“Emilia.” He takes another step forward, using a cane as he approaches me, but my eyes drop to his leg. When I noticehim limping more than he had been earlier, I find myself moving toward him before my brain can register it..
“Stop,” I say, taking his elbow and guiding him to a chair. The man might have broken my heart, but I can’t stand to see him hurt. Even now, with my heart bleeding at my feet, I worry for him.I love him. “Just…just sit down.” I wait for him to sit before rounding the table and dropping down to my own seat, but I don’t meet his eyes. My eyes move to the flowers, and I resist the urge to reach up and touch one.
“When I was fourteen, I came across a book about flowers and their meanings. Roses symbolize love and passion, Bluebells symbolize loyalty, humility, and everlasting love, and lilies symbolize devotion and purity.” I lift my eyes to his, hating that even now, they affect me so. “Do you know what sunflowers symbolize?"
“Loyalty, adoration, positivity, strength, happiness, and…hope."
My eyes light up with surprise. I didn't expect him to know this or care about something so insignificant. “How do you know?”
"I looked it up after Silvia told me they were your favorite flowers."
“Which brings me back to my original question. Why did you talk to my mother and brother, Antonio?”
He reaches over the table and takes my hands into his before I can stop him, fingers tightening on mine when I try to shrug off his grip. "Because I needed their blessing to pursue you, Emilia."
His words give me pause and my eyes widen in shock.
“My mother’s favorite flowers were white daisies, which represent purity, innocence, and new beginnings. She embodied those qualities for all the fifteen years I got to know her.”
I bite my lip, uncertain of what to say. No one talks about Antonia Rossi, not even my mother, who was close to her. It’s clear the woman was adored by those around her, and her loss left a big hole in this family. Still, I don’t know where Antonio is going with this, so I sit quietly and let him speak.
“Losing her broke my family for a long time. It broke me,” he says, his fingers squeezing mine, but his eyes seem far away. “I was named after her, and we were really close, so her loss was hard for me to take. I swore to never let in anyone so deeply into my heart that losing them would hurt me that bad.” And then his eyes lift back to mine and focus on me. “That night, at Matteo’s wedding, something changed. I saw you walk toward our table with Gabriella, and something shifted inside of me. Something I’ve never felt—never allowed myself to feel before.”
“What?” I whisper, my heart racing at his words.
“I fell in love with you, Emilia Conti.”
I gasp.
“I didn’t want to accept it. To come to terms with the fact that I was losing my heart to someone who could hurt me, so I fought it. Fought myself and those feelings, and I was cruel to you. I’m sorry.”
Tears prickle my eyes, so I look away and try to blink them away. Christ, he's saying all the words I've wanted to hear for years, but I'm not sure if I can forgive him just yet. "This afternoon…" my voice breaks as I remember the horror with which he jumped from me. "You’re embarrassed of me, aren’t you?”
“What?” His brows knit in confusion as he stares at me. “What do you mean?”
“This afternoon in the kitchen when you were hugging me and then jumped back when you heard your father come in. You were embarrassed by me.
I watch as his jaw drops, and his eyes light up with surprise. "Emilia…” he shuts his eyes and lets out a sigh. “This is my fault. It’s my own fault for not telling you about my mother and about my fears that I allowed your mind to run wild.” His hands squeeze mine tightly as his eyes open to meet mine. “I’m not embarrassed by you, Emilia Conti. I would be so fucking lucky to have the whole world know you’re mine. What happened this afternoon had nothing to do with you. I wasn't ready to admit to myself, let alone anyone else, that I was in love with you. I wasn’t ready.”
I sniff back tears, confused. "What changed?"
“I spoke to my father about my mother and got a new perspective on my fears. And then I talked to Silvia and Luca and told them my intentions.”
My heart skips a beat. “Which are?”
Antonio brings our joined hands to his lips, and I shudder when his mouth presses against the back of my hands. “To make you mine,” he says. “I love you, Emilia, and I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to tell you this. I’m asking you to be mine.”
I stare at that beautiful face, waiting for it to change or for him to take back those words, but his eyes stare earnestly at me, tearing at the weak little shield that I’ve held on to from the moment I walked in. But unlike Antonio, my love for him has always been certain. “If you break my heart again, I’ll kill you, then treat you, but I'll wait until the very last second to save you."
He laughs. "Between my dad, Luca, Silvia, and Gabriella, all of whom gave me their own versions of threats, you’ll have nothing left when it’s your turn.” He kisses my wrists, making my heart race. “So, do I get this precious second chance to love you? I promise to never make you question my intentions again. Let me love you,mia stellina.”
"Yeah," I say, suddenly feeling shy. "But this is your last chance, or I'll call Richard and—”
He pushes up, and his mouth slams down on mine, cutting me off. I moan as my eyes flutter closed and surrender to a kiss that seems to wipe all rational thoughts from my mind. We’re both out of breath when he pulls back and drops back into his seat. “You’re mine,” he says, eyes firing up with danger. “Don’t make me look for the guy and tell him that myself.”
I flush at his words, even if I know he won’t need to do that. Richard will no doubt avoid me until his locum expires. I look around the empty restaurant, and it dawns on me for the first time that it shouldn’t be empty. “This is one of the busiest restaurants in this part of the city. How did you get them to close up?”
“My cousin inherited the place from his father, so I called in a favor. We have the place to ourselves tonight, with chefs waiting to take your order. Anything you want.”
