Chapter 5
FABIANA
My brother’s backyard had been transformed into a glittering backdrop for my engagement party. The sun glinted off sweating glasses of Tuscany’s finest rosé, tuxedo-clad servers passed by with trays of delicate canapés, and smooth jazz played by a live band weaved through the air.
“I just can’t get enough of him.” Cosimo’s Aunt Lisa was a burst of color in a flower-patterned jumpsuit.
From the moment she’d introduced herself, she hadn’t stopped fawning over the tiny cream-colored Pomeranian in Cleo’s arms—the newest addition to the Messero family.
“I might just steal him away. How old is he?”
Cleo adjusted her grip on the pup. She wore a sleek green cocktail dress that looked sensational on her and made her thick red hair look even more fiery than usual. “Yeti’s three months old.”
“He looks just like the dog we had when I was a child. Have you started training him?”
I let my attention drift from their conversation and scanned the crowd for Cosimo. Again.
You really think he won’t show up to his own engagement party?
He couldn’t not show up. He wasn’t even that late. The guests had only started to arrive. Still, anxiety churned in the pit of my belly. I was resolved to make sure our second meeting went better than the first.
The engagement photoshoot was happening today. I hated getting my pictures taken. I never liked how I turned out in them. These photos would be going out to hundreds of people on our wedding invitations, which only made me dread them more.
Feigning romance for the camera? I let out a tense sigh. Cosimo had been a jerk back at the gallery, but my body hadn’t gotten the memo. I hadn’t forgotten the way it reacted when he’d invaded my personal space to give me the engagement ring.
Today, we were going to get a lot more hands-on. I didn’t want to embarrass myself by getting flustered in front of a man who clearly wasn’t affected by me in any way, and I was far from confident in my ability to keep my cool.
Aunt Lisa patted Yeti’s head. “Look how calm he is. Could I hold him?”
Cleo handed the puppy over to her, then she caught my eye and nodded toward the far end of the garden. “Your future in-laws have arrived.”
Gino and Vita had just walked through the gate. I waved to get Vita’s attention. I hadn’t met Gino in person yet.
“Actually, I just remembered I need to make a quick phone call.” Lisa handed the pup back to Cleo. “So sorry. It was nice to meet you, Fabiana,” she said with a smile that seemed a little tense.
“You too,” I said.
She plucked a flute of champagne off a passing waiter’s tray and hurried away.
Gino held Vita’s hand as they moved across the lawn toward us. She leaned into him slightly, as if her body was tuned to seek his closeness. They were a striking pair. Vita looked immaculate as always, and Gino, despite being in his sixties, was in great shape.
You could tell he adored his wife just by the way he looked at her.
Vita greeted me with a hug and a dazzling smile. “That dress becomes you.”
“Thank you.” I brushed my palm over the satin bodice. It was a little too tight—probably due to all the stress eating I’d indulged in last week.
Gino stepped forward once his wife had released me. “It’s about time we finally met, don’t you think?” he said warmly.
Rafe was supposed to be here to introduce us, but he’d stepped away to do something inside the house and still hadn’t come back out. At least Cleo was standing here with me.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Ferraro.”
He took the hand I offered and brought it to his lips. “Please, call me Gino. We’re about to become family.”
Family. The Ferraros and the Messeros. That was going to take some getting used to. Growing up, I lost count of how many angry rants I heard from my father about the man in front of me now.
“Would you like a drink?” Cleo asked, glancing around. “I don’t know where the waiters went. They were just here.”
“I wouldn’t mind a little stroll to the bar,” Vita said, offering Cleo her arm. “Would you two like to join us?”
“I’m okay,” I said. I’d already had two glasses of champagne, and I was a lightweight.
“Grab me an old fashioned, would you?” Gino asked his wife.
“Of course.” They walked off.
I smoothed out a wrinkle over my hip and fidgeted with my bracelet. I wasn’t sure what to say to the Ferraro don.
“You seem nervous,” Gino commented.
Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Is it that obvious?”
“It’s your shoulders. They’re stiff. You don’t stay in my position for long without learning how to read body language.”
I forced myself to relax. “I suppose I’m allowed to be a little nervous around the in-laws.”
To my relief, he seemed to find that funny.
His eyes crinkled at the corners as he laughed.
“That’s true. I remember how nervous I was when I met Vita’s mother.
First time I ever saw the woman, I asked for her daughter’s hand.
I showed up at her house with this huge bouquet of roses.
Imagine my horror when she turned out to be allergic to them. ”
I gasped. “And she still let you marry Vita?”
“I won her over eventually.” He smiled. “Turned out she loved marigolds. Those things have to be replanted every year. So for the rest of her life, I made sure she had marigolds planted just outside her front door. She said she loved seeing them appear each year as if by magic.”
“That’s a very sweet gesture.” And unexpected from the man my father had painted out to be the devil incarnate. Just from this short conversation, I was starting to realize that I needed to let go of whatever preconceived notions I had of Gino.
He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a rectangular object wrapped in simple brown paper and tied with a white ribbon. “Rafaele mentioned to me that you love art. This is a small engagement gift for you.”
Now I was really charmed. I took the package from him. “Can I open it now?”
“Of course.”
Curiosity fluttered inside me as I unwrapped the crinkly paper.
It looked like a notebook. No, not a notebook—an old sketchbook.
Pressed into the leather cover was the letter F.
I opened it. Gino’s name was written neatly on the first page, followed by a range of dates.
I turned the page. A pencil sketch of a boat sitting on a lake that reflected a grand villa filled the paper.
“Wow.” I looked up at him. “You drew this?”
“I’m no Van Gogh,” he said with a chuckle.
“But I like to sketch on occasion. Some memories feel like they’re never going to fade, but over time, they just do.
This was my way of holding on to the ones I didn’t want to lose.
A lot of the drawings in here are of places from my childhood in Sicily.
One day, I hope I’ll get to take my sons there on a trip.
We’ve never found the right time to do it. ”
His words made an ache bloom in my chest. Maybe because looking into Gino’s eyes, I could just tell he was the kind of father who genuinely loved his children.
I had never had a father like that.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat and closed the sketchbook carefully. “I’ll treasure this. Thank you.”
He smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”
“Let me have someone bring this up to my room. I don’t want to risk misplacing it.”
I flagged down a server and handed over the sketchbook. I couldn’t wait to look through it more carefully later.
The interaction with Gino had lifted my spirits regarding the marriage. It felt good that he approved of me. That he and Vita were excited to welcome me into the family.
“I know you’ll make a good match for Cosimo,” Gino said once the server walked off. “I can tell you have a gentle heart, and I think that’s exactly what my son needs. Even if he doesn’t yet realize it himself.”
I stayed quiet, listening. The more Gino wanted to share with me about Cosimo, the better. I hoped it would help me find some common ground with my future husband. I regretted not taking the opportunity to ask Vita a little more about him at our lunch.
“Cosimo is the eldest. He’s carried that heavy burden his whole life.” Gino’s expression turned thoughtful. “Vita and I have tried to prepare him, but sometimes, I wonder whether the lessons we taught him were the right ones.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“As the man who will one day become don, he has to keep his walls raised high. But Cosimo…” He paused.
“I think he’s forgotten how to lower them for anyone.
” A sad smile touched his mouth. “The older I get, the more I realize that in the end, the people close to us are all we have.” Something almost regretful passed over his face.
“I don’t want him to wake up an old man and realize he missed the parts of life that matter most. I hope you can help him see that in time. ”
“I hope so too,” I said, and I meant it. At lunch, Vita had all but told me not to expect anything from my marriage beyond duty, but Gino seemed to believe something real might grow inside it. From a couple that had been together for as long as they had, it was an interesting difference in opinion.
But I didn’t have long to dwell on it.
As I glanced toward the entrance to the backyard, I saw Cosimo had arrived.