"And I have conditions."
His eyebrow rises. "Conditions."
"No more making decisions about my life without asking me first." I hold up a finger.
"That one might be difficult."
"Nico."
He sighs. "I'll try."
"And I want to finish my medical studies." Another finger. "I want to become a nurse. A real one. With a degree and everything."
"Done."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that." He pulls my hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. "Anything else?"
I lean forward, careful of his injuries, and brush my lips against his.
"Yeah," I murmur against his mouth. "Stop getting shot."
"I'll add it to the list."
Nico
The kiss is soft. Gentle. Nothing like the desperate, consuming way I usually want her.
But I'm hooked up to machines and there's a hole in my chest where a bullet used to be, so gentle will have to do.
Kristen's fingers trace my jaw, careful to avoid the IV line. Her lips taste like hospital coffee and something sweeter underneath—relief, maybe. Hope.
I'm about to pull her closer when the door swings open.
"Nicolò, I brought you?—"
My mother freezes in the doorway, a container of what smells like homemade soup in her hands. Her eyes dart between us. Kristen on the edge of my bed. My hand tangled in her hair. Our faces approximately two inches apart.
For exactly three seconds, nobody moves.
Then my mother's face transforms into something I can only describe as triumphant, she puts the tray on a drawer next to the door and she starts clapping.
Like she's at the opera and just witnessed the best performance of her life.
"Mamma—"
"When did this happen?" She sets the soup down on the side table, completely ignoring my attempt to speak. "How long has this been going on? Why did nobody tell me?"
Kristen pulls back, her cheeks flushing that shade of pink I've become obsessed with. "Mrs. Sartori, I can explain?—"
"Aria," my mother corrects automatically, waving her hand. "We are past formalities now, clearly." She looks between us again. "When is the wedding?"
I choke on nothing.
Kristen makes a sound like a startled cat.
"Mamma."
