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“Yes. Do you want me to start it now?”
“It depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether you meant what you said earlier.” He touches my jaw and tilts my head up to look at him. “Do you love me?”
My heart melts. “I love you so much, Valentino, I thought I would die when you said you never wanted to see me again. You’re my life. I love you with all my heart.”
Right before my eyes, warmth, and love seep back into his eyes, shocking me with the suddenness of it. I feel like I’m in a lucid dream.
“No, I love you more,” he says, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “I’ve always loved you, Francesca. That’s why you have the power to hurt me more than anyone else. You own me. In every way possible. I’m useless without you.”
“Valentino—”
“I’m sorry for everything I said to you.” His voice warms my skin. “I’m sorry I blamed you for the loss of our baby. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. Of course, it was not your fault. It was mine. I put you in danger. I should have guarded you better. And I shouldn’t have gone crazy over your meeting with that maggot.”
I smile suddenly. “He is a bit of a maggot, isn’t he?”
“Thank you,” he says with a grin. “Finally, you see it.”
“I love you, Valentino. Oh, how I love you.”
“I’d never been in love and I hated feeling so insecure, especially because I thought you were at least a little bit in love with him.”
“Hey.” I grab his face. “I will never make you feel that way again. I promise. Thomas the freckled maggot is dead to me.You’re all I’ve got. You’re all I want. I love you. And I’m so, so, so sorry about our baby.”
“We’ll try again. We have each other. So many opportunities to make more.”
He wraps his arms around me, tucking my head in the crook of his neck.
“By the way, Nonna Isadora showed me the Terra de Barbieri land transfer from my father to you.”
He sighs and drops the document before reaching for me again. “I assume you have questions,” he says, nibbling my neck.
“Not while you’re eating my neck.”
“Go on. Ask away?”
“You made me believe you were marrying me for the land. Why?”
“Because it was the only way I knew to marry you. I had everything I needed and wanted. Except you. But you hated me and everything I stood for.”
I nod, impressed. “Okay. Very resourceful. I’ll give you that. One last question. Be honest.”
“Always.”
“Where did you meet me for the first time?”
He laughs. “Oh, this is my special secret memory. I don’t think I want to share it with anyone.”
“Even me?” I pout.
“Everything of mine is yours,mia perla. Remember when Franco threw a party in Tribeca almost three years ago now? I arrived late and I stayed at the house the whole time so you wouldn’t have seen me, but I saw you. You were dancing with Louisa by the pool,” he says, his eyes shining with the memory. His love for me is evident in his eyes. How could I not have seen it before?
“You were so fucking beautiful I knew right then you were the one for me. I had to have you.”
“I remember that party,” I laugh. “Why did you like me? I didn’t know anyone was watching. We were being crazy that night. My dancing was not sexy at all.”