Bonus Epilogue
Nathaniel
The sun streams over the plunging cliffside like a golden waterfall, bouncing off the rainbow colored houses, the ribboning walkways, down the dizzying drop to the sparkling azure water. I grip Izzy’s hand and lean over the brick wall, tasting the salt in the sea air and marveling at the breeze blowing over us, carrying the sound of fisherman a hundred feet below, bringing in their catch of sardines. If there was a postcard of heaven, this would be the picture.
Izzy stands on her tiptoes and runs her lips over my jaw, she gives a little hum and her mouth vibrates against my skin. “Is it everything you thought it’d be?” she asks as I pull her closer.
I nod. “Just about.”
Cinque Terre, the little villages perched along the sheer coastline of Italy, is the place I told Izzy I’d go if I ever took a vacation. I had two years since that conversation to come here, but now I realize, I was waiting for Izzy to take the trip with me.
She juts her chin in the air and frowns, and the expression is so Izzy, that I can’t help but grin at her.
“Nathaniel Barry. What do you mean just about? This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.”
She points at the houses, dozens of pastel colored homes, piled together like a Tetris game, perched on the cliff’s edge, then she points to the shining water and the bright wooden boats bobbing on the waves.
“Aaaand this lemon soufflé is pure heaven in my mouth.” She gestures at the soufflé on our metal café table. “What more could you want?”
When she asks this my grin spreads even wider. We’ve been married two weeks. We were planning to come to Cinque Terre for our honeymoon right after we got married, but we were…distracted. The four walls of our bedroom and the four corners of our bed proved to be very, very distracting.
“Well,” I rub my chin and pretend to think, while Izzy waits impatiently for my answer. The scent of the lemon soufflé drifts on the breeze, and Izzy’s warmth seeps into me. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier in my life. “Well, the thing is, when I pictured Cinque Terre, I never thought about what I’d do once I got there.”
“Hmmm.” Izzy’s hand drifts over my chest and my heart picks up speed. Behind us, the busy sounds of the café fade into the background. “And now that you’re here?”
I tug her around, positioning her against the stone wall, her legs pressed between mine. “It’s the most romantic environment on earth,” I muse, and a humor-filled light sparks in her eyes. “And I’m with the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“Is that so?”
I lean closer, looking into her sea blue eyes, and luxuriate in the feel of her. “It’s a fact,” I say, brushing my lips over her sun-warmed mouth. She tastes of lemon soufflé, crisp Italian wine, and Izzy.
I thread my hands through her hair and pull her against me, taking her mouth. I’m blinded by her, by the love I feel and by the overwhelming need I have to kiss her and to love her. Before I can forget, I pull my mouth from hers and say, “Now it’s everything I wanted.”
“Good answer.” Her lips curve and I take them again.
Suddenly, the wide blue sky with its cool salty breeze, the diamond-studded sea and its soaring gulls overhead, the towering cliffs, the rainbow cottages, the cafés filling narrow streets with smells of fresh baked bread, basil, and lemon, all of it is wrapped up and packaged in a single perfect moment, because I’m kissing my wife.
“Nathaniel,” she breathes.
“Mmm.” I run my hands over her back and press my mouth to the heart-shaped freckle over her lip.
“Nathaniel,” she squeezes my arms, and I take a minute to taste her lips again. We should order another dessert. Maybe something chocolate.
“Nathaniel. That man is stealing our bags.”
“Mhmm.” I play with the hem of her shirt, and press my mouth to her full lips. “That’s nice,” I say, my voice rumbling against her. Then what she said sinks in.
“He’s what?”
“Stealing our bags.”
I jerk around just in time to see a man in gray pants and a leather jacket sprint around the alley bend, my bag and Izzy’s backpack thrown over his shoulder.
Izzy shoves off the wall and runs after him, “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”
I grab her hand, “I’ll catch him.”
Then I take off after the thief. Unfortunately, the town has dozens of narrow alleys, twisting roads and steep slopes. I have a better chance of catching a taxi at rush hour. Fifteen minutes later I’m back at the café, out of breath and without our bags.
When Izzy sees me a small smile plays around the edge of her lips. “So…”
I sit down across from her at our table and take a long swallow of wine. “So.”
She tilts her head and I know she’s remembering the exact same thing I am. I pull my money clip out of my pocket. She tugs a pile of change from her jeans and drops it on the table.
I tally it up.
She lifts an eyebrow.
“So. We have two hundred seventy six euros, and…” I push the coins around, “sixty two cents.”
Izzy’s foot tangles with mine and she drags her heel up my leg. Her eyes are filled with laughter. “At least we still have our passports,” she drawls.
I nod. “At least there’s that.”
“And I once hitchhiked five hundred miles-” she says.
“And sang the whole of Cats-” I agree.
“And you and me, we can dance for-”
I take her hand, feeling ridiculously happy and free for someone who just had his bags, credit cards, and clothing stolen. “Do you think we can manage the next two weeks traveling Italy on two hundred euros?”
Izzy lifts her chin, “Is my name Izzy Barry?”
I grab her hand and rub my finger around the warm wedding ring that I put on her only two weeks ago. “Why, I think it is.”
“Then yes, I figure, I can do anything I put my mind to. What do you think Nathaniel?”
I grin at her and she grins back. “I think, this is going to be a trip we won’t ever forget.”
She stands and I stand too. I wrap my arms around her, pull her against me, and we look out over the sea, ready for adventure.
7 years later
Izzy
The train glistens silver in the fluorescent light of the station. I hang on tight to Charlotte and Caleb’s hands, as a pocket of steam rushes over us, and the cacophony of the station threatens to overwhelm them.
“Hang on to mama,” I tell them.
“Is that our train?” Caleb asks, his expression is so intent that he looks just like his dad. He’s four and loves all vehicles, big and small. We’re about to head to Romeo, for a stay in the country and for the kids to visit Erma.
“Sure is,” I tell them.
Caleb’s interested in the windows, the wheels, the station, everything really, but Charlotte is distracted by the man at the kiosk selling snacks.
We’re at the same platform where I boarded the train nearly a decade ago and met Nate. Suddenly, I’m overwhelmed with how different I am, boarding the train today, than I was then. I could never imagine how full my life would be, how blessed I’d be. How years later I’d be standing in the same spot with my own family.
“Can we get on?” Caleb asks.
I’m about to say, we’re waiting on your dad, when I see Nate coming down the stairs. Baby Jeremiah’s sleeping in his arms, and Nate’s searching the crowd for us. When he sees me his smile widens.
“Daddy!” Charlotte calls.
When he gets to us, he presses a kiss to my lips, and murmurs, “Fancy meeting you here.”
I smirk at him, but then Charlotte is pulling on his sleeve. “Daddy, can I have smacks?”
I smother a laugh. Charlotte always asks for smacks instead of snacks.
Nathaniel pretends to consider. Then, “Of course. Didn’t you know? They have a snack cart on the train. It’s full of all the best snacks. And you get to eat as much as you like.”
Charlotte’s eyes go wide and even Caleb looks impressed.
“Really?” She turns to me for confirmation.
“Really,” I agree. “Daddy always buys all the snacks.”
Nathaniel winks at me. Then holding hands, we all walk toward the train to Romeo.
“You ready for our first long train trip with the kids?” Nate asks, his mouth brushing my ear.
“Never been readier.” I give him a sassy smile, and he nearly stops walking, because whenever I give him that smile, he usually has to push me into a bedroom, or a closet, or anywhere really.
But since we’re in the train station, with all the kids, he shakes out of it pretty quickly. Then looking around, he says, “I’m really glad you sat next to me that day. Did I ever tell you that?”
I smile at him. He tells me that nearly every day. My chest fills with love. “You sure did.”
“Come on! Come on!” Caleb pulls my hand, aching to get on the train. Charlotte rushes with him, eager to keep up with her brother.
I look back at Nathaniel, laughter on my lips, love in my heart, and he grins at me, fully prepared for the ride.
“Love you,” I mouth.
“Love you back,” he says.
Then we’re on the train, heading to Romeo, all of us, together.
