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“Then…?”

Sandro cleared his throat and was staring forward. “It’s more comfortable to sit in a café.”

“And we can do that anywhere.” My heart was sinking, but I think I knew why Sandro was acting this way. It was the macho-ness again of the Rossi crime family culture. Sandro was a boss and maybe he thought that walking through Central Park and picnicking with his wife wouldn’t be a good image. Baby steps, right? But I thought back to Dad and Mom. Dad wouldn’t thinktwice about holding hands with Mom. Matteo took Sera to see the sunrise. And Nico? Nico proposed on The High Line in front of the world.

I should let go of my adolescent dreams and think of more realistic ones to have as Sandro’s wife.

I fought against exhaling a disappointed sigh so as not to make him feel guilty. “All right, we can go to a café.”

Relief swept through his eyes, but an unbidden sting came to mine when I saw that. I quickly averted my gaze to the window before the tears came. It was just a picnic. Why was I being so emotional about it? I resolved to regain my composure. The morning was going well, and I didn’t want to ruin it over something so small.

“Bianca.” His voice was rough. “Look at me, baby.”

Dammit. My tears fell, and I surreptitiously wiped at them.

But I was frozen, and I didn’t want to turn my head.

“Sunlight, please look at me.”

The way he said the endearment did it. And it made me more emotional. Dammit. I dropped my head to give myself time to compose myself before I glanced at him. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” I whispered. “It’s just, I thought when I had a crush on you, when I thought I would marry you one day, I pictured us coming to the park and having a romantic picnic.”

“It was your fantasy?” His mouth curved in amusement.

I rolled my eyes. “You make it sound like a dirty fantasy.”

“Then we’ll picnic in the park.”

“But you don’t want to. I know you. Besides, I don’t want you to lose your man card with the Rossis.”

He gave a low laugh that was so sexy, I clenched my thighs.

“Who cares about that when I can put a smile back on your face.” He tipped my chin up and gave me a long, sweet kiss. “I’m sorry I made you cry.”

“I don’t know why I did. It’s just a picnic.”

“It’s not just a picnic,” he told me. “The good things in our past are making the challenges of our present more worth it. It’s something worth fighting for, baby.”

“I don’t know what to say.” My words were still garbled by the emotions pushing up my throat.

“Well, for starters, you can tell Sticks where to drive.”

I laughed lightly and told him.

“Baby,” Sandro said softly in a voice that melted my insides. “You gotta tell me when things are important to you. We’ve known each other for years, but this marriage and our relationship? It’s new.” He gripped both my hands in his. “I’ll fuck up everything else before I fuck up with you. Tell me you get that.”

“I get it.” My lips rolled together. There were so many things I wanted to tell him, but no other words would come except, “Thank you.”

His answer was to give me another sweet kiss. When we broke apart, the look he shot me was a mixture of heat and tenderness. The tears threatened to flow again, but for different reasons. There was so much love in that look, too massive to take in. I cleared my throat and whipped out my phone so I could process another milestone in our relationship. “Let’s put our order in.”

We arrived at the restaurant and picked up our grab-and-go picnic basket. It contained everything we needed to enjoy a Central Park picnic, including a blanket.

Sticks dropped us off at a corner where we would be closer to the lake. Sandro helped me out of the Escalade and went to the back to grab the basket. Then we strolled hand in hand into the park.

This was surreal.

I couldn’t believe one of my teenage fantasies was playing out.

He squeezed my hand, and I looked up at him, shooting him a smile that encompassed all the giddiness I was feeling inside.