Page 143 of Beautiful Lies

When the week ends, we take a break and stop in Verona to visit Aunt Maureen at her vineyard.

She has horses here, too.

At our engagement party, she talked our ears off, but spending time in her home with Knox made me more intrigued to hear her stories.

It doesn’t take long for me to immerse myself in her home that has the same escapism vibe I’ve felt throughout our stay in Italy.

For the first time in a long time, I feel happy.

Uncertain, terrified, confused, buthappy. God, even my grief for losing my father has eased substantially.

Everything that’s been going on sidetracked me, but being here has healed some of the broken parts of me.

On Saturday afternoon, Maureen holds a wine tasting with a few friends.

We slip away the moment Maureen is distracted. Knox takes my hand, and we escape before anyone notices.

He pulls me toward the quiet stretch of river behind the vineyard. Dusk slides over the water in a soft shimmer, and the hush between us tightens with anticipation. It feels like the night itself is urging us to disappear into it and get lost in each other again.

We walk along the bank, and I stare at him, piecing him together.

He smiles back at me and cocks his head. “What? Still trying to figure me out, love?”

“Of course, I am.” I giggle.

He gives me a sidelong stare. “I assure you I’m not that interesting.”

“Sure, Knox Vale, Harvard and Princeton graduate, renowned linebacker for the Harvard football team, and one of the youngest billionaires on the Forbes list.” I raise my brows. “No, those aren’t interesting at all.”

He chuckles deep. “Since you seem impressed, maybe we should leave it at that.”

“I’m not taking that for an answer. Those are all details I Googled. I want to know stuff you can’t look up on the net.”

He looks me up and down, then seems to decide to loosen up. “Okay. Let’s play.”

“Play? I’m never playing a game with you again, Mr. I swear you only made me play that game because you knew I’d lose.”

“Of course, I knew you’d lose.”

My mouth falls open. “Ugh. I knew it. You’re such an asshole.”

He whirls to face me and taps his heart. “But I’myourasshole.”

He says that so easily, like he really belongs to me. More and more, I find myself wishing it.

“How about we just talk, and you can tell me about yourself without playing a game?”

Knox places a finger to his temple, pretending to think. “That’s way too boring. But I’ll meet you halfway.”

“What does that mean?” It sounds like another trick.

“I’ll answer your questions, but you have to answer my questions, too.”

Sounds simple enough. “That’s it?”

“That’s it. Fire away, love.”

There’s so much I want to ask him, but I think of the little things first. “The whole love thing.”