The Villa

of the reasons I was walking by so late was that I'd done some shopping before dinner. I'd just bought a ring, an engagement ring for the woman I love."
    "Oh." She sighed, laid the flowers on the counter. She took another long look at him. "Pity for me. Lucky for her. I'll still make you coffee."
    "I could use some. Signorina , I don't know your name."
    "Elana."
    "Elana, I hope you'll take this as intended. I think you're the second most beautiful woman in the world."
    She laughed and began to fill a vase with his flowers. "Yes, very lucky for her."
     
    David was fed up with pain, fatigue, doctors and the pedestrian jumble that was Venice by the time he made it back to his rooms. He'd already come to the conclusion that he wouldn't be heading back home that evening. He'd be lucky to undress himself and get into bed, much less stay on his feet long enough to pack.
    His shoulder was screaming, his legs unsteady, and he cursed as he fought to work the key into the lock left-handed. Still that left hand came up, fisted to fight, when the door jerked open.
    "There you are!" Sophia jammed her hands on her hips. "Are you out of your mind? Checking yourself out of the hospital, wandering around Venice by yourself. Look at you, pale as a sheet. Men are such morons."
    "Thanks, thanks a lot. Mind if I come in? I think this is still my room."
    "Ty's out hunting for you right now." She took his good arm as she spoke and helped him inside. "We've been worried to death since we went by the hospital and found out you'd left, over doctor's orders."
    "Even in Italy they can't seem to make hospital food palatable." Giving in, he sank into a chair. "A man could starve to death in there. Besides, I wasn't expecting anyone this soon. What did you do, beam yourselves here?"
    "We left last night. I've been traveling a very long time, on very little sleep, and have spent entirely too long pacing these rooms worried about you. So don't mess with me." She uncapped a bottle, handed him a pill.
    "What is this?"
    "Pain medication. You left the hospital without your prescription."
    "Drugs. You brought me drugs. Will you marry me?"
    "Morons," she repeated, and stalked to the mini-fridge for a bottle of water. "David, where have you been?"
    "Taking a beautiful woman flowers." He sat back, reaching for the bottle, then sighing when Sophia jerked it out of reach. "Come on, don't tease a man about his Pharmaceuticals."
    "You've been with a woman?"
    "Having coffee," he said, "with the woman who saved my life. I took her some flowers to thank her."
    Considering, Sophia cocked her head. He looked exhausted, a little sweaty and very romantic with his arm in a sling and the shadows under those deep blue eyes.
    "I suppose that's all right. Is she pretty?"
    "I told her she was the second most beautiful woman in the world, but I'll happily bump her down to third place if you give me that damn water. Don't make me chew this pill, I'm begging you."
    She handed over the bottle, then crouched in front of him. "David, I'm so sorry about this."
    "Yeah, me too. The kids are okay, right?"
    "They're fine. Worried about you, but reassured enough that Theo's starting to think it's pretty cool that you got shot. Not everybody's father…"
    "Honey, don't do that to yourself."
    "I won't. I'm not." She drew a deep breath. "Anyway, Maddy was kidding about the bullet last night. She said something to you about keeping it? But she's into it now, according to my mother. Wants to study it."
    "That's my girl."
    "They're great kids, David. Probably comes from having a father who'd think of buying flowers for a woman when he felt like something recently scraped off the sidewalk. Come on, let's get you into bed."
    "That's what they all say." The slow, goofy grin he gave her told Sophia the medication was doing the job. "Your mother can't keep her hands off me."
    "Good drugs, huh?"
    "Really good. Maybe if I could lie down for a minute."
    "Sure. Why don't you try it on a large flat surface?" She levered him up.
    "Sophie? Pilar's not all twisted up about this, is she?"
    "Of course she is. But she'll get untwisted when you get home where she can fuss over you."
    "I'm okay, just a little fuzzy in the head now." He chuckled, leaning heavily on her as she led him to the bedroom. And would've sworn he was floating. "Better living through chemistry."
    "You bet. Almost there."
    "I wanna go home. How'm I gonna pack one-handed?"
    "Don't you worry. I'll pack for you."
    "You will? Really?" He