He’d meant his words too. He kept me pressed to him the entire night.
We danced.
We laughed.
We ate some more. This time I fed him bites of cake, refusing to let him feed himself.
We drank some more—water and one glass of champagne for me.
We danced even more.
I cried happy tears.
We laughed even harder.
And as our guests saw us off with sparklers, I held tight to my husband—my husband!—as we left his parents’ villa, the horses and carriage trotting along toward our Tuscancastello. Matteo had his arm wrapped around my neck, our hands entwined, both of our left hands sparkling with new promises.
He gazed at me. I gazed up at the stars.
Nothing seemed real. It almost felt like the air was made of helium, and I of something other than flesh, blood, and bone. Something that could just float.
The weather was beautiful—tepid and breezy, and I felt like I could just melt into my husband, this night, refusing to move forward. But there was so much to look forward to, I knew this was only the beginning of nights like these for us.
Maybe this was how the stars felt when they settled into a dark sky to shine. They had a promise of nowandforever to look forward to.
I started to hum our first-dance song. Matteo filled in the gaps with the lyrics, singing just like Nonno had. Nonno’s voice was deeper, but I had a feeling that, as Matteo aged, his voice would too, but like a fine bourbon. When we both grew quiet, no sound other than theclack,clack,clackof the horse and the wheels of the carriage, I sighed, and he sighed.
We both laughed, and then, setting his hands on each side of my face, as gentle as the wind, his skin as warm as the weather, he leaned in and kissed me.
He kissed the sense straight out of me, because I had no clue we had arrived home until he whispered against my lips, “Ready, Mrs. Fausti?”
“For what?” I breathed.
“Forever.”
“Sì, sì, sì,” I whispered against his lips.
He stepped out of the carriage, put his arms around me and lifted me off my feet, carrying me over the threshold of ourcastello, just like he’d done the day he bought it for me. He didn’t set me down until we were in our room.
“Who did this?” My voice was a mirror of what it was outside. A breathless whisper.
Someone had come in and lit candles from one end of the room to the other, a rose between our pillows, petals scattered on the comforter. The scent of the room…I’d never forget it. It smelled like someone took his cologne and mine and created candles out of them. Together, they created a sensual scent thattook our essences and made them one. The candles flickered, giving the room such a romantic glow.
“Magpie, mamma, and Mia, I expect.” His hold on me grew tighter, and my breath felt even shallower.
My heart felt like it might pound hard enough to break a rib, and my knees didn’t feel solid. A cool bead of sweat ran down my neck. I was nervous as all get out. The way my new husband kept looking at me all night was like I was a meal he’d been starving for all his life.
He turned me around and touched the big bow on the back of the mini gown. “You wore this for me.”
He didn’t truly ask, but I answered like he had. “I did,” I breathed out, looking over my shoulder at him. “I want you to unwrap me.”
He turned me so fast, I gasped, but he only seemed to inhale and steal it for himself as he walked me backward to the wall, pressing me against it. He was a rock in front of me. His eyes searched mine—so deep, he was invading me in a space he’d never been before. A placeIhad never felt before inside of me.
“What?” I barely got out, not able to take the intensity in his eyes. There was a storm behind those dark irises.
“You made vows to me on sacred ground.”
“I did.”
