Chapter 28
Alex
One month later
Positano, Italy
The weather was cloudy today,the coastline choppy. This was still the most beautiful place I’d ever seen.
I stepped out onto the patio of our villa, coffee in hand, and looked down the tumbled hillside of houses toward the Mediterranean. Even under clouds, the white, pink, and blue of the houses was cheerful, and the air smelled fresh and sweet. This was the low season, when there were fewer tourists here, but the Amalfi coast was still busy with locals, a few travelers, and boats in the water. The sea stretched out like a carpet unrolled at the foot of the hill, an ever-moving scene it was hard to look away from.
I was getting married today. For the second time. To Kat—for the second time.
We were going to do a small ceremony at the local church. Aidan and Samantha, Dane and Ava, and Noah and Emma had all arrived two days ago. They were staying in a small hotel ten minutes up the hill. We’d had a few nights of relaxed fun and Italian wine, though Dane and Ava went to bed early because of their baby daughter. Truth be told, the rest of us hadn’t lasted much later than Dane and Ava, thanks to jet lag and—again—Italian wine.
I couldn’t remember the last time, if ever, that my partners and I had just sat and had a relaxing conversation that was nothing but fun. We’d come from struggle, and we’d worked hard. We were always friends and partners, but over the years, some of that bond had frayed away. We’d kept secrets from each other. We hadn’t talked about what mattered most. We’d been loners.
But none of us was alone anymore. Adding the women to our group was the best thing that ever happened to us. They were smart and funny and fascinating, and they all got along. Emma and Samantha were sisters, and I’d seen Kat make Ava laugh so hard she thought something might come out her nose. We were a team now, a family. And it only made sense that my family would come to my wedding.
It was still early, just past seven in the morning. Kat had left an hour ago, camera in hand. She loved this place, loved to explore its every crevice and angle, every old building and beautiful winding vine. She documented it in loving photos that blew my mind. Not just of the scenery, but of the locals, who she convinced to pose for pictures in her broken Italian. She’d been studying the language every day since we came here, and she had picked up enough to have a basic conversation, whereas I was still figuring out how to ask directions.
We’d taken day trips—to Naples, to Rome. Mostly to see art. This was an art lover’s paradise, the place to take in the classical roots of what Western art was based on, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I preferred modern art, but I could still stare at a sixteenth-century fresco for hours. Kat was just as fascinated as I was.
I watched the lane, a steep run of cobbled steps up from the beach, looking for her. She liked to go out at dawn to get the light, but she needed to be back soon to get ready for the ceremony.
It was going to be small. I had a tuxedo, and Kat had an ivory-colored dress that fell just past her knees, showing off her beautiful legs. She was going to wear her black hair down loose on her back, woven with flowers. I was happy she was going to look nice, but I didn’t care if she wore a paper bag to our wedding. By tonight, she’d be my wife. This time for good.
I took my phone from my pocket and checked it. There was no message from Damon.
I had told him about the wedding. I’d even offered to pay his airfare to come attend. He’d left Dallas shortly after Kat went back to Nashville—my investigator had found that he’d checked out of the Motel 6. He hadn’t answered my calls or my texts. He’d finally sent me a message in the middle of the night: I got offered a job by an old friend in Colorado. I’m on my way there now. You don’t have to worry about me. I wish you and Kat well, and I’m sorry. D.
I’d had nothing from him since, not even a response to my invite to the wedding. I hoped he was okay.
I looked up from my phone to see Kat climbing the steps toward our villa. Her camera was on a strap over her shoulder, and she was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a loose, sleeveless top that fluttered in the breeze. Her hair was tied up off her neck. I watched her come closer, mesmerized.
She looked up and caught sight of me, and she smiled, her expression lighting up. God, she was fucking beautiful. I’d proposed to her right here on this terrace, with the stars overhead, just like she deserved. We were doing everything over again, and we were going to do it better this time.
“Am I late?” she asked, stepping onto the terrace. She put her camera down on the table as I put my arms around her waist and pulled her toward me.
“Not yet,” I said. “Did you get good shots?”
“Of course I did.” She smiled again. “Did you know we’re getting married today?”
“I might have heard something about it.”
“Apparently I’ve snagged you a second time. Lucky me.”
I leaned in and kissed her neck, inhaling the scent of her.
“I haven’t showered yet,” she chided.
“Fuck it. You smell wonderful.”
She leaned into me, pressed her cheek to my shoulder. I never had enough of sex with Kat, but I loved these moments, too, where we just stood close to each other, taking each other in.
“When are we going to tell the others about the move?” she asked after a minute, her cheek still on my shoulder.
“After the wedding, I think.”
“Do you think they’ll be happy about it?”
“Aidan will. But I’m not doing it for him. I’m doing it for us.”
She lifted her cheek and kissed my neck. “For me, you mean. There isn’t anything for you in New York.”
“Right. Nothing except my company and the best art in the world. I’m going to be paying rent at some of those galleries. And we’re going to need extra wall space.”
We’d decided, together, that we’d go through with Aidan’s plan to move to New York. We could be closer to Aidan and Samantha there, and Dane and Ava on Long Island. I’d be surrounded by art. And Kat wanted to pursue her photography, and there was nowhere better to do it than New York City. It was the best possible move, and we were both excited about it.
I had already listed my Dallas penthouse and was looking for a place in New York. We’d let the lease on the Dallas office lapse and we’d give any staff who didn’t want to make the move to New York at least six months’ pay. Aidan didn’t know it yet, but it was already in motion.
“Himari will be disappointed,” Kat said, kissing my neck again. “She gave me such a good pitch about you funding her gallery.”
“I already funded the renovation, so she has nothing to complain about.”
I felt Kat laugh softly. “You pretend to be a hardass, Alex, but it’s all a lie.”
“My ass is very hard,” I argued, which meant she had to reach down and squeeze it as a test, and then I was kissing her.
Eventually, I managed to make myself break free. “We have to get married soon. It’s time to get ready.”
“We have twenty minutes,” Kat whispered in my ear. “Put the glasses on.”
We both laughed. Damn, I was marrying this woman. I had no idea how I’d gotten so lucky, but I wasn’t going to let her go, ever again.
“Twenty minutes,” I said, taking her hand. “We have just enough time.”