I give him a small smile. “That’s not entirely up to me,Zio[XLIX].”
He nods, approving.
“Then you’d better show her why Italians have the reputation of being the best lovers, sì?”
Shaking my head with a laugh, I step past him with the cardigan folded in my hands.
Cecilia is talking with my aunt Lucia when I walk back. The moment my aunt notices me approaching, she gets up, excuses herself, and walks past me with a knowing smile.
I hand Cecilia her cardigan, and she looks at me before pulling it around her shoulders with a whispered thank you. I sit beside her.
“My family is a lot, aren’t they?”
Cecilia laughs, watching two of my nephews chase their cousin with water guns. “They are,” she says. “But in the best way. You laugh, you eat, you tease each other, you even argue, but it’s warm and affectionate. It’s a beautiful kind of chaos.”
Smiling, I take her left hand and lift her wrist to my lips, kissing it softly.
“Have you decided whether you want to stay in the guest wing... or with me, at my house?”
Without breaking eye contact, she answers in a hushed voice, “In your house.”
I kiss her wrist again, lingering this time, letting my lips rest gently on her skin.
We stay with my family a little longer before finally saying our goodbyes. I walk her over to my Range Rover Autobiography, where our bags are already waiting in the trunk.
A bark cuts through the noise, and I spot Sam running toward us all the way from the olive groves. When he jumps up at Cecilia, I instinctively move to stop him... but she shakes her head, laughing, telling me she doesn’t mind getting dirty.
I stand there, watching her drop to her knees to greet him, scratching behind his ears while he does his best to lick her face.
I’m taken back to the Hamptons, over a year ago. The day Sam brought her into my life just like this.
When Cecilia finally stands, she looks at me, tilting her head in curiosity. She has no way of knowing how hard that memory hits me.
“What is it?” she asks.
I reach out, offering her my hand. “Let’s go home.”
Without hesitation, Cecilia places her hand in mine.
Chapter 16
October
You make me lose control
Cecily
I wake to light spilling across the room and, instead of complaining about forgetting to close the curtains the night before, I smile. For the second night in a row, I fell asleep beneath a sky full of stars and woke to the sun lighting up every inch of the room.
It’s impossible not to smile when you wake to a view like this. Alexander couldn’t have chosen a better place to build his home.
From the moment I stepped inside two days ago, it felt as though the house had a life of its own, everything in pale tones, light pouring into every corner from the large glass walls. The living room, all rich wood and elegance, held a modern fireplace that invited you to linger and imagine entire afternoons spent there with a book on cold days. The kitchen, beautiful beyond words, had its pale marble island and countertops softened by thoughtful details that made the space feel both functional and cozy.
And in the back... through walls of glass, the indoor pool and spa looked as though they were floating in the glow of the garden lights, like an extension of the garden itself.
Everything so perfectly balanced that it made me feel at peace at first sight.
Upstairs, Alexander showed me the bedroom that would be mine, a beautiful space done in light colors with a large bed that proved to be one of the best I had ever slept in. He then pointed toward his room at the end of the hall, saying goodnight with a kiss on my cheek.
