Page 83 of The Kiss that Captured a Billionaire
Theo shook his head in disbelief—only Rose could turn a rival into a bridesmaid.
“I—you want me to be a bridesmaid—in your wedding?”
“Yeah. I mean, it’s not like I have a long list of friends, but you were pretty cool,” Rose said, grinning.
Allegra’s mascara smudged as tears gathered, and she pulled her hands free to wipe at them with a self-conscious laugh. “Yes. I… yes. I’d love to be in your wedding.”
Theo caught Rose’s hand and pulled her back against him. He kissed her temple, his body shaking with laughter. Only his beautiful Rose could tame a Beast more cursed than him.
Wedding preparations took over the villa in the days that followed—yards of fabric draped over sofas, flowers spilled from buckets in the kitchen, and the air was scented with lavender, roses, and coffee.
Amidst the chaos, Rose finally found a moment with Sophia and Lorenzo out on the terrace. An outdoor fire burned low, casting a warm amber glow across polished tile and palms.
She carried a box of photos she’d left untouched since her grandfather’s death—too raw then to face, too full of ghosts.
Lorenzo set a worn photograph on the low table next to him. It was of a young woman with Rose’s hair and face. Her mother, smiling wide in black and white.
“This came to me a few months ago,” Lorenzo said, his voice quiet but steady. “I believe it was sent after your grandfather’s death. From him… or his attorney. We never knew about you, Rose. And we never knew she’d married your father.”
Sophia’s hand slid into hers, warm and sure. “Your mother was headstrong, but her heart… it was always in the right place. She wrote to us—so many letters—telling us all she was learning, how grateful she was for her life, but never about your father—or you.”
Lorenzo’s jaw worked. “I should have gone to her. Or brought her home. But life?—”
“—gets in the way,” Rose finished softly.
Sophia squeezed her hand. “Having you here… it gives me peace. Knowing she was truly loved… that’s all I could ask for.”
“You’re right. It was my grandfather who sent it. I-I found this letter this morning.” Tears that she’d hoped she had finished shedding slid silently down her cheeks. “My grandfather had this box he kept special pictures and letters in. Most are love letters he sent my grandmother and pictures of her and my father when he was young. I wasn’t ready to go through them after he died.I wanted to see if there were any pictures I could display at the wedding—so they could be here with me… and that’s when I found this.”
She held out the letter she had read over and over since she had found it earlier this morning. Theo had found her sobbing uncontrollably, and he held her and made love to her with a gentle passion that had her falling in love with him all over again.
Lorenzo took the letter from her and began reading.
My dearest Rose,
They say that life is created in acts. The first act of my life was finding your grandmother and loving her. She might have been tiny, but she was powerful, and I loved her with every fiber of my being.
The second act of my life was when we had your father. It wasn’t easy. I nearly lost your grandmother and Chris that cold November morning. I swore that if God let them survive, I’d never complain again. We had twenty beautiful years with him before—well, before. It nearly broke your grandma, and when she asked me to keep you, I couldn’t tell her no, especially after we discovered your mother never told her parents about you.
The third act of my life was the most brilliant—because I had you. It was selfish and wrong, but you were my Rose, and I couldn’t imagine life without you. But, in my selfishness, I didn’t think about what would happen when I was gone—and you were all alone. When I found the photo your mom was going to send to her parents, in an envelope written by her, hidden among your grandmother’s cards, I knew it was a sign. A sign that you might find the place where you belonged.
I’m with your grandmother and your dad now, but my heart will always be with you. We’re watching over you. I hope you can one day forgive an old woman and an old man for wanting to keep you locked in a tower. Find the play that will enchant you, Princess. Find the Beast to your Belle, and live a wonderful, magical life. Because you are our beautiful little Rose.
Love, Pop
Her shoulders shook, and her sobs were not the only ones in the room. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and knew it was Theo. She rose from her seat and hugged Lorenzo and Sophia.
“Livia knew we would find you when the time was right. She knew—and made sure we did,” Sophia said in a trembling voice.
The night before the wedding, the villa was strung with lanterns swaying in the sea breeze, casting shifting patterns across the terrace tiles. The murmur of voices drifted from the dining room, but out here the world was hushed, the sea’s slow breathing the only sound.
Theo stood at the railing, his arm around her, the salt air tangling their hair.
“Do you realize,” Rose murmured, tracing the line of his shirt buttons with one finger, “that if we take a honeymoon in my van, we could disappear for weeks?”
Theo’s lips curved against her temple. “We could.”
“There're loads of places we didn’t get to see: Carlsbad Caverns, the Painted Desert… Maybe… when we get back…” her voice tilted into teasing, though her eyes gleamed, “…well, I was thinking it might be kinda cool if Dani and Alexandros’s son had a cousin around the same age to play with.”
He tilted her chin up so he could capture her lips in an intense kiss. Her knees felt weak by the time he released her, and his eyes held a promise that he was ready to start creating a baby right then and there.
“I suggest,” he murmured, “that we make sure there are lots of opportunities for you to get pregnant.”
“Oh, yes. We’ll need to do it a lot more than once,” she whispered, sliding her tongue along his lower lip.
“Kiss me, Rose,” he murmured, lifting her into his arms. “And never let me go.”
As his kiss deepened, Rose knew her prince had discovered a way to tame her thorns without damaging the wild rose that bloomed only for him.