"Mia?"
As we got closer, I spotted Dante, Vittoria and Gabriel all sitting in the sand, and I pulled my girlfriend into me. "D was never going to let you celebrate your birthday without him," Mia explained. "You get that, right?"
"You went to make sure they were here, didn't you?" I kissed her forehead and smiled. "We haven't spent a birthday apart for over a decade."
"He's lucky I'm willing to share you," Mia said and pulled me down for a kiss. I had never appreciated how much easier my life was when the woman in it and my brother weren’t constantly bickering and forcing me to play referee.
"Luc!" We pulled apart to see Dante shaking a bottle of whiskey. "Happy birthday, bro!"
Hand in hand, we joined the others to a chorus of “happy birthdays”. Mia settled herself to catch up with the twins in front of the fire and I dropped next to Dante.
"Have you asked her yet?" he asked me.
"Keep your voice down," I hissed my response.
"Take that as a no," Dante laughed. "What the hell have you been doing out here?" I grinned and Dante shook his head. "No. I don't want to know."
He opened the bottle and poured us both a drink into plastic cups. I had always enjoyed a measure of whiskey with Dad on my birthday. I thought the tradition would die with him, but Dante took up the mantle instead. We bumped the cups and downed the amber liquid.
"I was planning to do it tonight before you all turned up," I told my friend. I’d been walking around with the ring for a while but could never find the perfect moment. After our trip to the cathedral and talking to her about Dad I realised there was no perfect moment. In my line of work, I wasn’t guaranteed tomorrow and I refused to waste any more time.
"Shit! Sorry, Luc," Dante apologized.
"No, I just..."
"I'll get away with the twins after. Give you some space if you want?"
"That would be great.”
Chapter Fifty Six
Mia
Iwatched Luc carefully throughout the night. He laughed with ease as we shared stories and ate cake in front of the fire. The smell of burning wood and whiskey lingered in the air, and as the fire started to dim, the group got up to head back to the hotel.
"Wait for a second," Luc said. I stopped and looked at him. The others had continued to walk and were a little way off before they stopped, realizing we weren’t following them.
"Mia..." Luc said.
"What's wrong?"
He took a step towards me. "Nothing's wrong."
I wasn't entirely sure that was the truth. Luc had behaved strangely all day and I felt like something had been weighing on his mind, but didn't know how to ask him.
"I've really enjoyed this trip," he told me.
"So, have I, Luc."
"I enjoy every day I spend with you, Mia."
"You're being very affectionate tonight," I laughed. Luc’s affection didn’t come in the form of words. Vocalizing how he felt wasn’t his strong point, instead he showed it through the way the house always had lilies, constant contact and protecting me from others.
"Mia." The tone in his voice wasn't teasing. It was serious and I felt a nervous knot in my stomach. "I love you."
"I love you too, Luc," I said. "Are you sure everything's okay?"
He took a deep breath. "Mia, I never expected to love you the way I do. I was never looking for love and you caught me by surprise and now I couldn't imagine a single day without you. I've done a lot of wrong in my life, but I must have done something good to deserve you."
