There’s hope in the sunrise. Like watching it is magic and can somehow transform everything, fix it.

I feel bold and safe.

Nothing can touch us in the moment and the only thing I can do is be better for us both.

“Ilaria, let’s make today a new start. Me and you. No friends or business. We can just have each other.”

She’s quiet as if she’s thinking about it and I hate that she has to think about something that I already know the answer to. Both of us are aware of how much doing nothing but being together can cause chaos in each of our lives.

“One condition. We text every one now and then our phones go on ‘Do Not Disturb’. Only time we can look at a phone is for pictures and buying something for the day.”

“Deal.”

And she lets me kiss her as we start a new day.

No thought of the Cartel shooting up our party.

No thought of Becca being involved somehow.

No thought of Francesco trying to fuck and marry my wife.

All I think about is Ilaria in my arms and how this is the most right I’ve felt in a long time.

29DANTE

Ilaria looks so cute with her hat on backwards, the red on her cheeks from too much time in the sun today making her eyes stand out more.

I should have given her sunscreen.

When I had said a new start I thought we would spend the couch kissing each other and ordering takeout but she had taken it as a full day of dates.

Dates that we should have gotten if we were a regular couple.

Our day hadn’t started until around 11am when we woke up wrapped in each other. Ilaria made me call someone to come clean and fix the penthouse while she showered and by the time I slunk in to join her she was already pulling clothes on.

Two coffees for her and one for me later and we were on the orange line, taking it a stop to State Street where she pulled me off and getting roasted peanuts to eat between sips of her dessert latte she had ordered.

I teased her about her coffee but tasting the sweetness on her lips was my favorite treat.

Ilaria held my hand or my arm, letting me steal kisses as we walked through the commons and pressing herself against me as we waited at crosswalks. She made me feel like she was my second skin and I loved having her close like this.

It felt good to just feel like we were on a date. None of the pressure that had been weighing on our relationship.

We played tourist in our town.

Riding Swan Boats as I stole kisses between her laughter and stood at the observation tower at the Prudential looking over the city. Walking down Newbury St as we ducked into stores and Ilaria played dress up with me as I just beamed under the way her hands felt touching me. How her eyes searched mine as if she wanted approval, which felt like a drug from someone who was so sure of themselves. How she smiled when I bit my lip, giving directions of where to have things delivered.

So this was what love was.

Ending the night we had gone to a local bar for a few beers before Ilaria insisted that we go to the Red Sox game where we sat in the grandstands with her legs over mine as she kept score with a pencil on the scorecard, marking everything without even having to look at the key to figure out what to do.

I reached over pulling off her hat to get her attention. My fingers tugged at her ponytail, rolling the black elastic around my wrist as I ran my fingers through her curls as they fell down, earning me another one of those smiles that I could melt in.

After the past couple weeks this was what we needed.

A day for just us to get along and get to know each other. No plans but just going along with everything and making memories together.

This was the life I had always thought out of reach and yet here it was under my fingertips.

“Let’s go home.” Taking her hat from my hands she pulled it back over her curls with a soft tug.

I had thought she would argue with me but she nodded her head, packing up her scorecard and standing up as she took my hand as we navigated through the crowds to head back home.

I had walked home from baseball games before.

Something about Boston at night always calmed me. It was the quiet loudness of a city that was home. The way sleepy brownstones holding families were mixed with drunk college kids sharing a pizza as they stumbled back to cramped dorms.

I liked taking  my time as I slid through the streets, taking an hour to go home but now I wanted to be home with Ilaria, back in bed with her as I held her in my arms an hour ago and didn’t want to share her with anyone else.

Ilaria made a sound as we slid into a car I had order for us. Her head on my shoulder as a soft yawn escaped those pretty lips of hers.

“Tired, principessa?”

My fingers reached out to pull off her ball cap, swirling strands of her chocolate hair around my fingers as Ilaria shifted, looking up at me with her eyes soft, warm and inviting me into her.

So this was what my fiancée looked like when she was happy.

This was beautiful.

“Today was perfect.” She muttered it with her sleepy little voice.

Her nose nuzzling into my neck as she hummed to herself in a way that made me aware that I was going to have to carry her out of here and into our home.

But it was just another excuse to hold her in my arms so I pulled her closer, letting her fall asleep on the short ride to our place.

Our place.

Home.

Ilaria fit in my arms as I carry her up, loving how she curled instinctively against me. Her hand fisting the front of my shirt as I kiss her forehead as I move into our place with the safety of her in my arms.

Thank God it had been cleaned. All of it was repaired and new sheets on the bed. A safe place for my treasure to lay, safe.

“Principessa?”

I test her name in my mouth as she made a whine of a sound nuzzling that little sunburnt nose against a pillow.