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I peered at him. It was his wealth and privilege that shaped him. He had the luxury of failing, but I did agree he had goals set. His staunch confidence appealed to me the most. I wish I had that, but there had to be more to it. “Are you afraid of anything?”
He stared off. “Of course, I am…in fact, I’m more afraid than I have ever been with you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I want you to be happy in our life, and most of all, I never want you to be hurt again.” He didn’t mention my past, but it hung between us. He squeezed my shoulder and kissed the side of my head. “I wish it all had been different. My grandfather—”
“No, Rocco,” I said and shook my head. “I need to let it go for my sanity. He was there when I needed a parent and friend. I’ll always be hurt, but I’m grateful my life improved. But honestly, I probably would feel different if it hadn’t.” And that was the truth. My lifehadbenefitted from Luca’s involvement and I’d decided to let go of the past and embrace all he gave me. Confidence. Strength. Wisdom. He taught me to value myself and those were good things.
He took my hand and kissed the back. “Fair enough. Let’s go have brunch.”
The path circled back to the villa. We had only walked in, and a few minutes later, the cooks brought pancakes, grilled sausages, and tropical fruits on platters decorated with buttercup flowers.
“Thank you so much,” we told them.
“Let’s take a peek at our first night,” he announced as we thanked Henry, who set up our video clip. A few seconds later, our faces filled the flat screen. To our surprise, it showed our time out today.
“I’ll change it,” Rocco said, but I took his arm.
“Please don’t.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. The woman filmed was a side of myself I was only coming to know. I was happy, lighter, and carefree—something I had never seen before.
“You’re so radiant. So beautiful,” he said softly. Rocco’s easy affection was in every moment, from picking fruit to carrying mearound the shore. My heart contracted to watch our lingering stares, kisses, and, most of all, our happiness.
I touched my warm face, my heart hammering.
“That’s what I love most about filming,” Rocco said dreamily. “We capture a moment in time. It’s an imprint of the beliefs. It tells a story of where we could be or what we can return to.”
“So we live forever?” I cocked a brow.
Rocco lifted his chin. “I plan to.”
His assuredness and enthusiasm were as sexy as he was.I swear, how could I not fall for a man like him?It seemed impossible.
“Can we stay here forever?” I said what I had been thinking.
“I wish we could, but I don’t think I’d be able to get any work done here.”
I sighed, and we went back to eating our breakfast. Everything was delicious, and I was almost done with my first plate when something moving caught my attention. I tried to ignore it, but it seemed big.A spider?
I screamed, “Ahh, kill it.”
“Kill what?” Rocco asked, alarmed.
I pointed to where I saw something move and covered my face.
He rushed over and picked up…a turtle.
My face burned. “Oh.”
He chuckled, then doubled over laughing. “How can you confuse a turtle with a spider?”
I pursed my lips and folded my arms. “Whatever. It’s big and it moved. It’s a normal reaction.”
He came over and cupped my face. His eyes bore into mine with a sparking glint that fed my soul. “I’ll slay anything for you.”
I believed him, and more still, I knew I loved him.