As he set to work, I said, “That’s actually really cool.”
“What is?”
“That you’d listen to Bianca.”
“Yeah, well, she’s got the eye.”
“She does,” I agreed, “but a lot of men would’ve just gone ahead and done whatever they wanted. It’s really nice that you’ll follow a woman’s opinion when it’s obvious she’s good at what she does.”
He opened the cabinet door, revealing a small ice maker that he fished some ice cubes out of. “You can thank my mother for that. In fact, you can tell her yourself when we visit my family.”
My stomach did a couple of backflips, and I didn’t answer.
He noticed my silence and looked over his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
“Why do you want me to meet them so soon?”
He shrugged. “I care about my family. I want you to meet them.”
“Isn’t this rushing it?”
“No, not when you – ”
He caught himself and stopped.
It wasn’t like Giorgio to censor himself.
If he had chosennotto say something…
Then it was probably a doozy.
“Not when you what?” I asked, my stomach filling with butterflies.
He turned around and smiled softly. “…when you know.”
My heart started to beat faster. “When you knowwhat?”
He walked over and touched a finger under my chin gently, tilting my head up to look at him.
“…that I love you,” he murmured.
My heart skipped a beat…
Then started pounding in my chest.
He smiled kindly. “You don’t have to feel the same. I don’t expect you to – and it doesn’t change my feelings in the slightest if you – ”
“I love you, too,” I blurted out.
It terrified me to say it –
But I knew it was the truth, down to my bones:
I was in love with him.
His gentle smile turned into a huge grin. “…yeah?”
“…yeah,” I whispered.
