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Her gorgeous eyes go watery and she forces a smile. “Thank you, Aiden, so much.” After a bite of her food, she adds, “I’m curious, though. What does your name mean?”
Hmm, good question. “I wouldn’t have a clue.”
“I’m surprised, given your interest in random facts,” she teases.
Yes, there she is. The woman who likes to banter and have fun. Light-heartedness is forcing its way through the solemnity of our earlier conversation.
“Yes, how did I get to my age not knowing about names and their meanings? I take it you’re conversant in that field?”
She laughs at that. “Why yes, I am. Thank you for noticing. I’ve been fascinated with nameology since I was a little girl and have found it strangely accurate.”
“Accurate in what way?” I ask, my interest piqued.
“How the meaning of a name reflects a person’s personality.”
“Oh. Sounds intriguing. What does yours mean?”
“Dea splendente,” Ella says as if on autopilot and then shakes her head as if to clear it. Given it’s Italian, it’s not hard to guess who called her that.
“Sorry. Umm… Ella actually has a few meanings. In English origins it meansallandcompletely, but alsofairy maiden.In Hebrew it meansgoddess. And Rose… well, that one is obvious.”
I look at her a little stunned. All the meanings of her name seem fitting. She isall… she’s everything. On top of that, she seems mischievous, like I imagine a fairy would be. And she is a goddess… I want to worship her, with my body, my mind and my heart.
Ella pulls out her phone and begins typing. “Let’s find out about your name.” She scrolls and then reads, “Aiden is of Gaelic derivation and means fire.”
Fire?
My first reaction to hearing the word isn’t positive. Fire burns and destroys. It would far better fit criminals like De Marco. It makes me growl. I’ve always tried to bring justice into the world, fight for the good and for what’s right. I guess fire, if meant in that sense, is cleansing and purifying. I’m okay with that.
Ella’s eyes find mine. “Do you have a fiery temper?” Ah, she obviously sees the negative side of fire first too.
“If I had a fiery temper, I would have never made the Green Berets. But there’s one department where I definitely have a lot of fire.” I grin at her suggestively and her cheeks stain bright red. Yes, she got my meaning.
She clears her throat and quickly looks down at her phone again. Oh yes, she’s just as affected by me. It makes me grin wider.
“Ok… Lennard. It means…” She reads the answer, her blush draining from her face.
“What?”
“It means lion’s strength.” Her voice has dropped to an almost whisper. Why is this troubling her? It sounds pretty good to me. “Why does that make you go pale?”
She swallows hard, not meeting my eyes. “Ella?”
My use of her real name has her look up. “Tiero’s middle name means lion man. What are the chances of you both having a middle name referring to a lion? You both are so similar yet couldn’t be more different.” The last part was whispered, barely audible, as if she was saying it more to herself than to me.
While Ella finds it disturbing, I couldn’t be happier. Not about sharing the meaning of a name with a gangster, but Ella just inadvertently put me in the same ballpark as the man she is supposedly in love with. Hallelujah.
We eat in silence. Ella’s mind is working overtime. I can feel the wheels churning in her head but can only guess what’s going on inside of her. Her walls are up again, but I’ve made such great progress today with her opening up more to me, I’m not worried.
A lone tear escapes her from her left eye—pain. It runs slowly down her cheek. She blinks rapidly, trying to stop the flow of more.
I can’t stand seeing her sad. I stand up and close the distance between us, pulling her to her feet and then embrace her and hold her tight.She’s stiff at first, but her resistance melts after a few heartbeats. Her arms wrap around my waist and she buries her face into my chest, letting out a long, strangled breath.
“I don’t want to be alone today,” she admits quietly.
I kiss the top of her head. “Then you won’t. I’ll stay.”
And I know in my soul it’s a promise I’ll keep. Forever.
