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“Are you sure?” I kiss his cheek. “They could be very personal.” I love the way he’s including me. I was so worried he’d shut me out. LikeBlu who?did.
“I’d rather read them with you than alone. I like having you at my side.”
Joy bubbles inside me. “I like being at your side.”
We share a quick kiss, and Slade says, “Let’s do this.”
We organize the letters according to their postmarks, so we can read them in order.
The first letter starts withAmoreMio. We both know whatamoremeans, thanks to Dean Martin. When we Google the exact translation, we find it meansMy Love.The letter has many Italian phrases, but it’s mostly broken English. We have to refer to Google several times as we read.
Amore Mio,
I waited long for you. You do not come. I wonder where you can be. I worry some bad has happened.
Cuoro mio(my heart),tesoro mio(my darling),now I know you are in States. I miss you much. I no want to part with you. The hurt in me is bad. I no understand. You love me, yes? I know this truth.
Remember number one day? Us together? Was magic. We walk holding hands. We look in many shops.We buy things. We laugh much. My favorite day, yes? It was beginning.Ti penso ogni giomo.(I think of you every day.)I think of many kisses. I think of beautiful smile.
I beg you back to me. We do this.
Sei tutto per me.(You’re everythingfor me.)I no forget you. Look for you always. In many places. My tears fall for you. No eat,no sleep. My mind is only you.
My Laurie,Sei il grande amore della mia vita.(You’re the great love of my life.)Please return. Make me happy man.
Ti amerò sempre. (I’ll always love you.)
Matteo
“Wow,” I say. “Even with his broken English, I can feel how heartbroken he is. I think that’s the saddest thing I’ve ever read.”
“Maybe the most romantic too,” Slade comments with a furrowed brow. “It’s just that…”
“It was an affair. No one finds affairs romantic,” I state flatly, trying not to sound judgmental.
“Exactly. It’s hard to read for that reason. Mom was cheating. That’s not okay in my book,” There’s a twinge of disappointment in his voice.
“It’s never okay. Still, they obviously had a lot of love for each other. At least it wasn’t just…”
“Sex,” Slade finishes for me.
“You were created out of love. Just hold onto that thought. Otherwise…” I trail off again.
“I will only see these letters through tainted eyes.”
“Your mother made a mistake, and she owns it. I’d venture to say she’s haunted by her mistake to this day. None of us are perfect. We all make mistakes all the time.” Heaven knows I make far too many.
“Agreed. I don’t know one single person qualified to throw the first stone.” Slade lets out his breath. “Mom has made amends. That’s what matters.”
“This is how you entered the world. Let’s concentrate on the love, not the error in their ways. It’s the only way to survive this. It’s all about the love.”
He recaptures his composure. “Okay. I’m putting on blinders and only seeing the love.”
“For now. Then I need you to remove the blinders.”
Slade laughs for the first time since he entered my room. “I promise to take them off and always be faithful.”
Faithful to me? Is that what he means? I’m glad my trembling hands are hidden in my lap. This relationship has more promise than I ever imagined. This time, I initiate our kiss. For the next several moments, we forget about the letters and think only of each other.
