Sapphire, the blue-green of it shimmering in the light.
My mother’s ring. She had two. A sapphire and an emerald ring. Called them her treasures—one for each of her girls. She was wearing both rings when she died, and when the cops gave us back her belongings, Aunt Bianca swooped in and seized them before Ari and I could even process what was happening. She locked them away in her safe, claiming she was “keeping them safe for us.”
My head whips to my sister. But Ari—my bold, brilliant sister—had stolen them back.
“Runs in the family, I guess,” Ari had joked when she told me, and now I understand what she meant.
Tears well in my eyes as everything and everyone blurs away, clearing for a moment when they fall.
I mouth a thank you to her before turning to stare at the ring she gave Luca and then look into those eyes I have fallen hopelessly in love with.
“Matilde Marino, will you do me the honor of being my wife?’
***
Luca
She said yes.
I never doubted for a moment that she would, but I craved those words like my next breath. And now that I have them, I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her.
I'm practically humming as I step out of the bathroom, water dripping down my body as I wrap a towel around my waist. After the day we’ve had, I can't fucking wait to get in bed with my fiancée. Fuck, even thinking about it has a lump forming in my throat.
My girlfriend. My fiancée…my wife.
Mine.
And I want her.
I feel my cock harden as I walk back to the bedroom, already visualizing how we're going to celebrate this night. Then I stop dead in my tracks.
Matilde is seated on the edge of the bed, her shoulders shaking, and I freeze when I see the glint of tears on her face, her eyes on the ring. My heart lurches, and my mind races as I try to figure out what's happening. What could have possibly upset her? Did something happen? Is she hurt? Is she sad?
And then an ugly thought comes. Does she not want to marry me? Maybe she said yes because she didn't want to embarrass me in front of our families.
But I was certain...
“Baby.”
I take a hesitant step forward, my bare feet silent on the carpet. I search her face, trying to read her expression, but the tears make it difficult. Her eyes are red-rimmed, and her cheeks are flushed. She looks up at me, and her gaze meets mine.
“I'm sorry,” she whispers, sniffing into the sleeve of her sweater. “I can't stop crying. Sorry.”
I approach her then drop to a crouch in front of her, taking her hand in mine. “Talk to me. What's wrong?”
“This ring is an heirloom,” she whispers, her eyes dripping with more tears. “There are two. They belonged to my mother who got them from her mother who got them from her mother, and they are meant to be worn together, but Mamma……” She stops, sniffing back tears. “When she had twins, she said she'd give one to each of us when we got married. She said I would get the emerald because I'm steady and grounded—like a forest, she said—and Arianna would get the sapphire because the wild, untamable ocean suits her adventurous soul. As long as we stayed together, then the rings would live on as intended.”
I bring her fingers to my lips, kissing the ring. “She sounds like an incredible woman.”
“She was,” she whispers. “I…I know this sounds stupid but I think I felt her today. When we opened the bakery, I felt her presence, even just for a little bit, and it made me incredibly happy.”
“Where else would she be,biscottina, if not with her precious daughters?"
“God!” I laugh when she throws her arms around me, forcing me on my back on the floor. I wrap my arms around her and hold her close as a feeling of warmth and possessiveness sweeps over me. “The ring is beautiful, baby. Your mother would be proud of you.”
“Thank you.” Her voice is muffled in my chest when she speaks. We stay on the floor and only break apart when we hear a knock on the bedroom door. “I'll get it.”
Matilde pushes back, and my skin burns fiercely as she runs her eyes over my naked skin and to the hard cock tenting the towel. “Not while you're dressed like that. I'll get it.”
