Amber shakes her head. “No more rent.”
Both Lucia and her husband sag with relief, the strain of having a toddler and running a house weighing on them.
Lucia’s eyes fill instantly as she pulls Amber into a fierce hug, whispering blessings through tears. My chest aches in the best possible way.
“Thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to us, Amber.”
“Just promise me if you ever want to sell it, I get first dibs.”
“Absolutely!” Lucia exclaims, her face nothing but smiles. “But honestly, I’ll probably live there forever. Nonna Etti always had the best view of the ocean.”
“Yes, she did.”
The rest of the night moves like a dream. We eat, we laugh, and tell secrets. Apparently, the reason Drac was so pissed off at the hospital when Gage was born is because his dead father gave his wife the blessing she needed to date Hannibal.
Imagine that.
A ghost telling his wife she can marry whoever she pleases.
Drac still is unsure about it all, but he respects Hannibal and gave his mother his blessing, even though you could tell it hurt him to do so.
And that’s how the night ends, all of us standing near the ocean, watching as Amber and Eddie sway together on the beach, the waves lapping at their ankles, slow dancing while Giovanni spins himself dizzy on the sand.
We laugh when he falls, staring up at the stars, all out of breath and tired.
“Do you ever think about this?” I ask softly. “Having kids and getting married someday?”
He doesn’t hesitate to answer. “Yeah. I do.”
I look up at him. “With me?”
His smile is so gentle, so loving. “Especially with you.”
Emotion swells in my chest that’s too big to contain.
He lifts my chin and kisses me under the moonlight, our lips melding together in perfect unison. Underneath the moon, his handsome features seem to glow, even the scars he urgently tries to hide.
“You’re so beautiful,” I remind him, making sure he knows just how much admire him.
“Thank you,” he whispers. “But you don’t have to say things you know you aren’t true.”
I playfully smack his cheek and then kiss it. “Hey now, there will be no more of that. Tonight’s a good night. No Moseley breathing down our necks. No danger lurking on the horizon. Tonight is all about love and happiness.”
He smiles, though it barely reaches his eyes.
“Are you still worried about what will happen when we get back?”
I nod. “Moseley said if I left there would be consequences.”
His lips touch down again, making me swoon with emotion. “Well, at least we know that he can’t touch us here.”
I cuddle against him, feeling safe for the first time in months. “That’s because nothing bad ever happens in Italy. How can something bad happen in a country built on the foundations of love?”
The question lingers between us as we walk hand in hand toward the water, leaving all the dangers back home behind.
We know tomorrow is uncertain, but at least for tonight, we know we’re safe, clinging to hope that somehow, we’ll make it out of this together.
Love conquering all.
