“How’s the temperature of your feet?”
“They’re actually a little too hot right now.” She grinned.
I caressed her chin and studied her face. It was heartbreakingly beautiful. She was the most beautiful woman to me. I kissed her once more and then stood, placing the picture with the rock and closing the box. She looked at it differently than she had before.
“Saving memories,” she said, reflecting the theme of the song. “Being able to open them whenever we want.”
“That’s the idea.”
I held out my hand for her. She took it and looked up at me.
“Time to go, baby. We have a wedding to get to.”
Chapter22
Mia
Time was moving slowly. Ticking painfully on the wall. I spun the ring around my finger, anticipating the next minute on the clock.
“Don’t wish the moment away, Mia,” I whispered to myself, thinking about what Uncle Tito had once told me. “Don’t wish life away. Be present in this second. You’ll never get it back.”
It was hard to do, though, when I thought about where I was going. To meet Saverio at the chapel. It wouldn’t be long, but my heart told my feet to run, while my mind reminded me to savor this time.
I was ready to go—in my wedding dress.
It had belonged to my great aunt Lola. Back in the day, the dress had made quite a stir around the world. The Fausti family had always made waves because of who they were. Aunt Lola’s wedding gown symbolized how prosperous they were, and it also proved that in Italy, they were like royalty. Since the Faustis mostly only had all boys, there was no expense spared for a girl of the blood’s wedding.
Aunt Lola’s gown had been compared to Grace Kelly’s. It was a bit different in style, but still so romantic. The entire gown was covered in intricate and glistening beading. It came in tight at the waist, but the hem graced the floor. It wouldn’t have fit me before. I had been too thin, but I wasn’t training anymore.
All those restrained curves filled out the gown.
Free of harsh routines and selective eating, my body became more like my famous grandmother’s, Grazia Angeli. If I wanted spaghetti and wine now, I ate and drank it. Enjoying every second.
It was the first time in my life that I felt free to be…me.
I lifted my hand and fixed my veil. It was as stunning as the gown—allelevenfeet of it. The only thing I asked for was another layer of tulle to be added. I wanted roses lightly embroidered on it, along with a small butterfly. I wanted to represent both my mother and Saverio’s.
The real reason I chose this dress, though, wasn’t just for looks. It was what it represented. As much as I loved my parents’ love story, as much as I loved Saverio’s parents’ love story, they were both touched by war and blood.
I demanded something different for our life. I wanted a devastating kind of love—the kind of love that stuck through all seasons—but not a love that would devastate me.
Aunt Lola and Uncle Tito were always on the sidelines of the danger, and their love story was still worthy of a fairytale.
They would be at the church already, probably too old to be traveling so far, but still holding hands.
That was what I wanted with Saverio.
All I wanted.
That was the end game for me.
The gown represented the first steps toward the rest of our lives. A symbol of romance, change, and freedom.
“Freedom,” I whispered, tasting the word on my lips. It was as sweet as honey. Especially when I thought about how different this day would have looked if it had been Elio waiting for me at the altar. It would have been like walking toward my coffin, stepping inside, and waiting out my life.
This. This felt like life.
“Mia?” Mamma walked up behind me, smiling at me through the mirror. “You are gorgeous,” she said for the hundredth time. “So gorgeous.”
