Shrugging, I couldn’t wait any longer. “I bought the building for you.” I reached into the inner pocket of my coat and pulled out an envelope. “Here you go, love. It’s all yours.”
Luca stared at the envelope before taking it from me. He opened the flap and pulled out the paper. “What is this?” he asked, looking up at me.
“It’s the deed to the building. In your name. No one can take it away from you.”
“Are you serious?” His eyes went from the paper to mine, seeking explanation.
“It’s yours, love, to do with as you see fit. If it doesn’t work for what you want to do, you can sell or do something else with it. The decision is yours.”
“Axel,” he breathed out. “Why would you do this?”
I pulled him close. “Because I love you. I want you to feel secure and to make your dreams come true.”
His eyes teared up right there on the street, the cold wind forgotten. “Don’t you understand thatyouare my dream come true? All I need is you. You didn’t have to buy me a building.” His eyes widened in horror. “What about the people who worked here? They lost their jobs.”
It was just like Luca to think of others. “No, they didn’t. You might have heard that we own a hotel chain. When I bought the building, I offered them opportunities with the Covington. You didn’t think I’d leave them without a job, did you?”
“Wait. We? I don’t own anything.”
I turned him in my arms. “You will when you marry me. And I’d like to do it, say…” I leaned in to speak into this ear. “Right now.”
Luca inhaled sharply as he leaned back to look at me with a shocked expression. “Right now?”
I grinned. “Yes, right now.” I point inside the building. “Inside there. The place we met last summer. You said you’d marry me anywhere but not near the dumpsters, so I’m taking you at your word.”
A laugh escaped him. “You can’t just get married on a whim. You have to have the right paperwork.”
“Oh, love,” I said. “Do you know me at all?”
His eyes bugged out as his mouth fell open. “You have it, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.”
“But I wasn’t there. You couldn’t get it without me.”
I scoffed. “Au contraire. The clerk recognized me, and all I had to do was explain to her that you were the one trapped in the basement. I told her I couldn’t bear to live another day without you as my husband… and well, let’s say they were true romantics.”
Luca’s eyes sparkled. “You charmed the pants off them, didn’t you?”
I shrugged. “I can be charming when I need to be, but your pants are the only ones I care to remove. I did invite them all to the wedding. To verify, of course.”
The sound of his laughter filled another crack in my heart. “Then I suppose we’d better go make it official.”
Pulling the door open, we entered to the delight of our waiting guests. Our friends, including my father and brother, sat waiting for us. The place no longer looked like the Midnight Market. It had been transformed into a wedding venue with draped white tapestries, twinkling lights, and fancily dressed tables for our guests.
Luca’s surprise was all the thanks I needed. “How did you do this?” Before I could answer, he shook his head. “Never mind. I don’t need to know. It’s just who you are.”
We shrugged out of our coats as Edith approached. She was dressed in a pretty blue dress and wore a white rose corsage. She was playing the part of the mother of the groom. They both needed that. “Axel asked me if it was okay for him to marry you.”
Luca reached down and hugged her, then glanced at me. “And what did you say?”
A tear came to her eye. “Yes.” She reached up and cupped his cheek. “He’s the best thing to ever happen to you, sweets. And you to him. Take care of each other.”
Luca nuzzled his cheek against mine. “We will.”
She took her seat as he turned to his two friends. He’d grown closer to John now that he was dating Caden. If things worked out as I planned, Caden would be a huge asset to both Luca and the foundation.
“Congratulations, buddy. We’re here if you need us to stand up with you,” Caden said. “If not, I have Axel’s ring for you.”
