Page 264 of The Havenport Collection

Eliza

I was at the brewery, surrounded by my friends and having a ball.

It was karaoke night, one of my favorites, and we had been munching pretzels and washing them down with tasty beer.

Wyatt, Sylvie’s boyfriend, was bartending and kept coming over with treats for us.

After working a normal day shift, treating sick patients and patching up injuries, I was energized for a night out with my friends.

I loved treating the members of my community, and the normal hours didn’t hurt.

Maggie was an amazing boss and seemed to always be in a good mood, probably because her hot doctor husband, Josh, also worked in the same building.

I had made some friends, gotten into a groove, and was enjoying it so much.

I didn’t realize how much I had missed nursing during my suspension from the hospital.

Real nursing, helping people, listening to their concerns, and helping them get better.

Not the stupid hospital politics and endless paperwork.

So I was feeling good. Slowly, I had been rekindling my friendship with Matteo, and I got a little shiver of excitement whenever he texted me.

Frequently, it was Val, commandeering his phone, but I still enjoyed it.

Part of me knew deep down I still loved him and wanted to take the chance, but I needed to go slow and make sure I was ready.

It certainly didn’t help that the entire town seemed to know what had happened.

It was ironic—when we were together, it was super-secret, but now that we weren’t, everyone knew.

I was constantly bombarded with advice from well-meaning citizens, including one of Val’s second grade classmates, who had been in with an ear infection this week.

He was telling me how Val told her class that her dad screwed up and had to make it better.

As much as I appreciated the support of the elementary school demographic, I was getting a little tired of it.

I glanced around the taproom. I had seen Luke and assumed Nora was around here somewhere. The twins and I had already sung our rendition of “No Scrubs” which was one of my favorites, and the atmosphere was silly and fun.

Jackie and Joe from the diner had just finished up “I’ve Got You Babe” when a hush fell over the crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Liam Quinn said, “we have a special treat for you up next. Please welcome…The Rossis.”

I sat up a little straighter to see what was happening, but then my jaw dropped.

Striding out onto the stage was Valentina, in a full Elsa costume, a blonde braid draped over her shoulder, followed by…was that Nora dressed as Olaf? Gio followed, wearing reindeer antlers, and then…holy shit. It was Matteo.

He was dressed as Kristoff from Frozen, complete with boots, fur lined tunic, and goofy hat. I couldn’t believe it. He looked both ridiculous and kind of hot. Those muscular legs were highlighted to perfection in his tights, and I caught myself stealing glances at them.

I waited with my heart in my throat as they arranged the microphones.

“This song is dedicated to Eliza,” Matteo said in his gravelly voice. “I know I’m not perfect, but I’d like to be perfect for you someday.”

I gasped audibly and my friends stared at me, open-mouthed. All eyes immediately shifted to the stage once the song “Fixer Upper” from Frozen began to play.

Nora began to sing, with Gio chiming in. Then Valentina took a verse, hamming it up on the stage with the flair of a K-pop star.

Then it was Matteo’s turn. He looked directly at me while singing, changing the words to first person, and I knew he was talking about himself.

The entire crowd started to clap to the music, hollering encouragement while he sang. My cheeks ached from smiling so broadly. This was the most ridiculous and positively un-Matteo thing I had ever seen.

But he was doing it—dancing, singing, and twirling Val around.

Nora and Gio made great backup singers in their costumes, doing coordinated dance moves that had everyone laughing and cheering.

It was a spectacle, that’s for sure, but they were all so committed and had clearly spent a lot of time rehearsing.

After the song ended, Matteo grabbed a microphone and looked directly at me.

“Eliza, I know I’m a fixer-upper. I know that I am not even close to good enough for you. But you are my Princess Anna. You are brave, smart, and beautiful. You make the world a better place every day. And I want to be the big dumb guy who stands at your side, helping you shine.”

The entire brewery erupted into applause, and Valentina twirled across the stage, doing several dramatic bows before they headed off.

I felt a sharp elbow in the ribs. “Go talk to him,” Gina hissed.

“Yes!” Sylvie almost knocked over a pitcher of beer, pushing me out of my seat. “My God, Eliza, that was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. The man wore tights and sang a Disney song for you.”

I looked across the table at the twins, who were both nodding. “Go get ’em.”

I felt every single eye on me as I walked over to where Matteo stood. Valentina squealed when she saw me, running into my arms as I leaned down to greet her.

“Did you like our song, Eliza? It was my idea, and I choreographed the dance.”

I hugged her tight. “It was so wonderful.” I felt myself tearing up.

“We did it for you,” she said sagely. “Because Daddy loves you. He made us all help him because he knows that he messed up.”

“Thank you. I feel so honored.”

By the time I disentangled myself from the hug, Nora was ushering Val away, leaving me standing, staring at Matteo.

“Nice outfit.”

“Thanks,” he said self-consciously. “I was going to draw the line at the tights, but then I remembered how much you like my legs.”

I smirked. He knew me too well.

“That was amazing. I am really impressed.”

He looked down at his feet. “It was a team effort. I had a lot of help.”

“I’m sure you did.”

“Can we talk, Eliza? Maybe somewhere more private? There’s more I’d like to say.”

I slipped my hand into his. “I’d like that.”

He led me out the door onto the patio area, which was decorated with string lights. We sat down, near the warmth of the outdoor fireplace. There were only a few people out here enjoying the cool June night, but Nora quickly shooed them inside and gave us a wink.

Finally, Matteo looked up at me, still clutching my hand.

“I’m ready,” I said, surprising myself with my boldness. I had intended to play this cool, but of course, that was so not me.

“Ready for what?”

“Ready for more. With you. Ready for something real.”

He leaned in, wrapping one arm around me and pulling me close. “I want that too. I want everything with you, Eliza.”

I patted his chest. “Slow down, cowboy. How about you ask me on a date first?”

“I’ll give you anything you want,” he replied, leaning down and kissing me.