Page 86 of Reclaimed Dreams

As the video wound down, Dom set his phone to airplane mode so they wouldn’t be bothered. “So, my love, what shall we do today?”

“Vineyard or castle?”

“Those are the two most likely options.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Nope, I’m not answering first. I was recently accused of making too many decisions without your input. Not today.”

“Starting small?”

“Only way to start is to start at all.”

“Then…winery would be my vote.”

“Excellent. I wanted to try that out too. It’s like you read my mind.”

“After over forty years of marriage, it shouldn’t be that hard to do.”

“And yet, we struggled with it a bit these last five years. I won’t take it for granted again.”

“Neither will I, babe. This trip has been good practice for us to learn how to talk to each other again. Thank you for making this finally happen.”

“Jo, I never meant to hurt you. I’m so sorry it took me so long to figure it out.”

“Neither of us were in a good place. This feels right. Healing, almost. Slowing down the pace of our lives to just be together. I needed this.”

Dom tossed enough euros to cover their coffees and a bit extra on the table and held out his hand to his wonderful wife. “So did I, love. So did I.”

“You aren’t the same man I married all those years ago. You’re not even the same man I raised my children with. But it turns out I love the man you are today even more. I can’t wait for our third marriage to start.”

Dom quirked a mysterious smile and tugged her to her feet. “Come with me.”

Hand in hand, they strolled across the piazza and into a future that held lightness and hope for the first time in years. The solid foundation they’d built together over their many years of marriage had held up against the seismic shock of grief and depression. That deserved to be celebrated.

“Where are we going, Dom?”

“There’s a shop over here I wanted to stop at.” He pulled her to a halt in front of the picture window of a local jeweler. “We’re finally getting that honeymoon, might as well have another wedding to go with it. Josephine Bertelli, will you marry me again?”

“No. Josephine Bertelli won’t. But Jo Valenti will think about it.”

After picking a band of channel-set diamonds to complement the engagement ring she refused to replace, they made their way out to the winery to exchange their vows. The brilliant Italian sun was sinking behind the rolling hills, taking its warmth with it, as it painted the sky red and purple by the time they made it out onto the patio. Jo and Dom didn’t mind the chill or the encroaching darkness. They were glowing from the inside.

“Jo, I have loved you through the good times and the bad, through all of our ups and downs. And I still love you more today than yesterday. The thing I promised you years ago on a winter beach still holds true. Whatever comes our way, we’ll figure it out together. I’m not going to lose you.”

“Dom, we stumbled, hard, because we forgot how to lean on each other for support. We thought we each had to handle our emotions alone. I don’t ever want to go back to that. I love you and the life we’ve built so much, and from here on out I’m not going anywhere without you. Whatever life brings us, for however long we have, we’ll face it together.”

“This isn’t how it ends.”

“No, love, it’s just another beginning.”

With a kiss and cheers from the folks nearby on the terrace, Jo and Dom Valenti reclaimed their dreams.