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“Colby, this is—I can’t?—”
“You can and you will. This isn’t about money or grand gestures. It’s about making sure you never have to choose between love and independence. You can have both.”
She kissed me again, fierce and grateful. “Thank you. For seeing what I need, for understanding who I am.”
“Always. That’s what partners do.”
We spent the next hour sitting on the floor of our empty living room, surrounded by boxes and making plans. A real wedding in the spring, with all our friends and family there to witness us choosing each other freely. A honeymoon somewhere we could build new memories instead of escaping old ones.
“Speaking of family,” Gianna said as we were getting ready to pick up Luca from Kay’s, “how do you think he’ll react to another wedding?”
“He’s always up for a party.”
We both laughed.
Later we found Luca waiting on Kay’s front porch, bouncing with barely contained energy. Somehow, he always seemed to know when something important was happening.
“Did you ask her?” he called out before we’d even gotten out of the truck. “Is she wearing the ring?”
“How did you—” I started.
“I saw you practicing in the mirror this morning,” he said matter-of-factly. “You kept saying the same words over and over. Did she say yes?”
Gianna laughed and held out her left hand. “What do you think?”
He examined the ring with serious attention. “It’s really pretty. Does this mean you’re going to have another wedding?”
“We are,” I confirmed. “And we were hoping you might want to help.”
His eyes lit up like Christmas morning. “Really? Can we have cake with lots of frosting?”
Gianna kneeled down to his level. “We were hoping you’d walk me down the aisle. You know, give me away to your dad.”
Luca’s mouth formed a perfect O of surprise. “Like in the movies?”
“Exactly like in the movies.”
“That’s the best job ever!” He threw his arms around her neck. “I’m going to wear my best suit and walk really slowly so everyone can see how pretty you look.”
“It’s a deal,” she said, hugging him back.
As we drove home to our new house—really home now, in every way that mattered—I thought about how far we’d come. A year ago, I’d been a desperate single father willing to do anything to keep custody of my son. Six months ago, Gianna had been afraid to trust that our love was real.
Now we were planning a wedding because we wanted to, not because we had to. We were choosing each other freely, without fear or necessity driving our decisions.
“Look,” Gianna said as we pulled into our driveway. The December sun was setting behind our house, painting the windows gold and making the whole place look like something from a dream.
“It’s beautiful,” I said.
“It’s ours.”
“And we get to have a wedding!” Luca added from the backseat. “With cake and dancing and everything!”
And as we walked up the steps to our front door—all three of us together, by choice rather than circumstance—I knew we were exactly where we belonged.
The best was yet to come.
CHAPTER 12