Page 97 of Bellini Born

“Yes.”

Matteo’s eyes widened. “Yes?”

Tears spilled over my lashes and onto my cheeks as I confirmed. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

A stuttered exhale rushed past his lips before he rose from his seat and pressed them to mine in the most tender kiss—a sharp contrast to all the ones that had come before.

“Am I interrupting?” a male voice spoke near the door.

Matteo reluctantly pulled away with a growl. “Yes, actually, you are.”

I shoved gently at his chest. “Come in.”

The man in a white lab coat stepped up to the foot of my bed. “I promise to make this quick.” His gaze swung to Matteo. “If you could please step out—”

“Over my dead body,” Matteo gritted out through clenched teeth.

The scary thing was, I had a feeling he actually meant it.

“It’s okay.” I gave Matteo’s hand a gentle squeeze. “He can stay.”

“Very well.” The doctor nodded. “You were extremely lucky that your injuries weren’t more severe. As it stands, you’re dealing with a significant amount of smoke inhalation. We’ll keep you on oxygen during your stay, but you’ll likely deal with shortness of breath until your lungs fully heal. In addition, you’ve sustained deep second-degree burns on the back of your left leg.”

That would explain why that leg was currently hovering above the bedding, held up by a sling affixed to my ankle.

“When will she be discharged?” Matteo asked.

“A few days, barring any setbacks in her breathing function or the development of an infection at the burn site. But follow-up care will be required until her skin has fully healed.”

“Can she travel?”

That question had my head whipping around. Travel? What the hell was he talking about?

“What type of travel?” the doctor inquired.

“Air travel.”

The doctor’s head tipped from side to side. “Depending on how soon, I would recommend taking a portable oxygen concentrator.”

“Done. Anything else?”

Kind eyes landed on me. “Your body’s been through a traumatic event. Take the time to rest and let it heal. Don’t push yourself too hard, or you’ll land right back in here.”

“Got it. Thank you,” I said.

The minute we were left alone, I turned on Matteo. “What’s this about travel?”

His thumb rubbed circles over my knuckles. “Do you have a passport?”

“Uh, no, actually, I don’t. Where are we going?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

My mouth parted, and a scoff flew out. “Can’t or won’t, Matteo?”

He fixed me with a look that said,You already know the answer to that.

Head falling back against the pillows, I let out a sigh. “What’s really going on?”