Disclaimer: All recognized characters and places are not mine. The plot and any spelling/grammar mistakes are...

Again I want to thank Loki's Only Love for betaing this for me and I apologize for the long wait for this update. I had a bit of a bump when I reached the middle that I fortunately got over...I hope that you enjoy...

Chapter 5

I took his outstretched hand and stood. "What do you have in mind?"

"What do you think about just driving and seeing where the wind takes us?"

"Sounds perfect." Anything to get me out of answering more of the same questions about our newfound relationship and spontaneous wedding for the time being.

"Okay, let me just go change and tell Gran that we are heading out and I'll meet you downstairs."

"Alright, I'll see you in a few."

He nodded before leaving. I grabbed my purse that I had used last night and placed my cell back in it. It was the only handbag I had thought to bring with me. I slipped a pair of sling back sandals on my feet and went downstairs. Charlie was waiting for me. He had changed into khaki shorts and a white t-shirt. The casual wear looked good on him. He wasn't looking in my direction so I thought that I might surprise him like he did earlier in the kitchen. I quietly descended the rest of the stairs and walked up behind him before wrapping my arms around his torso. He didn't jump or anything. Just turned his head and kissed my cheek. "There you are."

"How'd you know it was me?"

"You smell like lavender," he answered simply.

"Do you have a lot of lavender where you work or something?" I teased.

"No, but Gran likes to garden."

The soap I had used earlier smelled like lavender so that was where the scent came from. "Ready?" I asked.

"Yes."

We headed outside where a red two door car was parked. I was surprised to see it just sitting there but Charlie didn't. He just walked up to it and opened the passenger side door.

I raised an eyebrow in question. "Whose car is this?"

"Lorenzo's nephew owns this car. He said that we could borrow it."

"When did he say this?" It had only been a few minutes between him leaving my room and my meeting him by the front door.

"He was talking to Gran when I went to speak with her about us leaving for the day. He overheard the conversation and offered it up."

I nodded and went to the car, sliding in easily. He shut the door and quickly made his way around the front before getting into the driver's side. He started the car without preamble and soon the villa was behind us. The Italian countryside was beautiful with lush greenery everywhere. Last time I was here, in Italy, I had been so busy either with helping locate Lorenzo or writing in my journal that I hadn't paid too much attention to the landscape so I was taking it all in. I felt Charlie's hand on mine and looked over at him. I didn't remember if he touched my hand first or I touched his.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked

"I know that I was just here two months ago but I don't remember it being this beautiful."

He smiled looking at me. His eyes filled with love and tenderness. "It is more beautiful."

I laughed. "That was a corny line. I've never thought of you being corny."

"If you asked Gran or Patty they'd probably tell you that when it comes to love I can be corny at times."

I smiled back at him and in that moment a thought occurred to me. How well did we really know each other? We spent a few days together in June when we were helping Claire with her search but besides that we hadn't spoken until yesterday. "Charlie…"

"Hmm," he answered.

"What's your favorite place in London? Central Park is my favorite spot in New York. I like to go there and just people watch."

"The Eye, why do you ask?"

"I just realized something. There is so much that we have yet to learn about each other."

"Well, now that we are married we will have plenty of time to learn about each other," he said simply.

"True so why not start now?"

"Okay.'

So for the next fifteen minutes we shot questions back and forth. I learned that his favorite color was orange like the sunset and that he knew how to ride a horse and motorcycle. I told him that my favorite color was blue and that I was terrified of motorcycles. I also learned that his favorite memory as a child was going fishing with his grandfather. Mine was summers with my dad. Two weeks every July we would go somewhere together on vacation. Each year it was a different place. We traveled up and down the East Coast to places like Myrtle Beach, Washington D.C. and Hershey, Pennsylvania. We even traveled to the Midwest to places like Chicago and Dallas. I still had the big white cowboy hat and cowboy boots in my old room at my dad's house.

Charlie smiled when I told him about the hat. "I'm trying to picture you with a cowboy hat but somehow I can't."

"I'll have to get it and wear it for you."

By the way he swept his eyes down my figure briefly before turning back to the road, I could guess at what he was thinking and it wasn't about me wearing clothes while I modeled the hat. "So are you a dog or cat person?" I asked trying to distract him before he made a comment that would make me blush.

I could tell it worked when he quickly turned to me with an adorably confused look. I repeated the question.

"Dog."

"Me too," I added.

By this time we had found our way to Verona. I walked the streets with some familiarity as we continued on questioning each other about simple things like our favorite foods and whether or not either of us enjoyed the theatre. His answers were his grandmothers' chocolate pecan pie and not really. Mine were any type of pasta and yes. I had been to shows on Broadway. Some my friend, Jen, had worked on. She had worked backstage at many shows over the years. This info brought a round of questions about friends. I told him about Jen and my other friend, Katie, who was busy getting her Masters. He told me about his friends Owen and Garrett. Owen he knew from University and Garrett worked with him. He soon had me laughing at tales about Owen who was the schools practical joker. He also like doing imitations of people like professors they disliked. Charlie also told me that Garrett was rather intelligent and a big hearted guy but he looked more like a linebacker. Charlie had been intimidated by him when they first met but within the first ten minutes of meeting him and seeing him with a client he knew that they would get along famously. Throughout all the talking and walking we held hands and gave each other small pecks on the cheeks and lips.

"About work," I began as we sat at an outdoor café.

"What about it?" he asked in kind.

"You work in London and I work in New York."

He didn't respond since a waitress came out and asked us what we wanted. I wanted an iced coffee and told her in Italian. I had a feeling that I would need the caffeine for the upcoming conversation. Charlie ordered an iced tea with lemon.

"And I have to go back to New York tomorrow," I continued after the waitress left.

"Couldn't you push back your leaving?" Charlie asked.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"Well we are technically on our honeymoon and I thought that you'd like to see more of Italy," he answered.

"But what about you? Don't you have to go back to London?"

"No I have a few more days off."

"Oh," was my brilliant reply.

"So what do you say?"

The only answer that formed in my mind was okay and I told him. Bobby probably wouldn't be happy but I had a couple vacation days that I hadn't used and I did want to spend more time exploring Italy and being with my new husband. Looking at Charlie, I knew that I had made the right decision. He was happy. He also looked like he wanted to kiss me so I leaned over and molded my lips to his knowing full well that we would both enjoy the move. He did. As his lips started moving in rhythm with mine Charlie pulled me into his lap. I let out a startled gasp and wrapped my arms around his neck to steady myself, allowing him to slip his tongue into my mouth which he took full advantage of. I pulled back when I heard a small cough. Looking up, I saw our waitress standing by the table. She smiled as I blushed.

"Will there be anything else?" she asked in Italian placing our drinks on the table.

"No, grazie," Charlie answered.

She smiled at us and left but before she got very far I thought I heard her whisper the word "amore". I slipped off of Charlie's lap and went back to my seat. "What are you doing?" Charlie asked disappointment lacing his voice.

I took a sip of my drink. "Sitting down in my own seat so that you can drink your iced tea."

He frowned. "But I was comfortable with you being in my lap."

I chuckled at his petulant expression. I couldn't help but tease him. "If you are a good boy maybe I'll go back over there."

"Promise?" he asked huskily.

I smiled while shaking my head again enjoying this new side of Charlie.

He took a long drag of his beverage. "Perhaps we can go to Venice or Milan or even Garda Lake?"

He was talking about our mini honeymoon again.

"Sounds wonderful," I told him truthfully. And it was the truth. I had never been to those places before. I went to Rome in college on an exchange program but outside of traveling with Charlie and Claire I had never spent much time in Northern Italy.

"Which one sounds wonderful?"

It took me several minutes before I could answer since they all seemed great. "All of them but since we will be on a tight schedule I think Venice sounds more wonderful."

"Then Venice it is," he said taking my hand which was laying on the table and threading his fingers through mine.