exclaim while looking out over at the ancient buildings lining the banks and the gondolas slowly floating below in the Grand Canal. “This city is amazing! I can’t get over how beautiful everything is.” I turn around to look at Dominic but am taken aback. I inhale a sharp breath as I realize he is down on one knee.

  “Adaline, this city does no justice to your beauty. Inside and out, you are breathtaking. I’m not sure how or why we were made to live this shameful life we have, but I know one thing. That is even through all the horrible times, you were always my angel waiting by my side. My best friend who was always there to back me up no matter what crazy idea I had. My sunshine when all my skies were gloomy and grey. Because of that, I want to be your light that guides the way out of this darkness. Once you turn eighteen in two months, I want you to take my name and live forever by my side. We’ll never have to see Vincent, Manhattan, or work for Rossment ever again. Will you marry me?”

  He flips open the lid to the little blue box to showcase a princess cut diamond ring. His hands are shaking as he reaches out for mine while I continuously nod my head yes in slow motion. “Yes, I will marry you Dominic Benjamin Rossi.”

  He takes hold of my own shaky left hand to steady it as he places the ring on my finger. I bend down to cup his cheeks in my hands and kiss him. He stands up, picking me up in the air as he does, never faltering on our kiss.

  He pulls away from me with serious eyes. “Thank you, Adaline. I promise to be the best husband for every moment that God gives us together. Whether it’s fifty years or just fifty hours, I will make you feel the way you deserve every second. You deserve to be loved and that I will always give you. Forever, for always. For all of time.”

  ***

  I look up at the stars and instantly find the North Star. I’ve long forgotten about my skirt that is now soaking wet as the waves bounce off of it while I was lost far away in my memories. The one thing Dominic always wanted for me was to be loved. The one thing I lived without for so many years before he and I were brought together. I think about what he’d want for me right now, but how hard it is to let my heart free. I have to try for him. I may never fall in love again, but I can at least let myself feel free from the chains of Vincent at least. Free to be happy and enjoy life. That was the whole reason for running off in the first place. To break free from the life we lived.

  Isaac appears behind me, taking me into his arms. “There you are. Why are you so far out in the ocean? It’s not safe this time of night with the riptide.”

  “Oh,” I say as I look around and realize that the shore is quite a few feet away from where I had started. “I was lost in my own world I guess. I wasn’t paying attention.”

  We walk back to the sand hand in hand.

  “Care to share what you were thinking about?”

  “Just the North Star,” I answer truthfully.

  Once we make it up to the house, he sits down on the second to bottom step on his back deck, pulling me to sit down on the bottom step in between his legs. I rest the back of my head against his chest, still staring up at the lit night sky. I hate feeling torn on letting this go any further. I have to make sure Isaac’s on the same page still.

  “Carlos seemed shocked this morning when he saw us together. He said that you never have been one to bring girls around. Pretty much that you were a dog to women and that everyone knows you don’t do the love thing. You’re just not that kind of guy. Which leads me to question, I know we agreed we aren’t doing the love thing, but what exactly are we doing, Isaac? I feel so comfortable with you. I don’t want this to end, but I don’t want it to really start either.”

  I feel his chest rise up and down as he sighs. “Carlos has a big mouth.”

  “He saw us kiss. You should have seen his face. He acted more than surprised over the whole encounter.”

  “He’s right, I’m not that guy. I honestly can’t explain what this is either. It’s like we have this connection that I can’t really explain into the right words. When I’m not with you I want to be around you. When you’re with me, I can’t get enough. I know I don’t want love, but what I feel for you, Vada, it’s more than just a like. Can we just not question it and go with the flow. You said yourself that you and Benny won’t be here forever. Let’s just enjoy this time we have together without the fear of falling. We both know it’s something we don’t want.”

  “Okay. As long as we both stay on the same page, this can work, we can do this. It’s not going to go farther either, if you know what I mean.”

  “As long as I can still kiss you, I don’t really care,” he mumbles softly in the side on my face.

  I turn my head to his and answer him with my lips.

  Chapter Fifteen

  It’s been a little over a month since Isaac and I decided on being whatever it is we are. We spend almost every day together when we’re not working, Benny included. We took up Gloria’s babysitting offer and even go out on a date, just the two of us, once a week. Usually on Fridays. I’m particularly excited about this Friday because it’s the last Friday of the month. That means tonight is Viernes Culturales.

  Viernes Culturales is pretty much a huge block party all down Calle Ocho, which is 8th Street in Little Havana. I’ve heard so much about it, like how the streets transform into a festival of sorts. It has live salsa bands, art galleries set up on the street, food, and drinks. I’ve wanted to check it out ever since I found out that it even existed. Last month’s fell on Isaac’s weekend shift, so he promised we would be going to July’s, which is tonight. I even bought a festive bright green colored dress just for tonight.

  I walk Benny over to Gloria’s for the night. He loves Friday nights at Gloria’s because that means he gets to have a sleepover with Luca. Even with the year and a half age difference, those two have become best friends. I don’t have to wait long for Isaac to pick me up there. He walks in the door just as I’m giving Benny a goodbye hug and kiss.

  “Be good for Gloria, Benny. I love you.”

  He looks at me as if I would just go already. “Forever, for always,” he says, trying to speed this process up.

  We say our goodbyes and head to Viernes Culturales.

  Isaac parks his cherry red con
vertible in a crowded parking lot. I can hear the music in the distance as it gets louder the closer we get as we walk the block to Calle Ocho.

  The smell of tobacco wafts through the air as we walk pass an open window cigar rolling shop with a mariachi band playing just outside its door. The smell of tobacco quickly turns to the spicy aroma of tamales as we near a food cart. An older gentleman tangos along the street with a mannequin woman attached to his shoes.

  “That’s actually quite impressive.” I point out as the wooden women’s fake hips sashay back and forth to the beat of the music.

  “He’s a regular,” Isaac informs me. We stop at a small stand and order mojitos and then walk along further to check out one of the many art vendors.

  I become enthralled in one that is selling handmade jewelry. I sip on my mojito, finishing the last bit as I hold up an intricate braided bracelet with beads woven into it to examine it more closely. Isaac snatches the bracelet from my grasp and hands it over to the vendor as he pulls his wallet out from his back pocket of his navy colored shorts. He pays for the bracelet and then sets his drink down on the table so he can tie it around my wrist.

  “Thank you.”

  He grabs my hand and pulls me to the side of the street, close to him. Nearby, two men pound their palms on bongos. One bongo is taller than the other. The man playing the shorter bongo sits cross-legged as he drums away, in sync with the other man.

  “I don’t know how to dance, Isaac.” I laugh as he guides the way, pushing and pulling me near and twirling me around until I’m almost dizzy.

  “That’s okay. I was never a good dancer myself. You just have to follow the music.”

  We dance away under the dark sky until we can dance no more. We’re both out of breath from trying to keep up with the ones who know how to truly salsa. I lean my head onto his shoulder as I lightly laugh. “I think we need to take lessons from the man with the mannequin next time. It’s a sad day when a woman made from wood can swing her hips better than I can.”