The Legacy (65 page)

Phillip taps his hands against the steering wheel, waiting
impatiently for the light to turn green. He isn't supposed to be
at Mali's for another hour and had been heading to the store
when the sudden feeling that she needed him made him do a uturn and head toward her house. He doesn't know what has
happened, but he does know she needs him.

When he reaches Mali's house, he knocks hard on the
door, his clothes drenched from the short run.
“Mali,” he calls and knocks again. Still there is no answer.
Leaning over the side of the porch, he peers through the
window, raking a hand through his dripping hair, combing it
back from his face.
Where is she?
Thinking he should try the back door, he walks around
the side of the house. As he reaches the back, he spots Mali
standing out in the yard, soaked to the skin, crying. Hot tears
burn his own eyes.
Mali looked up as Phillip draws near. Reaching her, he
pulls her in his arms, pressing her face against his shoulder. The
desperation of her embrace breaks his heart and he aches to
know what happened to cause her such pain. Drawing back, he
presses a hand to her cheek. “Let's go inside,” he whispers,
wanting to get her out of the rain. She pulls away.
“What is it?” he asks. As she silently stares at him through
pain-filled eyes, a feeling of desperation works it way to the
surface. “Talk to me, Mali. Tell me what has happened.”
Her bottom lip begins to tremble, her shoulders shaking
from both emotion and the chill of the rain. “I can't marry
you.” Her voice cracks.
“What do you mean, you can't marry me?” He reaches
out for her, but she pulls away. When he tries again and she
repeats the action, his frustration grows. “Talk to me, Mali!Why
can't you marry me?”
“Because I don't want to commit my heart and soul to
you and have you leave me later on when you've grown tired of
me!”
Her startling reply renders him speechless.
Where in the world did that come from?
He thought they were past this, having done everything
he could to show her she could trust him. Closing his eyes, he
takes a deep breath to calm himself, then he moves closer and
gently takes her face in his hands.
“I know you have been hurt, Mali, and I wish I could take
it all away. I wish I could say I understand what you are feeling,
but I can't. You have been abandoned twice in your life and I
know it hurt you tremendously both times. But I am not Jake,
Mali. And I am not your father.” He caresses her wet cheek. “I
am a man who has loved you for almost half my life.” His voice
cracks with emotion. “And I'll never stop. Because my love for
you
is
the
forever
kind.
It's
unconditional,
Mali.
It's
unconditional.”
Mali allows his words to seep into her mind and penetrate
her heart. Her head is still tempted to fight with her heart, but
when his warm mouth quickly presses against hers, the fight
leaves her. With his kiss, Jake's words fade from her mind. As
Phillip's arms enfold her and his kiss deepens, she can literally
feel emotion stirring in him, and she can no longer doubt his
love. It has been there in everything he has said and done. She
truly believes he has always loved her, and he always will. His
love really is the forever kind.

After drying off, Mali shares with Phillip her earlier
conversation with Jake. Phillip tells her he wishes he would
have been there. Mali is glad he wasn't because she didn't want
anyone hurt. Though if she were being truthful, seeing Phillip
laying into Jake would have been rather liberating. Now she just
wants to put it all behind her and begin her new life with
Phillip. She doesn't want to doubt anymore, she just wants to
trust. And she will learn to trust in him, trust in his love and
their love for each other.

The two spend the rest of the afternoon talking, just
enjoying their time together. Phillip informs Mali he is taking
her out to dinner and she quickly changes and does her hair
and makeup. On the way, they make a stop at Phillip's place so
can change as well.

Phillip cherishes every moment he is in Mali's presence.
After dreaming of being with her for so long, just being near
her stirs his emotions, and his love for her grows with each
passing second. He finds himself giving his arms a pinch every
now and again, wanting to be sure it isn't all a dream, that he is
really with her and she really loves him. He knows deep down
there are probably still a few doubts ingrained in her and it will
take some time to put her fears to rest, but he is determined to
do everything in his power to drive away her fears and help her
to know with certainty that he will never desert her. He will
show her what forever really means.

Having finished eating, Mali reaches across the table and
takes Phillip's hand, squeezing it gently. “Do you think we will
be as happy as your mom and dad?”

He
smiles
warmly.
“Oh,
at
least
as
happy.”
He
is
thoughtful for a moment. “If ever there was a great love story,
theirs is it. Mama shared it with me when I was ten, and I've
never forgotten.”

Phillip laces his fingers between hers. “Well, to truly
understand how amazing it is, I would have to start from the
beginning.”

“You
remember
that
many
details?”
she
asks
incredulously.
“I remember every single thing she told me. It was truly
incredible the way they came together.”
As Mali observes his awe-filled expression, she longs to
know the story that tugs at his heart so. “Start from the
beginning.”
He moves his chair closer to hers and takes her hand
again. “Well, actually, it all started with my grandmother, my
father's mother. Her husband died before Papa was born. She
stayed in Venice and raised him alone. She worked hard all her
life and managed to put some money away for Papa. After she
died, Papa took the money she left him and moved to America.
After moving around a bit, he finally settled in Salt Lake City
and opened a restaurant here. It hadn't been open a year when
an arsonist set fire to the place, burning it to the ground.”
Mali's eyes widen. “How terrible!”
“I know. Papa moved back to Italy after that. He bought
the home we now live in and opened
St. John's Place
.”
“Where some the best Italian dishes in the world are
created,” Mali says with a smile.
He grins. “My father is an amazing chef,” he agrees. “He
always has been.”
“And you take after him.”
He looks down humbly. “I still have a lot to learn, but I
try.” When she leans over and kisses his lips, he smiles and
clears his throat. “Anyway,” he continues and she laughs as he
attempts to get back on track. “A few months after the
restaurant opened, my father met Ingo Kelly when he came in
for lunch one day. They soon became the best of friends. To
Papa, Ingo was the brother he never had and they became very
close.
“My
mother
was
raised in
North
Carolina.
Her
childhood was painful, full of abuse and neglect . . .”
When he hesitates, Mali gives his hand a comforting
squeeze, urging him to go on. She'd never known much about
Cisely's life and is anxious to hear more.
“Mama went through years of drug and alcohol addiction
before becoming clean and sober.”
Mali's eyes again widen. She would never have guessed
Cisely had had so many struggles, and she can't picture her ever
living that kind of life. She turns her attention back to what he
is saying.
“A little over a year after becoming sober, Mama met a
woman named Jessica Kelly. She was visiting from Salt Lake.
Jessica was Ingo's aunt.”
“That's amazing.”
“It is. Jessica and Mama became close in the week Jessica
was there. A couple of months after she left, Mama received a
letter from Jessica inviting her to come and stay with her in
Utah for a while in the hope that she would grow to love it so
much, she would want to stay permanently. So Mama went
because she wanted to start over. While she was living with
Jessica, Ingo came to visit. His aunt introduced him to Mama,
they fell in love and soon married.”
“So, your brother was named after his biological father,”
Mali interjects.
“Yes, but it was actually a decision made by Mama and
Papa.” When Mali looks confused, he continues on quickly.
“You see, not very long after they were married, Ingo was killed
in a skiing accident.”
“How awful!” Mali says, imagining the grief Cisely and
Adagio must have felt.
“It was,” he agrees. “But Mama and Papa were a comfort
to each other and a bond formed between them. Then they
slowly began to fall in love. They tried for a while to fight their
feelings for each other, and they both experienced guilt over
the love they felt, but the time soon came when they could no
longer deny what was between them. They both prayed a great
deal and eventually came to the conclusion that what they felt
was right and they were supposed to be together.
“After they admitted their love for each other, Papa asked
Mama to marry him and she accepted. Before she had the baby
they decided together that his name should be Ingo Kelly St.
John. They married a month after my brother was born and
have been happy ever since.”
“That's incredible!” Mali says, awed by the whole story.
“They have an amazing marriage. It's like they were meant to
be together.”
“They were. I've never seen a couple more connected
than they are.”
Cupping his face, she leans over and kisses him and softly
says, “That is the kind of love we will have.”
He smiles. “We will.”