I drop to one knee and grab her hand in mine. “Angela Amato. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone, even my brothers, if that’s possible.” I glance at them in the crowd. “Sorry, boys.”
“Go get her tiger!” Enrico shouts back.
I smile, returning my attention to Angela. Beautiful Angela. “I, too, have loved you all my life. I love your stubbornness, how you’re always fighting, and never give up. I love the way you laugh. The way you hold me when no one’s watching and tell me all your secrets. You make me feel like there’s more than darkness in this world. That there’s light in all of us… you’ve shown me that the boy buried deep inside is still alive. He just needed some coaxing to come to the surface.
“I love your piano playing. The Aubergine Caponata you make. The little dimples on either side of your mouth when you smile. Basically, everything about you. You bring out the best in me. Without you, I would’ve never come to terms with the death of my brother Matteo. You saved me in all senses of the word. And you redeemed me. I took you because I wanted to punish your father.” I leave out the part where I planned to kill him. Doesn’t seem like a wise thing to say, given he’s standing right there. “Instead, you taught me there are other ways to solve your problems. Better ways.”
I swallow, and gaze into those wet, green eyes. “Angela Amato, will you marry me?”
33
Angela
Iblink away the tears of joy. I’m speechless for a moment. Just in awe of all the things he’s said about me. Oh, I love him so much!
I want to say yes, and more, but the words escape me. It doesn’t help that I’m well aware of all the eyes on me—I was never really good at public speaking.
He asked for my hand in marriage. I can do this.
But he deserves the honor of more than a simple yes. I take a moment to compose my thoughts, and catch my breath. I focus all my attention on him, blocking out everyone else.
Tell him why you love him, too!
Okay. Where to start?
“You redeemed me, too,” I tell him. “Brought me back from the brink. I thought I could never love after what happened to my mother, but you taught me otherwise. You’re my dark knight. My dark redeemer. You saved me not only from The Cleaver, but from myself.” I stare into those beautiful blue eyes. So caring. So tender. “Oh Massimo. I love your eyes best of all. They’re truly a portal into the soul. When I first met you, all I saw was rage and hatred in them. But now I see only joy, and love. And don’t even get me started on those gorgeous lashes of yours!
“I love how strong you are, not just physically, but in all things. You never back down, no matter who or what you’re facing. I love you tattoos, your carefree nature, your loyalty to your brothers. I love how gentle you are with animals… the way you repaired the hoof of that horse was so amazing. I love how safe I feel when I’m with you. In your arms, I feel like nothing can touch me, not even if a thousand guns are pointed at me. You’ll find a way to save me. You always do.”
I lift his hand to my face, forcing him to stand. I touch his knuckles to my cheek and nuzzle against them. “I love you, Massimo. Always have, always will.” My voice is breaking up. I press on. “Yes. I’ll marry you. There’s no question about it.” I’m smiling widely and shedding tears of joy again, but I don’t care.
Massimo tears up, too, and he quickly presses his lips against mine. The world had come back again for a moment there, but now it falls away again. It’s only him, and me, our bodies interlocked, our lips intertwined.
The kiss feels different. More electric, somehow, coming as it does after our declaration of undying love and our vow to marry. I could stay like this forever, opening and closing my lips in time to his kiss. I love him. And he loves me.
The clapping around me brings me back to earth.
Papa clears his throat and I break away from Massimo, feeling my cheeks grow heated. I spot Maurizio among my father’s men, and my favorite bodyguard nods, smiling with a twinkle in his eye. He’s wearing a cast on one foot, but otherwise seems none the worse for wear. So he didn’t die after all: I needlessly blamed Massimo for his death. The other bodyguards that were with me the day of the kidnapping might be alive as well.
I notice the conspicuous absence of police sirens then. My father would have paid heavy bribes to delay the arrival, which is probably why no one seems in a rush to leave at the moment. But that’s not going to last forever.
“I’d love to stay and listen to more of these oh-so-touching speeches, but the police are on the way,” Papa confirms. “Everyone, head to the cars. It’s time to go!” As the men disperse, he flags down Salvatore. “Free his brothers. And find me that priest!” When he’s gone, he turns to me and Massimo. “You two, join me in my SUV.”
We follow him with our arms around each other.
“What do you think your father is up to?” Massimo asks me.
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
Massimo’s brothers stop by to wish us well before they go.
“We’ll have to meet up to celebrate, later,” one of them says. Roberto.
“We will,” Massimo tells his brothers. “I’ll call you.”
I pause to gather up the train of my wedding outfit. Grains of sand fall away, courtesy of my earlier beach excursion. Massimo looks at me with a big smile on his face the whole time.
“What?” I ask, giggling.
