"Shush," I whispered in her ear.
Her arms were still stretched to the side, and I stroked my hands along the length of them before covering her much smaller ones with mine. My fingers dipped between hers, and her breath hitched as she tightened her grip on my hands. She turned her head and bumped her nose with mine; her lips parted in a tiny smirk.
"Do you trust me?" I drawled, mimicking Leonardo's line in the movie.
Her mouth quirked. "Yes," she breathlessly replied, just like Kate.
"This is highly inappropriate," Millie's aunt loudly complained.
"They cheated! You're not allowed to help her."
"Yes, well, thanks to that unnecessary display, we can all surmise that it isThe Titanic." Millie's mother sniffed. "Nevertheless, you forfeit that round."
"Worth it." I laughed in her ear.
She lightly slapped my hand. "You're not even playing!" She huffed.
I guided Millie back to the settee, stopping to give Rigby a scratch behind his ears.
"Good boy," I praised before stepping over him to sit down. His tail flopped side to side a few times in an excited answer before his back relaxed, probably feeling lazy after the large pork chop he had devoured.
We rescued Rigby almost a year ago—an early Christmas present for my wife. I knew she wanted to adopt, so I arranged with the shelter, where she previously volunteered, to help select the best dog for our lifestyle. Since Millie graduated and I had cut back a lot at work, I felt confident we could give a pet our full attention. Plus, I knew Millie really wanted a dog, and what my wife wanted, my wife got.
I didn't have much experience with dogs, but I was active and preferred one that loved the outdoors. Rigby adored walks, and he lost his head whenever we took him back to Keating. I was so sure I wasn't a dog person, but Rigby wormed his little head into my heart. He even had our no-nonsense housekeeper wrapped around his little paw.
"I never took you as aTitanicfan," Millie teased as she collapsed next to me.
I pulled her closer, so her body was flush with mine before kissing the side of her head. "Unfortunately, Giada was obsessed with the movie growing up. It was forced upon me every time I came home."
"Hmm, Giada…sure."
A rumble of laughter carried up my chest as her gentle sigh of contentment warmed me. Her body relaxed against me, and she stifled a yawn.
"Tired?" I rubbed her thigh affectionately.
Her head bobbed. "I'm thankful that I have these two days off."
"I'm thankful too,amore mio."
The last two years had been busy, eventful, and stressful. In her last year of university, Millie had to do rotations, which sometimes took her out of London. Our schedules often didn't align, but instead of letting neglect and resentment split us apart, we both sat down to plan how we could stay connected. I cut back a lot at work and only travelled within the UK. I washome at a decent hour, and on the few occasions I was late, I always communicated that with her.
Of course, it can't have helped Millie's stress levels being married to a jealous and unreasonable man. Admittedly, it had been difficult for me to let go of the whole Archie debacle; knowing she would be seeing him nearly everyday. After failing to convince my stubborn wife to transfer to another veterinary school down south, I then insisted on driving her to and from her classes. After all, I promised my wife that Gordon would no longer report her every movements back to me. I trusted my wife implicitly; that was not the issue. It washimI did not trust.
I kept up my chauffeur duties for six months before an exasperated Millie ordered me to knock it off or she would walk. Although I knew my wife was not serious, the very idea that Mille would even think of leaving placed the fear of God within me, and I finally relented.
As the years went by and I delegated more at work, Millie's career was ramping up. Now graduated, she was snapped up by one of the London veterinary clinics where she'd worked during her rotation. She was in their graduate development program and was enjoying the pressure and the skill development. I was immensely proud of her and bragged about my wife to anyone who would listen.
She worked hard, so I was relieved that she could take time off for Christmas. Unfortunately, we had to skip Sicily this year due to her schedule—I refused to go without her—but we promised to catch up with everyone in the new year once Millie was able to take a more extended holiday.
Christmas Day came and went, but by the time we made it back home, there was a surprise waiting for her.
"Giada, Katherine!" My wife exclaimed as she rushed to greet them. "What are you doing here?"
"It didn't feel right not being able to see you for the holidays," my father explained. His arm came around my shoulder, squeezing it. "Alessio felt the same and invited us over. Don't worry about keeping us entertained, we know you have to work."
"Besides, Alessio very generously agreed to be our tour guide," Katherine piped in.
"You studied at Oxford, Katherine," I dryly reminded her. "You're hardly a tourist."
