Secrets of the Past

Chapter 43

"Hi," Giovanna said, opening the door.

"Hi. You look beautiful." He stepped just inside her apartment and pulled her to him. "I'm sorry. I know we said we would drop it but it's eating me up."

She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. "I forgive you. Forgive yourself and move on." She leaned in and kissed him. He immediately sank into it and didn't want it to end. When she pulled away from him she turned and grabbed her purse. "Let's go eat."

It didn't take long to get there and they were seated right away because Brian had made a reservation. When their server came around to get their drink order, more out of habit than anything, he ordered a bottle of wine. The minute she walked away he regretted it.

"It's fine," Giovanna said, noticing the look on his face. "We can drink alcohol. I certainly am anyway." She smiled at him and he relaxed instantly.

"There is something I wanted to talk to you about, indirectly related to what happened."

"What's that?" he asked.

"I think you should spend less time with Chloe when you're in the office. I don't want her to get the wrong idea. I appreciate all you've done for her, but she's a big girl and she knows what she's doing now. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from. I have never asked you to change in any way, nor would I, but given what happened...I just think minimal contact is best for all involved."

"I do understand. It's a trust issue. We both broke your trust. Spending less time together is probably the best solution for trying to repair that."

"Thank you. That means a lot."

"I told you I would make it up to you. This is just the first step in doing that."

Their wine arrived and he poured them each a glass.

"So, it's only been a few days that we haven't seen each other or really spoke. I don't know if you remember that I leave tomorrow for a 17 city bus tour."

"It completely slipped mind. What's the first stop?"

"Poughkeepsie. Less than a three hour bus ride. We don't leave until noon."

"When will you be back?"

"The 23rd I think," he said. "Do you want to come out for one of the shows? We have a couple of days off in the middle of the tour. Let me see where we'll be."

He took out his phone and pulled up a list of tour dates. 

"So we'll be in Minneapolis then we have two full days off before a show in Des Moines. I could fly you to Minnesota."

"I'd like that," she said.

"Great. I'll make you a plane reservation tomorrow. You can fly out Saturday and just take the bus with us to Iowa."

"How would the other guys feel about that?"

"They all love you," he said. "They won't care."

After dinner they drove back to her apartment.

"Do you want to come in?" she asked.

Once they got into her apartment she poured them each a glass of Jameson and they sat on the couch. Neither of them spoke for moment and the silence felt awkward.

"So how about this weather we're having?!" he asked, trying to lighten the mood. She laughed and the atmosphere in the room changed.

"I'm gonna miss you," he said, moving closer to her and putting a hand on her knee.

"Yeah? I think you'll be having too much fun to miss me."

"My mind won't be occupied every minute of every day," he said, kissing her neck. "There will be plenty of time to miss you."

His hot breath and the feel of his beard brushing over her skin made her putty in his hands. She placed a hand on his chin and lifted his face to meet hers. She stared into his eyes for a minute before leaning in to kiss him. The kiss was slow and soft, and it deepened as the seconds ticked by.

Hands roamed as the kiss continued. She eventually broke away from him and led him to her bedroom. They undressed each other slowly before climbing onto the bed. They took their time exploring each other, almost as if they were doing this for the first time.

When they had finished, they laid there in the dark, his arm around her and her head resting on his shoulder. A sense of peace seemed to wash over both of them. They were back in each other's arms, where they both wanted to be more than anywhere else.

When she got up to get ready for work the next morning she woke him. He waited until she was ready to leave then walked outside with her. They stood by her car and said their good-byes.

"I'll let you know when I get your plane reservation sorted out. Probably gonna have to wait until I get on the bus to do that. I still have packing to do when I get home."

"Ok. You know how to reach me."

"I love you," he said, leaning in to kiss her.

"I love you, too. Be safe."

She got in her car and left. When he got home Brian showered and finished packing, before spending some quality time with his cats. He was going to miss them almost as much as he would miss Giovanna.

He picked up Sal and they headed to meet up with Joe and Murr.

"So how did it go last night?" Sal asked almost immediately. "Did you two patch things up?"

"Yeah. We talked about it and it's now behind us."

"That's great. I'm really happy for you buddy."

"Thanks man. That means a lot. There is one thing I wanted to run past you. All of you."

"What's that?" Sal asked.

"I invited Giovanna to come out to the show in Minnesota. We have two days off after that show. I told her she could ride on the bus with us to Iowa."

"That's fine with me. I don't know how far of a drive it is but those two states are right next to each other. I'm sure Joe and Murr won't care."

"Thanks. I could have just flown home for two days I suppose. But she hasn't been to one of our shows in a long time. Thought it would be nice to have a little get away, even if it's only for two days."

"I get it. We're gonna be gone for almost three weeks. And you guys just made up... Oh God."

"What?" Brian asked.

"No funny business on the bus. You'll have to wait until you get to your hotel."

Brian laughed. "You really think I would do that knowing the three of you were ten feet away? Talk about a boner killer."

"Well I know how you are. Just keep it in your pants on the bus."

"Ok dad," Brian said sarcastically.