She’s shaky, but she says, “Yes. Yes, I’m all right, sweetheart.”
I throw my arms around her and give her the biggest hug.
“Massimo,” a deep voice sounds from behind us. I look back at Massi and he lets out a sigh, then pushes himself up from the floor and turns to face his dad.
I follow him, pushing myself up to a stand, then helping my mom up.
“I wasn’t sure you were going to help us after everything,” Andreas says.
“I helped you because I’m not a terrible fucking human being, but make no mistake, you still have no part in our lives moving forward.”
“Massimo,” his mom says, coming up to stand next to her husband. “Please, you have to understand why we kept this secret for so long.”
“I don’t. I refuse to. You broke up a family, and in turn put ours in a bad fucking spot back home.”
“Surely, Liana can speak to?—”
“Don’tfor a second think my wife will doeither of youany favors. You both chose where your loyalties lie, and just because I killed the man you seemed to think so highly of, doesn’t mean you’ll be welcomed back with loving arms.”
“What are you saying?” Andreas asks.
“I’m saying, I hope you made friends with people other than Ignazio here, because you’re no longer welcome back home.”
“Massi,” I breathe out, hating that I’m the one responsible for breaking up his family.
He turns to look at me. “I told you where my loyalty lies. I made a promise to love and protect you,always.”
“I can’t be the reason you exile your parents, though.”
“I’m doing this because it’s the right thing to do. What they did is unforgivable. I’ll never be able to look at them the same again.”
As I gaze deep into his eyes, I know there’s no talking him out of this decision. He’s doing what his heart is telling him to do, and while a part of me does feel bad for being responsible for this falling out, something else squeezes at my heart knowing the love he has for me isthisstrong.
“Massimo, please,” Rosa says.
“I’m doing you both a favor and telling you to start your lives over anywhere but home. Stay in Sicily, travel somewhere else. I don’t care. But as soon as I get back to the states, I fully plan on informing Matteo DiMaggio of what you both did, and I’ll leave it up to him to decide the fate of you both. Because you’re my parents, I won’t hand you right over to him, but I refuse to help you any further than that.”
Gio and Gui move to stand next to Massi. “Werefuse to help you,” Gio says.
Their parents are silent for a moment, looking between their three sons, until their dad finally says, “Fine, we’ll go, but you have our numbers when you’re ready to move past this.”
Massi, Gio, and Gui don’t respond to that.
Rosa looks at me and my mom, and says, “I-I’m sorry.” Her words come out like a choked sob. I feel like she wants to say more, but she just repeats herself—“I’m sorry”—then turns to follow her husband off the plane.
I place my hand on Massi’s shoulder and he turns to look at me. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he draws me to him, and I slide mine around his neck, holding onto him like I never want to let go … Because I don’t. Ineverwant to let this man go.
Pulling back, so I’m able to peer deep into his eyes, I cup his cheek with my hand and say, “I love you, Massi.” His gaze locks with mine. “Thank you for everything. For helping me with my mom. For helping me with Alessia. For …everything. You’re the man I never knew I needed, and now the man I’ll never be able to go without.”
“And you’ll never have to,mia moglie. I’m here with you, always and forever. I choose you because I love you.”
“Uhh, I hate to break up this cute as fuck little moment between you two, but we kind of have some bodies to get rid of before we can get out of here,” Gui says.
“Again with the fucking timing, Gui,” Gio sighs out.
“Oh my gosh. Do we know where Jeff and Monique are?” I ask, panic raising my voice as I realize they’re still missing.
“We’re here, Miss Liana,” Jeff says, and I peek around Massi’s shoulder. “I locked Monique and I in the cockpit as soon as I saw those men get out of their cars.”
