Epilogue
DOMENICO SAT IN the home office he shared with his wife in their Roman villa, looking for perhaps the hundredth time through their wedding photos. The professional photographer he’d hired had captured every beautiful minute of it.
Domenico had wanted their nuptials to take place in a cathedral, but Marnie had wanted the chapel of the villa they’d made their home, and so, of course, he’d given in and let her have her way, even though it had meant having to cut the prospective guest list by two-thirds.
He’d let her have her way over the whole of it, as he did about pretty much everything in their lives.
A happy wife made for a happy life, and Domenico’s life was blissful.
His favourite photo was the one taken on the grounds after the service, of the two of them and six-month-old Luca.
He had Luca in his arms, and Marnie was gazing at them both with open adoration.
Not a single photo of their wedding day showed her as anything but blissfully happy.
It was all there in her eyes, shining as blue that day as the sky that had covered them.
Her eyes always shone. He knew his eyes did, too.
‘There you are.’
He looked up from his desk to find Marnie slipping into the office, beautiful in a strapless, light blue dress that fell to her knees. She closed the door behind her.
He held out his arms to her. She curled onto his lap and, after a loving kiss, pressed her cheek to his and saw what he was looking at. ‘Again?’ she teased.
He grinned and kissed her, and then, because he could never resist—never wanted to resist—kissed her again. ‘Are the children asleep?’ he asked huskily, slipping his hand up the skirt of her dress.
Her eyes gleamed. ‘Fast asleep.’
‘Georgina?’ Their live-in nanny who had to be the most underused and overpaid nanny in existence.
‘Watching one of her reality shows.’
‘Excellent.’ He skimmed his fingers higher.
‘We’ve got a table booked,’ she reminded him, even as she worked on the belt of his trousers.
‘They’ll wait for us.’
She grinned, and jumped to her feet. ‘Of course they will.’ In seconds, she’d pulled her knickers off and stepped out of them. Seconds later, she was back on his lap, this time straddling him. She put her mouth to his and whispered, ‘Happy wedding anniversary, husband.’
‘Happy wedding anniversary…’ he groaned as she sank on his hard length ‘…wife.’