Secrets of the Past

Chapter 59

Over the next two months Brian continued to take care of Giovanna while she healed. As promised, when he went out of town Kali stepped in. After staying with him for just over a month she insisted she was ok to take care of herself and went back to her apartment. Shortly after that she went back to work.

When it was finally time to get her cast removed Brian took her to the appointment. Because she hadn't been using her leg muscles for so long her doctor recommended physical therapy.

Brian had a month off from work and wanted to take her away. She didn't want to take a week off work since she'd already missed almost six weeks, so he settled for a long weekend.

He picked her up in Manhattan when she got off work Thursday and they drove to New Hope, Pennsylvania. He hadn't told her ahead of time where they were going and she was surprised when they pulled up to what looked like a large house.

"This is it?" she asked, looking up at the four story building. The top half was made of stucco, the lower half made of brick, and it had a green covered front porch that ran 3/4 the length of the building, a covered balcony on top of it. The sign above the door read Lambertville House.

"Yes, this is it. You don't like it?"

"It just doesn't look like something you would pick."

"Sal told me about this place. Well, he told me about New Hope, Pennsylvania, which is just across the river. They have places to stay over there but this looked like the nicest one. Come on. You're gonna love it."

The inside was quaint, charming and cozy. It had the feel of a bed and breakfast but it was a hotel. After they checked in they parked the car and headed up to their room.

"Oh my God," Giovanna said when she saw it. "This is so beautiful."

"I told you you'd love it."

The room was large and open. A king size four poster bed took up most of the space. There was a fireplace flanked by two very comfortable looking chairs and a large window on the opposite wall. Two wide French doors led to the bathroom, which had a giant, jetted, soaking tub situated by a window, and a door that led to a private balcony overlooking a courtyard.

As she stood on the balcony, looking down at the courtyard Brian came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Is it up to your standards?" he asked, his chin resting lightly on her shoulder.

"It's perfect," she said, crossing her arms and resting them on top of his.

"Are you hungry? We can eat at the restaurant downstairs."

"Yeah, that sounds good."

After dinner they headed back up to their room. Giovanna collapsed sideways on the bed.

"This bed is really comfortable," she said. "Come and lay with me."

He plopped down next to her and she moved close to him, placing a hand on his chest.

"I could probably fall asleep right here, right now," he said.

"Really? Did you have a busy day of doing nothing?" she teased.

"Hey, those video games aren't gonna play themselves."

"No, I suppose not."

"What do you want to do?"

"How about we take a bath? I know that's not really your thing, but it sounds so relaxing."

"I'll do whatever you want to do," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? I'll have to keep that in mind later."

"You get the water ready and I'll order a bottle of wine." He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before getting up and reaching for the phone.

Just as she turned the water off Brian came into the bathroom wearing just his boxer shorts, carrying the wine bottle in one hand, two glasses in the other.

"Perfect timing," she said as she began to take her clothes off. He filled the wine glasses and sat them along with the bottle on the edge of the tub. He removed his boxers and got into the tub, the hot water sending a shiver down his spine.

"Are you trying to scald the flesh off of me?" he whined.

"Don't be such a baby. The water will cool off a lot quicker than you think."

She put her long hair up in a loose bun on top of her head and climbed into the tub. She sat between his legs, her back to him.

"This feels great," she said, reaching for a wine glass. She took a sip then leaned back into him. "I could stay like this forever."

His arms snaked around her and he kissed the top of her head.

"How has work been?" he asked.

"Busy. But in a good way. My boss went easy on me the first few days but things are back to normal now. Although I do still have people asking if I'm ok and if I need anything."

"That would drive me fuckin' nuts."

"It's not so bad. I know it comes from a good place. But eventually I'll have to tell them enough's enough."

"How's the therapy going?" he asked, reaching for his wine glass. "I noticed today your limp has improved."

"It's really helping. My leg feels stronger every day. It hurts sometimes walking up stairs, but other than that it feels fine."

He ran a hand over the scar on her left cheek.

"I still wish I could have prevented it."

"Don't start that again," she said with a sigh. "It wasn't your fault and there isn't anything you could have done. We've been over this. Let's talk about you."

"Me? What about me?"

"What's the one thing you miss doing the most since being in the public eye?"

"That's a good question. Probably shopping for the cats. I used to love going to the pet store and wandering around, looking for stuff for them. I don't even remember the last time I did that."

"Awwww... That's really sweet. Maybe we can fashion you a disguise so you can go."

"That'll never work," he said.

"How do you know?"

"It only takes one person to recognize me then it snowballs from there."

"So not worth the risk for your babies?"

"They have enough toys," he said with a laugh.

"How's vacation?"

"Nice. Relaxing. I really like not having to set an alarm. It would be better if you were still off work."

"I'm sure you're finding plenty of ways to keep yourself entertained," she said. "You have your cats and your video games. Isn't that enough?"

"Not even close. I miss these." He put his hands over her breasts and squeezed gently.

"Well, they are all yours for the next three days."

He moaned under his breath and squeezed them again.