“I’ve come closer to dying crossing the parking lot on Dollar Taco night at Uncle Tito’s,” she scoffed. But Aldo wasn’t in a joking mood. He was hanging on by one tenuous thread. Grasping the situation, Gloria changed tacks. She took his shaking hands in hers, put them on her.

“Aldo, tonight I vanquished my own personal demon. He’s not getting back out. The detective told me the charges. Attempted murder, assault, breaking and entering, stalking, harassment. Unless he breaks out of jail—and let’s face it, he’s not smart enough for that—that chapter of my life is officially over.”

“Gloria, he broke into a house with a hunting knife to get to you.”

“He never got past Harper. He never got near me.”

“She was between you and him. He had to get through her to—”

“Stop. Stop it.” Gloria stroked her palms over Aldo’s chest. “It didn’t happen. He didn’t get to me. Now, he’ll never get to me. Harper’s okay. I’m okay. Everything is good.”

He was shaking.

“I didn’t want him to have any part in…this,” Aldo said, his voice mechanical as he looked down at their bodies.

“Don’t you shut down on me, Aldo. Don’t make what we just did something ugly. It was incredible. Beautiful. It was just you and me.” Gloria pulled one of his big hands to her mouth and rained kisses down over his knuckles.

“You and me,” he repeated. “You and me.”

“Please don’t regret this. I don’t think my heart could take it.”

“I wanted it to be special.”

“Aldo. You made me feel like you were wild with desire for me. There is nothing more special than that. It was like…hell, I don’t know. Like I was finally realizing my potential. Aldo, it was beautiful. I’d also like to point out that there’s plenty left that we didn’t do. That was no home run.”

“Fuck. Okay. Okay.”

He rested his forehead against hers, squeezed his eyes shut tight. “I want to make everything perfect for you. Everything. Every day. Forever.”

If she hadn’t been in love with Aldo Moretta before that sentence, she was totally, irrevocably, “little hearts orbiting her head” in love with him now.

“Would it be wrong to point out that you, ah…performed admirably just now?”

He snorted, but she could sense a lightening in him. Aldo nuzzled into her neck.

“I’d also like to point out that we were very physical, and I didn’t shatter into tiny pieces.”

She felt his lips on the juncture of her neck and shoulder.

“I’m glad you’re safe,” he whispered against her skin.

“I’m glad you’re here. Now, what are we going to do with the…um…evidence?”

“There’s a garden hose back here somewhere—”

“Aldo! You are not hosing me off!”

* * *