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“Spending time together,” I added.

Lukas scoffed. “I don’t consider that a chore. Do you?”

My stomach tightened again and my control fell to the ground and crashed apart. “No. I don’t.”

Lukas nodded once, as if my words settled something that was up for debate. “You finished?” At my nod, he reached for my empty plate and piled the remaining food into the bag.

And then in what seemed like one smooth motion, he grabbed my hand, helped me stand, and realigned the chairs. He walked us over to Avery and handed him the bag.

“Do you mind bringing this back?” Lukas asked him.

“Of course,” Avery responded, bouncing a little on his heels. “Wait, I mean, of course, I don’t mind.”

“Thank you, Avery,” I said quickly, just to dispel his nerves. When he was gone, I turned to Lukas. “Are we not going home?”

He answered by pulling me through a portal onto the bank of the Tiber. Rome was much busier than the coastal town we’d had dinner at, nightlife already in full gear.

I looked up at Lukas and covered the slight hitch in my breath with a question. “Why’d we come to Rome?”

Lukas planted his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face the buildings.

And then I full blown squealed.

Before I could think better of it, I turned and launched myself at Lukas. I threw my arms over his shoulders and hugged him like I’d been wanting to the moment I came back.

I made another excited sound into his neck, right as his hands wrapped around my body and lifted me off the ground.

“I take it you’re happy?”

“Happy?” I pulled back and placed my hands on his face, shaking his head a little as I spoke. “I’m ecstatic.”

Lukas grinned, pulling my focus to his mouth. “Glad to hear it, baby.”

I was probably smiling like a fool, but I couldn’t help it.

“Do you want to go in?” Lukas asked when I failed to extract myself from his body. The only thing more powerful than my excitement was the need to stay plastered to him like a parasite.

“Very much so.”

“I’m going to have to set you down,” Lukas said, eyes dropping. He meant to note how my feet were still dangling off the ground, but my boobs were in the way. He didn’t exactly look upset about it. “Unless you want me to carry you across the threshold.”

I laughed. “I think that’s reserved for after we get married.”

Lukas hummed in something close to satisfaction. “I’m going to put you down now.”

I made myself say, “Okay.”

Lukas didn’t seem excited about the prospect either, as he released me as slowly as physically possible. Setting me down inch by inch, ensuring our skin dragged together as much as possible. And I was either making things up, trying to conjure things I wanted, or there was something hard pressing into my stomach.

The soft groan Lukas let out when I finally stepped away made me think I wasn’t crazy.

I certainly couldn’t maul him in public, so I turned around and practically skipped toward the store. The second the sweet, rich scent of my favorite gelato on the planet hit my nose, my mouth started watering.

Lukas’s laugh rolled over my skin and burrowed deep. So deep I was pretty sure my steps faltered. I barreled through the door, having to duck under Lukas's outstretched arm.

The second I came into view, Bianca, the shop’s owner, let out a shriek that rivaled my own and rounded the counter to greet me.

She came from a large family from Greece. Her mother owned a restaurant I knew was one of Rose’s favorites. But since moving to the Italian peninsula with her wife, Bianca had dedicated her culinary expertise to gelato so good it could make a grown man cry.