Page 108

“Would you really have killed me that night you stabbed me?” Did you want to?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Would I have killed you? No, I wouldn’t have. Did I want to? Of course I did. You were a bastard.” She chuckled as I wrapped my arms around her. Her body relaxed into mine even more than before as her sweet laughter vibrated through me.

“Ana?”

“Yeah?” she responded as she linked her fingers with mine.

What was I doing? Was I about to tell her how I felt? How could I when I didn’t know what that was? This whole deal with love was a complete mindfuck.

“Never mind.”Not yet, Lorenzo, not yet.

Soon, though.

Four weeks later.

Tonight was the night.

I was ready to tell my wife I loved her, tell her I’d falleninlove with her, and that I planned to love her for the rest of my life if she’d let me. I didn’t need her to say it back. I wasn’t saying it for that. It just felt like the right time for me. Something completely new? Yes. But also something I was more than ready for.

I welcomed my mother at the door as she exited the car with a huge smile, unable to hide her excitement, and I adored it. I rushed down the steps to her as she retrieved the first load of white roses from the car. “Here, let me take those for you, Mama. The guys will get the rest. You go on inside.”

She walked inside with me, looking around to see if Anastacia was here. “Mama, you know she’s not here. The girls took her to the spa and for lunch. I needed her out all day to arrange this.”

“You’re a good one, it just took you a while to see it.” She patted my face, and deep down I knew I was anything but good. “So, have you planned it all?”

“Pretty much. All I can do now is hope she likes it,” I breathed.

“She’ll love it. What’s not to love?” she questioned.

“Yeah, you’re right.” I looked at my mother’s face as she reflected my happiness with a soft smile.

“Right, we’ve got all day, let’s get cracking.” She clapped her hands in a, we’d better get a move on motion, before rolling up the sleeves of her cream cashmere jumper. “Lorenzo?”

“Yes, Mama?” I replied, waiting for what was coming next.

“I’m proud of you. Of the man you’ve become as well as the husband you’re learning to be.” The corners of her lips twisted in emotion as she stifled a sob.

“Thank you. I’m learning slowly, but surely.” I chuckled.

“Yeah, well, remember, Anastacia is learning, too. You can learn from one another.” She was right. She always bloody was. “I know tonight is special for you. You wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t, but are you planning to tell your wife you love her?”

“I am.” Two words. Two words was all I needed to say for my mother to let the tears escape her. “Because if what I feel is love, I need to tell her. You know I could go out one evening and never come home, and I don’t want her never knowing how I feel.”

“Don’t talk that way. You’ve got all the time in the world together. I’m sure of it.” She squeezed my hand, and I knew she wished my father would have told her he loved her more. “She’s too good for me, Ma.”

“You need to stop putting yourself down. You’re lucky to have one another. What happened between you when you first met is in the past, and it’ll stay there.” She nodded, always knowing exactly what to say.

Over the next few hours, she helped me prepare the dish Ana enjoyed at my grandparent’s restaurant. One I knew she’d love. We made sure all the small details were prepared and ready. She arranged the roses and candles throughout the foyer, bathroom, and dining room, scattering petals along the walkway to Ana’s first surprise. I didn’t carry a romantic bone in my body, or so I thought. But now, seeing this, changed my opinion completely.

“What do you think, Ma?” I asked, stepping back to admire our handiwork

“It’s perfect. You’re all set,” my mother assured me as she pulled on her trench coat. “Enjoy the evening with your wife.”

I planned on it.

33

I relaxed backin the booth with my iced tea as the girls seemed shifty and a little bit shady.