Page 51 of Bride of Betrayal

She looked around and had to lift her shades up to see better. In another water-taxi, closing in on them fast, was Leo, jumping up and down and gesticulating. He looked crazed. Angelica’s mouth fell open.

The boat came alongside hers and Leo was shouting instructions to the driver to get closer. He stood up on the edge of the boat and Angelica squealed, ‘What are you doing? You’ll fall in!’

Leo braced himself and then leapt the short distance between the bobbing boats, landing in the back and almost toppling over. Angelica reached for him, catching him. She looked down. ‘Your feet are bare!’

He’d run out straight after her? A tiny seed of hope bloomed in her chest. Leo caught her arms and glanced away for a moment to say something to the driver. Angelica didn’t even register what, she couldn’t look away from him.

He looked at her. She shook her head. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Am I too late?’

‘For what?’

‘To come with you.’

‘Where?’

‘Wherever you go, for ever.’

Angelica put a hand to her mouth to swallow a little sob. The tears kept coming. She shook her head. ‘No, you’re not too late. But…what are you saying, Leo?’

He smiled and wiped at her tears with his thumbs. ‘I never want to be the cause of your tears again. What I’m saying,amore mio, is that I love you. I’ve always loved you but I was too scared to admit it, and we paid an awful price for my cowardice.’

Angelica turned her face into Leo’s hand, kissing his palm. She looked up at him. ‘It wasn’t cowardice, it was self-protection.’

‘You’re right, by choosing to cut myself off from you, from love, I’m insulting the memory of my family. They deserve better,Ideserve better, and you definitely deserve better. But…do you really want me? After all I’ve put you through?’

‘You have to ask me that? I love you, Leo. I never stopped. I want to have a family with you and grow old with you and see our grandchildren turn into adults.’

Leo’s eyes shone suspiciously. ‘I’ll do my best. It might take me a while to get used to the notion. I used to have panic attacks when I saw happy families.’

Angelica interlaced her fingers with his. ‘We’ll go as slowly as it takes, my love, and before you even realise what’s happening, we’ll be a family.’

Leo kissed her as they swayed with the motion of the boat. Unbeknownst to them they had become surrounded by sightseers and paparazzi who regularly trawled the canal looking for celebrities.

The pictures of Leo and Angelica kissing passionately went viral. As did the pictures of him placing a Murano heart around her neck, and rings on her finger. Speculation was rife as to what had happened but there was no doubt, as the boat turned and went back to the palazzo, that they were very much in love and happy.

In fact, their obvious passion and love inspired a well-known designer to offer them an extortionate amount of money to appear in an ad campaign together, which Leo only agreed to once all the proceeds went to Angelica’s new charity.

Epilogue

A month aftertheir viral boat moment, they were back in Venice to renew their vows with a formal blessing. With the bride in full agreement this time. Angelica wore a whimsical white ruffled gown and an antique lace veil, with a bouquet of assorted seasonal flowers.

Paolo, who’d brought his girlfriend, walked Angelica down the aisle and her mother was there too, with her boyfriend. Fully reunited, safe and happy. Angelica was grateful every day for that fact.

And then, three years later, they were back in Venice on a holiday break. As they walked down the narrow streets, something caught Leo’s attention out of the corner of his eye and he stopped and faced a window.

In the reflection he could see himself with a two-year-old boy, his son, Luca, on his shoulders. Angelica was beside him, eating a gelato, and handing it up to Luca to take a bite. Strapped to her front in a papoose was their newest arrival, their baby daughter, Sara.

She’d told him it would happen without him even realising it, and it had. They were a family. And sometimes it terrified him, but mostly it gave him an immense amount of pride and love and awe. And hope.

He looked down at her and smiled. She saw their reflection in the window and she smiled too, because sheknew.

She slipped her hand into his and they carried on their way, just one more family among the many others. Maybe a little more in love, and maybe a little bit happier, because of the journey it had taken for them to come back together again. For ever.