Page 96 of My Big Fat Italian Break-Up

He took a step closer and reached out to cup my face with his beloved hands, his dark eyes liquid. ‘Yes, Erica. I’ll marry you. Here. Now.’

I slapped my hand over my mouth, tears plopping down my cheeks.

He peered into my eyes. ‘If you don’t take your hand off your mouth, I can’t kiss you…’

My hand dropped to my side and I watched in shock as his face filled my field of vision and his lips caught mine in a long, soul-burning kiss. He’dforgivenme. I reached up past his shoulder blades and clutched at his arms and tasted salty tears, a mixture of mine – and his.

‘Never ever do that to me again,’ he breathed against my mouth, and I kissed him back hard like never before. ‘You almost killed me.’

‘I won’t,’ I promised. ‘I’m so, so sorry, Julian.’

‘How the hell did you manage to organize this so quickly?’ he asked when we came up for air.

I shrugged and pulled him back down to me. ‘Quickly? It’s been years in the making,’ I answered before we kissed again.

Whether it was minutes or hours later, I’ll never know, but in came the kids, who threw themselves at him, and he pulled them to him, covering them with kisses.

‘Daddy is so, so sorry for leaving without saying goodbye,’ he wept, and my heart went out to him. ‘It’ll never happen again.’

Warren hugged him back. ‘Dad, it’s cool. Sometimes Mom drives me nuts, too!’

‘Me too!’ Maddy chimed in, and I wiped the last of my mascara from my eyes.

I knew I should have worn waterproof.

With a happy cheer, in came Julian’s parents, who were anything but stiff upper lip, and they wrapped us in their warm embrace. And finally, not wanting to be any less, my family burst in, including Marcy and my aunts and siblings, and it was a warm embrace of pastel silks and loving words for us all.

Even Marcy said, ‘I couldn’t imagine a couple who deserve each other more!’

Which was a monumental milestone, because we all knew how highly she thought of him.

My father pulled me close and kissed my cheeks. ‘Your mother would have been so proud of you, Erica.’

I pulled him closer. I didn’t think I had anymore tears left, but I was wrong. ‘Thanks, Dad.’

‘Be happy, my sweetheart. As happy as you can be. Love each other always and don’t hang onto the silly things, like whose turn it is to take out the trash.’

Which was meaningful, seeing as he did all the chores in his house.

I laughed. ‘I promise.’

Paul, still teary-eyed himself, brought up the rear, lugging a suit bag as he yanked Julian out of the circle.

‘Hurry up, Jules. Put this on. The priests are due any minute – one Catholic and one Protestant,’ he called. ‘You can all cry later!’

*

Alone in the Groom’s Suite, Julian took me in his arms and kissed me like he hadn’t in a long, long time.

‘You even hired a Protestant priest?’ he asked.

‘I’m taking no chances this time, Julian.’

His beautiful face suddenly crumpled and more tears flowed. ‘I love you, you freaking nutter.’

I laughed, swiping at my cheeks. ‘I love you, too!’

‘I can’t believe you just risked everything for me,’ he whispered against my mouth, and I giggled.