Falling for Italy (11 page)

“I’m sorry,
amore
. I didn’t want to spoil your mood by reminding you of that asshole.”

“It’s okay. He’s so insignificant right now I can’t even remember what he looked like.”

They laughed together, the celebration atmosphere back.

“So tomorrow is the big day, huh?”

“Yeah.” She turned to the mirror and started fastening her diamond earrings. “Thank God you showed up. You don’t seem to live here anymore. You spend more time with Sonia than you do with your own family,” she teased him.

He cleared his throat, shoving his hands in his jeans’ pockets.

“Linda, Sonia and I are getting married.”

She stopped dead, and then whirled around, her mouth agape. It took her a good while to utter a sound.

“Are… Are you serious?”

“Very serious,” he replied, looking straight into her rounded blue eyes.

She sat down on the chair next to her vanity, as though trying to absorb this unprecedented information. Eventually, she asked, “When did this happen? And how?”

In spite of her expression, he laughed.

“You should know better how these things happen, sis!”

She wasn’t amused. He went on. “I’m in love with her, Linda. It just happened. I know she’s the woman I want to spend my life with.”

Linda looked at him stunned, but a thoughtful expression came onto her face.

“What about her? Does she share your feelings?”

He felt somewhat irritated.

“Of course she does. That’s why she’s marrying me.”

“Are you sure?”

His jaw tightened, but he tried to control his temper.

“If you’re insinuating she’s after my money, you’re wrong. She loves me for who I am, not for my bank account. Or don’t you think I’m man enough to make a woman love me for what I am?”

She rose then and went to him, cupping his face between her small palms. She looked at him intently, love and tenderness radiating from her eyes.

“Oh,
fratello mio
, you are the
best
man I know. Alongside Gerard,” she added smiling quickly. “But I’ve known you all of my life. I’ve always thought you’re the most handsome, the smartest, simply the best. It’s natural for me to be possessive and protective, to think no woman is worthy of you. I’m sorry,” she said on a sigh. “I liked Sonia very much and, honestly, I think she’s in love with you too.”

“You do? Why?” he asked intrigued, taking her hands in his.

“When she came to dinner she seemed so tough, you know, like those tough bitches with big guns you see in movies,” she told him, making him grin. “But when she looked at you, her eyes softened and sort of…lit up. I think the only word I could use to describe the way she looked at you is
adoringly
. Forgive me. I was jealous and that made me selfish,” she admitted, lowering her head, just as she used to do when they were children and she got upset over something, sticking out her lower lip. He’d never been able to resist that cute little gesture, which melted his heart.

He hugged her tightly, kissing her forehead.

“It’s okay,
cara
, I understand. I was cautious about your French lover at first, remember?”

“When I first told you about him, you asked me if he was good in bed,” she reminded him dryly.

“And you still haven’t told me, not until this day!”

They laughed together, happy in their present bubble of joy.

Suddenly, she looked up at him.

“Did you buy her a ring? Giovanni, tell me you haven’t asked a woman to marry you without a ring.”

He let her go and looked at his shoes.

“Err, no… It was all kind of sudden. I wasn’t planning to ask her last night, so I wasn’t prepared.”

Then a thought struck him and he added, “Maybe you could help me pick up a ring.”

“When?”

“Now.”

“Now?” she exclaimed perplexed. “But I have a thousand things left to do—”

“Oh, come on, sis,” he pleaded, already taking off her diamond tiara. “Help me do this right. It won’t take long.”

“Won’t take long?” she repeated, butting his hands away. “Shows just how much you know about picking an engagement ring.”

Still, she started taking down her hair, while he admired her own classy engagement ring, which she wore on the fourth finger of her left hand.

“Well, the Frenchman’s got good taste, I’ll give him that,” he remarked, nodding at her ring when she looked at him for clarification.

She smiled.

“Yeah. I’m a lucky woman. We’re both lucky,
fratello mio.
”

They smiled at each other, and then he remembered something.

“Linda, there’s another thing I forgot to tell you. I—we—decided to go home, to Florence, right after your wedding. We want to spend the holidays at home.”

She stopped fussing with her dress and lifted her head. He saw tears shimmering in her eyes as she watched him, with a mix of sorrow and wonder in her gaze.

“You’re leaving so soon? God, I can’t believe my big brother is becoming a family man! It’s so strange. So many changes, so fast…”

In spite of her smile, tears rolled down her cheeks. He embraced her tightly, whispering comfort words in her hair. Maybe soon he’d hear Sonia talk to him in his own beloved language—the language of his ancestors.

“Don’t cry,
cara
. We’ll be visiting one another every month if you like,” he said, stroking her back. “You should be happy for me, the way I am for you.”

“But I
am
happy, Giovanni,” she replied, and he saw the truth in her teary eyes. “These are tears of joy, my love. I know I’m not losing you. Sonia is the luckiest woman on Earth.”

She wiped her eyes brusquely and, with shooing motions, said, “Let me change and hide this dress, so Gerard doesn’t see it. Then we’ll go shopping. We’ll buy your woman the most gorgeous and expensive diamond we can find in London.”

Chapter Nine

Sonia was a complete no-talent in the kitchen. She could actually burn frozen pizza. However, tonight she was making an unprecedented effort to prepare dinner for Giovanni. After she seriously debated ordering food from the corner restaurant and passing it as her own accomplishment, she abandoned that thought. He had to know from the beginning what he was getting himself into by marrying her.

Marrying. Marriage. The words still sounded foreign, provoking shivers and an odd feeling in her stomach. She’d never in her life considered becoming somebody’s wife, yet here she was now, the fiancée of a super Italian stud, the most amazing man she’d ever met. Not to mention he was the world’s best lover and he was loaded with money. Truth be told, she didn’t give a flip about that last part. She would’ve married him with the same love and enthusiasm if he’d been poor. She smiled, gazing dreamily through the window, feeling happier than she’d ever been. For the first time in her life she felt accomplished, needed. She had a purpose and a reason to live, not just exist contentedly as she had for twenty-nine years.

Shaking her head in awe at the unexpected turn her life had taken in just a couple of short weeks, she got down to the terrifying business of cooking. She had researched on Google the easiest recipes to prepare and decided on Chicken Cacciatore. She wanted to make something traditionally Italian to impress her future husband.

After praying to God—and whoever else was listening—that she wouldn’t screw up, she got to work, placing the printed recipe right in front of her on the kitchen counter. She analyzed the raw chicken breasts in amazement and some disgust. She’d always liked to think that chickens—along with all good food—grew in supermarkets and restaurants. But imagining the piece of meat in her hand as a living beast made her a little sick. Holding the slices with two fingers, she started sautéing them, at least she hoped that was what she was doing.

She sprinkled some spices over the meat, poured white wine in the pan and threw it into the oven, following the cooking instructions more religiously than she’d ever complied with the Ten Commandments.

She prepared the sauce, being careful at the same time not to burn the chicken. In the end, all crumpled and sweaty, her kitchen looking like after a bloody massacre, she proudly tasted the results of her first culinary attempt.

Her eyes watered a bit when she sampled the sauce, she’d probably exaggerated with the paprika, but she told herself a real man could handle spicy food.

“It’s not too bad,” she encouraged herself loudly, looking around as though expecting confirmation from the kitchen utensils. She could really use a pet. She’d fallen madly in like with Pirata, Linda’s cat. Giovanni had told her about Guccio—the dog he’d adopted—and she was truly excited about meeting him. A new house and a new life awaited her. Instead of being scared, she looked at this new chapter of her life like an adventure. As long as Giovanni would be by her side, nothing possibly could go wrong.

She decided to clean the kitchen later, the effort of cooking had been enough for one day. Instead, she went to take a bath, leaving the food in the oven so it would stay warm until Giovanni was supposed to arrive. He’d called to let her know he’d be there late, around seven. It was barely six, so she relaxed into the steamy hot water, under fragrant inches of bubbly foam. The bathroom window was small, but she could still see the snowflakes drifting lazily down. Their dreamy routine made her eyelids droop and she felt herself dozing off, carried gently on the wings of sleep.

* * * *

Giovanni let himself in with the key Sonia had given him, holding a bottle of the most expensive champagne he could find. He called her name as he took off his shoes in the foyer. Not getting any reply, he stuck his head in the kitchen, discovering a shocking mess. Judging by the look and the smell of the place, his fiancée had actually cooked something—an unprecedented situation since he’d known her. No food was in sight though, and he didn’t take the time to snoop around.

The living room was deserted, as was the bedroom. He began thinking she wasn’t at home, but he opened the bathroom door and glanced through the crack. There she was, lying in the tub, only her dark head emerging from the clouds of bubble and steam.

He approached the tub quietly, noticing her eyes were closed and a dreamy smile lingered on her flushed face. He watched her lovingly, marveling at the emotions she stirred in his heart, feelings still new, yet so powerful they had to be immortal.

He put the champagne bottle on the edge of the tub and reached inside his jacket, extracting from the inner pocket one of the two black velvet jewelry boxes he’d tucked there. He took out the long string of glossy pearls he’d bought along with the engagement ring, after hours of following Linda through all the jewelry stores in London. She found a flaw in everything, but when he’d spotted the pearls and pointed them out to her, she had gasped in triumph, declaring them perfect.

The same story with the ring hunt. Linda told him they had to find something that would suit Sonia perfectly, not just any diamond band. She said Sonia was a practical woman, tough yet feminine, and the ring also needed to match her style of dressing and personality. His eyes had crossed in exasperation every time his sister began counting on her fingers all her demands to the poor clerks, who went to a lot of trouble to show off their best merchandise.

Finally, Linda—and him, he supposed—had chosen a wide gold band with a square diamond encased in its middle. It wasn’t as delicate or flashy as a usual engagement ring, but it had style and elegance. Besides, it was practical and wouldn’t get in the way when she handled guns, which he was sure she was going to do for the rest of her life. He needed to find her a position as a trainer in Tuscany.

She sighed deeply, causing the upper half of her breasts to rise from the bubbly water, snapping his thoughts to the present. He couldn’t resist the temptation. He slid the pearls slowly down her bare wet skin, between her breasts, in a caressing motion. She arched her back and her nipples became visible, coated in foam, rising as if to meet the stroking movement of the smooth beads.

He groaned, his stomach muscles tightening with lust. His manhood became rigid as live steel. She opened her eyes idly and he could swear she’d known all along he was watching her, enjoying herself as she made him yearn for her.

She smiled and said drowsily, “Have you been here long?”

He swallowed, sitting on the edge of the tub, the pressure behind his zipper uncomfortably maddening.

“Long enough.”

He bent and kissed her deep and long, then dipped a finger into the water, sliding it over her nipple.

“Your water has gone cold, princess. Better come out,” he told her as she caught her lower lip between her teeth, rubbing her breast against his hand.

“Okay.”

She emerged from the water slowly and gracefully, running her hands leisurely down her body to wipe the traces of bath foam. When she was standing, her navel was at the same level with his mouth, and he made good use of that.

Gasping, she supported her hands on his shoulders and grabbed them tightly when he finally detached his mouth from her. He looked up at her and grinned, his own breath coming out shallowly. Although he burned to make love with her, he wanted to savor the anticipation and make the night memorable.

“Now, let’s get you dry. I have plans for tonight and the first part doesn’t involve getting naked.”

She laughed breathlessly, reluctantly letting him go. He left her to towel off and took the champagne bottle in the living room. He removed his coat, placing the pearl necklace on the coffee table, but putting the ring box in his jeans’ pocket.

He was just about to go in search of two glasses when Sonia appeared from the bedroom wearing a white T-shirt through which he could see absolutely everything, and a pair of white sweatpants.

He shook his head slowly from side to side, chewing the inside of his cheek.

“You really do this on purpose, don’t you?”

“Do what?” she asked, feigning innocence, in contrast to her sly smile, which was a dead giveaway that she indeed knew what he was talking about.

“Wear skimpy clothes to drive me crazy.”

“Well, you’ll have to get used to it. What will you do when we’ll be married? I always go around the house naked as a jay in summertime,” she taunted.

“Then I guess I’ll be on a permanent holiday. Come here,” he urged and sat on the sofa. She came and he took her onto his lap.

He kissed her gently, and then took the pearl strand from the coffee table.

“I bought you this. Do you like it?”

He let the necklace slither onto her palm and she touched it reverently, as if it were a delicate butterfly. She looked up at him, her eyes shining.

“I love it, baby, it’s wonderful! But I told you, you don’t have to buy me expensive gifts. I’m not used to—”

“Get used to it,” he cut her off firmly, cupping her chin to make her look at him. “You’re the most precious thing in my life, Sonia. You deserve the best and the best is what you’ll have. It makes me happy to give you beautiful, fine things. Learn to deal with it.”

She gazed at him for a while, then smiled.

“Okay. Thank you.” She kissed his lips softly, sliding the pearls over her head to please him. “They’re gorgeous,” she added, looking down at the translucent creamy-white beads between her breasts. “I’ll wear them tomorrow, with the earrings you brought me yesterday.”

He smiled and adjusted their bodies so he could reach inside his jeans’ pocket.

“I would also like it very much if you’d wear this too.”

He opened the small black velvet box, revealing the ring. Her short intake of breath told him he’d taken her by surprise. Her eyes were huge, lighted by the brilliant sparkles of the diamond reflecting in them.

“Oh, Giovanni!”

He lowered her onto the sofa, and then knelt in front of her. He’d planned this carefully and wanted to do it properly. Only once in his life he was getting engaged and the woman he’d chosen deserved his best. He’d made mistakes, he’d been short tempered and rough with her, but all that was in the past. Tonight he wanted a new start, with her as the focus of his life.

His voice sounded roughly emotional to his own ears when he spoke.

“Sonia, I love you with all my heart. I never thought it was possible for me to fall in love, but I did. I thought I would never want to spend the rest of my life with a single woman. But I do. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Of accepting me as your husband, as the only man in your life, forever?”

Her gaze was locked with his as he took her left hand and slid the ring on her fourth finger. To his dismay, her eyes flooded with tears. She pressed her lips together hard for a long moment, then said, “Yes. I will, Giovanni.”

She lifted her hand and looked at the ring as if it were the most beautiful and unusual thing she’d ever seen. Then she sniffed, wiping her tears with her hands before he could offer her his handkerchief. She took it anyway and blew her nose, looking embarrassed by her display of emotional sensitivity. He’d never seen her actually cry. Before he could remark on it, she smiled through tears.

“Didn’t I tell you yesterday I’ll marry you? You had to make sure by buying me this rock?”

They laughed together and he sat back on the sofa, holding her tightly in his arms, as she cuddled against his chest. After a while, she lifted her head and looked at him.

“The ring is gorgeous, my love. It’s the most beautiful and
meaningful
present I’ve ever got. And it fits perfectly,” she added, studying the ring closely. “Thank you. I don’t know any man who could choose better and who would know exactly what I’d like.”

He kissed her forehead, grinning sheepishly.

“Linda helped me pick it.”

She looked startled.

“You told her?”

“Of course I told her,” he replied in dismay. “You didn’t think I would get married without telling my sister.”

“Of course not. It’s just that…I thought we’d wait a bit longer. How did she take the news?” she asked, looking at him worriedly, which amused him.

He recounted his discussion with Linda, as well as the hours spent searching for the perfect ring.

Sonia smiled.

“I totally understand her. If I had a brother, I’d be suspicious about any female who’d get close to him. But it was nice of her to help you choose this,” she remarked, admiring the diamond that was gloriously reflecting the light and the joy in her eyes. She stood abruptly.

“Speaking of surprises…”

“Were we speaking of surprises?”

She ignored him and went on. “I have one for you. Wait here.”

So saying, she disappeared in the direction of the kitchen. She reappeared a few moments later carrying two plates, which she put in front of him.

“Today I cooked for you. Chicken Cacciatore.”

She gestured proudly, indicating the food. It didn’t even look that bad, and he was impressed by her efforts. He whistled admiringly.

“
Amore,
this looks and smells wonderful! I can’t believe you made this specially for me.”