Out of the Dark (9 page)

“Maybe you can take me swimming some time?”

His face drops and turns to stone. “No. No, I don’t think so. I don’t swim anymore.” He moves me off his lap and stands, trying to avoid me, but I grab his hands.

Whatever caused his reaction must be painful, but I not only want to, I need to know about this piece of him.

“Wait. Stefan, talk to me.” I take his face between my hands. “You can tell me anything.”

He looks in my eyes for several moments before he speaks. “I told you I have a younger sister, Gemma, but I also had an older sister named Luciana. The reason I don’t swim anymore is because she drowned. She drowned twenty years ago in Lake Seneca, and I was there. I watched it happen. I tried to save her, and I . . . couldn’t.” His voice cracks, and he bites his lip, fighting off tears.

My heart and soul ache for him in ways I cannot express. There’s such a haunted sadness in his eyes. I have no words, and I don’t press him any further. Instead, I wrap my arms around him and hold him, pressing my ear to his chest and listening to his precious heartbeat.

***

Several days later, we walk through the vineyard at sundown in much lighter spirits. It’s a perfect moment. Everything is just as I would wish it to be in my dreams. The man I love by my side, the smell of the sweet earth all around me, long shadows lingering between the tangled grapevines—no worries, no intruders, just us.

Stefan has been quiet all evening.

He holds my hand, and in the heat of the summer evening, I can feel his sweat. He clears his throat several times as we walk, and I begin to wonder if maybe his perspiration is due to something besides the temperature. He seems nervous.

I steal a side-glance and find his brow furrowed in concentration.

The soft amber sunlight casts a gorgeous glow on his face.

I stop walking, and he turns to face me. His eyes look lost.

“What is it?”

He looks down at the ground and takes both his hands in mine.

My body turns to ice when I see him drop down on one knee.

He takes out a small black box from his pocket. “Carina, I’m in love with you. After so long, I feel my soul has found its match. You’re what I’ve been longing for. You are beauty and grace and peace. I don’t deserve you, and I never will, but I hope that you will overlook my flaws and do me the honor of being my love forever.”

I’m trembling, and my mind and body feel as if they are splitting apart. I feel as though I’ve stepped outside myself, and I’m watching it all from a distance.

“Carina, will you marry me?” He opens the box.

Even though the light reflecting from the enormous gem is staggering, I don’t look at the ring. I look at him, and I’ve never been more sure of anything ever before. I’ve fallen into his world, and I never want to leave it. “Yes, I will marry you,” I answer in a steady and sincere voice.

He slips the ring on my finger.

The huge square stone is surrounded by smaller diamonds, which also adorn the band. It’s beautiful.

“I am yours forever, Stefan.”

He stands and slides his hand up my neck and into my hair. “I guarantee I’m going to make you very, very happy.”

He kisses me, and I believe him.

We make love right there in the earth of the vineyard with my eyes on the emerging stars. Night has fallen, and afterward, I lay spent in the crook of his arm, gazing at a sliver of moon.

“There’s something I must share with you, Carina.”

“What is it?”

“This may change the answer you’ve given me, and I understand if it does.”

Fear ripples through me, and I sit up. I don’t want anything to come between us, and my heart is already breaking in anticipation. “Tell me.”

He takes a deep breath. “I don’t want to have children. I don’t feel I could be a good father. I have to tell you this now. It wouldn’t be right for me to keep this from you, and if you want to leave me, I understand.” He covers his face with his hands.

I straddle his lap and pull his hands away, holding them in mine. “Stefan, look at me.” His cool eyes meet my gaze, and I know that what I’m about to say is true. “There’s nothing that I want more than you. Nothing.”

I’d always assumed I’d have a family, but that assumption floats away from me like a forgotten balloon. All I want is him.

“You have no doubts? No reservations?”

“Not one. I love you.”

He sighs and his whole body relaxes. “Carina . . .” He smiles, shaking his head. “I love you, too.”

That night, we eat dinner together in the formal dining room.

Bianca presents lovely steaks, and I can’t wait to dig in.

I slice the meat and find it to be a bit tough, but I don’t mind.

Stefan does.

He slams his steak knife down, and I jump. “Bianca!”

She hurries back into the room.

“Take our plates back to the kitchen, and throw this shit in the trash. Tell Fabrizio he better make them
medium rare,
not fucking burned to hell!”

Bianca doesn’t flinch at the outburst. “Yes, sir.” She behaves as if this is typical and clears both plates in an instant.

I, on the other hand, am horrified. “Stefan, was that necessary? They were just a bit tough. Did you need to shout like that?”

He sips his wine and wipes his mouth on his napkin. “Darling, I don’t pay anyone on my staff to make mistakes. That was unacceptable, and now Fabrizio knows it. I guarantee you it will never happen again.”

I say no more but eat my new, perfectly cooked steak in its entirety when it’s set in front of me.

Chapter Six

“Rocco is picking Lorenzo up at the airport and then meeting up with me. I have some matters to take care of so I’ll be out for the day, but I’ll return home for dinner. I’d like for you to see to it that Lorenzo is comfortable and have Bianca make up the guest room for him.” Without giving me a chance to respond, he kisses me on the cheek and is gone.

I’m left standing in our bedroom, bewildered. He had just given me orders like I was one of his servants. I stare at the ring on my hand.

I’m the woman of the house now. He just wants me to keep things under control while he’s gone. It’s how he is, that’s all.

I head downstairs later that afternoon and hear a bellow of laughter coming from the kitchen.

“I can cook just as well as you! Now don’t criticize until you’ve tasted it. American food isn’t all bad.”

When I enter the room, I see a tall, lean man with tan skin and short, warm brown hair. He’s very muscular and standing at the stove, encircled in smoke.

Fabrizio and Bianca are seated at the table laughing so hard they look as though they can barely breathe.

“I’m not even going to ask how you want your burgers because these are all
well done.
”

They laugh even harder, and I can’t help but giggle myself.

The tall man turns and a bright, white smile blazes across his face. “Hello. You must be Carina.” He steps close, and I extend my hand. He shakes it and leans in to place a gentle kiss on my cheek. “Congratulations on your engagement. Welcome to the family.” His hand lingers in mine.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Lorenzo.”

He stops shaking my hand and puts an arm around my shoulder, pulling me close and whispering in my ear, “My whole family calls me Lorenzo. They always have. Between you and me, I can’t stand it.” He leans away then bumps his elbow playfully against mine. “Call me Enzo.” He winks.

“Okay. It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Enzo.”

“Mr. Lorenzo was just dazzling us with his amazing culinary ability.” Fabrizio chuckles and gazes at Bianca, who starts laughing all over again. “Miss Carina is a chef, you know,” he says.

Enzo nods. “Yes, I know. My uncle told me. Cooking is a passion of mine, but as you can see, sometimes I win and sometimes I lose. I wanted to make lunch for everyone, but it doesn’t seem like that’s gonna work out.”

“Do you all still have an appetite? I can make something.”

Enzo smiles, and I realize he hasn’t taken his eyes off me since he introduced himself.
 

“What are you thinking? I can help.”

“Maybe we should stay away from red meat. How about salmon? We can grill it.”

Enzo rubs his hands together in a gesture of anticipation. “Perfect.”

Fabrizio and Bianca recline by the pool for a change while Enzo and I prep the meal and fire up the grill. They seem happy to be waited on as Enzo refills their wine, and they chat while he and I sear the salmon.

“So where did you study, Carina?”

“At the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.”

“I’m jealous.”

“If you enjoy cooking so much, why didn’t you pursue it?”

“My fate has always been written in the stars. Taking over the family business has always loomed on the horizon. It seemed silly to invest in a degree that I would never use professionally.”

“Yes, but wine is your business. Food and wine go together. Going to the CIA would only enhance your c—”

“The vineyard? The vineyard isn’t our only business, Carina.”

His phone rings, and he stops to answer it before I can question what he means.

“Hello, Uncle Stefan. Yes, we were just getting to know each other. She’s absolutely lovely.” He glances up to smile at me. “Oh? Well, that’s too bad. I can join you tomorrow then. Do you want to talk to Carina? Um . . . okay I’ll let her know.” He ends the call.

“What’s going on?”

“He got held up. He won’t be back until tomorrow.”

“He didn’t want to talk to me?”

“I think he was just busy.”

“He’s always busy,” I mutter.

Enzo flips the fish. “You’re right. I was hoping he would slow down now that he’s with someone.”

“Yeah, well, I guess not.”

Bianca chuckles again at Fabrizio, and Enzo plates the fish.

“I’m not really hungry, Enzo. I’m going to go for a walk. I’ll see you later.” I descend from the veranda to the vineyard.

“Are you sure?” he calls out. “Okay. See you later.”

The evening is beautiful and fragrant. As I go deeper into the grapevines, I watch the moon rise higher.

I’ve always been a loner. I’m an only child. With the exception of my parents and a few close friends, no one has ever really tried to get to know the real me. No one has ever taken much of an interest in me . . . until Stefan.

But is he really interested in
me
?

I start to question why he goes away on business so often if his family is really important to him. We’re engaged, and I’ll soon become a part of that family. The same family he hasn’t actually seen in months.

Stefan may have a way with words, but I feel more at ease with Enzo than I’ve ever felt with Stefan.

I hear footsteps and turn to find Enzo jogging up beside me.

His exuberant smile gleams, and he holds out a hooded sweatshirt. “It was getting chilly. I thought you might be cold.”

I slip it on. “Thanks for thinking of me. How was dinner?”

“Delicious and in no way burned. Saved you some.”

He falls in step beside me, and I feel as if he’s an old friend who has come to visit rather than a stranger.

“So what are you doing out here all alone? Something bothering you? Is it what I said before?”

“I don’t know, I guess. I’ve been so enamored with Stefan and this place. Everything is so magical here. It’s easy to fall in love with this. It’s like a fairy tale. I guess what you said made me sad because it’s really not like that. Stefan
is
away a lot, and I get lonely.” Enzo put his arm over my shoulder in an intimate gesture that startles me at first, but then I relax beside him. He’s comforting.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Carina. You should just talk to Stefan about how you feel.”

But will he listen?

“Thank you, Enzo. You’re right. I will. Thank you for everything . . . really. You’ve been so kind to me, and we just met.”

He stops and removes his arm. “What kind of movies do you like?”

“I love a good horror movie. Why?”

“Interesting. I never would have pegged you as a horror movie girl. How would you like to take advantage of the home theater? Whenever I’m here, I set up shop in there and run movies for hours. I mean, I’m sure you and Stefan do the same . . .”

I have only been in that theater once, my first day, when Stefan showed me around the house. I cast my eyes down, saddened by the fact that I’ve never even watched a movie with a man that I’ve agreed to marry.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to. I just thought it would cheer you up.”

I lift my eyes and smile. “It would. Let’s go.”

***

“This is
by far
the scariest movie ever.” Enzo sprawls out in the theater seat beside me with an overflowing bowl of popcorn in his lap. “Want some?”