Chapter 14 #3
‘Really,’ he assured her, urging her back down. ‘Look. Your mum sent me a snap of her reading a book with your dad.’
He tapped his phone screen and showed her, Peyton’s anxiety melting away at the sight. Now she could hear, McKenzie loved being read to, being able to just follow the pictures rather than watching for the signs.
Peyton handed back his phone, their fingers brushing as she whispered, ‘Thank you.’
He nodded and whispered back, ‘Shut your eyes.’
‘Yeah, yeah,’ she murmured with a smile but, wrung out from the tumult of the day and overwhelmed by a surge of relief she had not expected to be riding, it took no time to slide into the oblivion of deep, restive sleep.
Peyton wasn’t sure how much time had elapsed since she’d last woken but she could see a slight pink hue lightening the sky through a gap in the blind covering the window in her room.
Her gaze drifted to Valentino’s sleeping face.
For the first time he actually looked his thirty-seven years.
A lock of his luscious hair had fallen forward and was kissing his eyelid.
It was such an endearing picture, her heart filled with her love for him and she forgot all about her anger from yesterday.
It had been irrational and unreasonable, and it just didn’t matter any more. He had been her true hero through this whole frightening episode and she loved him completely. Like he loved her.
Yeah, now she wasn’t in a panic, memories were filtering back. He’d told her he loved her and today, at the breaking of a new dawn, after a night of miracles, she was going to embrace it and choose to be happy.
Peyton advanced her finger slowly, gently lifting the stray lock of his hair back into place. She smiled as he uttered something unintelligible and stirred awake, his eyes drifting open.
He looked completely dishevelled but so damn good all at once.
She gave him time to focus before she murmured, ‘Good morning.’
Licking dry lips, he smiled as he levered himself upright. ‘Buongiorno.’
Peyton returned the smile, her toes curling at how his husky morning voice made his accent more pronounced. ‘You told me you loved me.’
For a moment he tensed, going very, very still as he searched her face. But then, slowly, as her smile grew bigger, he relaxed. ‘Yes.’
‘Did you mean it?’
‘Assolutamente.’
That word didn’t need translating and Peyton loved its definitiveness. ‘And when did you have this particular epiphany?’
‘Two weeks ago on the plane as it took me as far away from you as possible.’
His aggrieved tone made her laugh. ‘Two weeks ago for me too,’ she admitted. ‘As soon as you walked out the door.’
Valentino’s face broke into a slow, broad grin, the black of his eyes backlit by a fierce, wonderful glow. ‘Yeah?’ he murmured as his hand slid to her face, cupping it.
‘Uh huh.’ Peyton held his gaze as she cradled his hand with her own.
‘It was before that, though,’ he said, ‘the moment I fell in love with you.’
Bubbles fizzed in Peyton’s blood stream as she quirked an eyebrow. ‘Oh? When?’
‘That night at the wedding when you looked so confused as to why out of all the women at Alessandro’s wedding, I wanted you.’
‘Really?’ She frowned. ‘Why then?’ She’d been a nervous wreck that day between leaving McKenzie overnight and trying to keep her attraction to Valentino at bay.
‘Because you truly didn’t know how beautiful you were and that, my darling…’ He folded her hand in his and brought it to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. ‘…was utterly endearing.’
Heat flushed Peyton’s cheeks. ‘I think for me it was when you promised me there would be no sleeping.’ Valentino chuckled and Peyton grinned. ‘That was a great line. You’ll have to teach it to our son when he’s older.’
‘Our son.’ He drew in a breath as he kissed the back of her hand again. ‘I like the sound of that.’
‘Me too.’
‘So, does this mean you’re going to stop fighting me? That you’ll marry me?’
Peyton nodded vigorously as she snuggled his hand to her cheek, practically floating off the bed now. ‘And the four of us will honeymoon in Italy together.’
He chuckled. ‘Yes.’
Fishing around his jeans pocket with his spare hand, Valentino pulled out the velvet case he’d produced all those months ago when he’d first asked her to be his wife. Peyton’s eyes widened. ‘Do you carry that with you everywhere?’
‘Pretty much,’ he murmured as he opened the lid and presented it to her. ‘Will you wear it?’
Slipping her hand out of his, she freed the glittery diamond ring from its satiny cushion. ‘Just try and stop me,’ she said as she slipped it on her finger. Moisture gathered in her eyes as she admired it, loving it but loving what it stood for even more.
She loved him and he loved her.
‘It’s perfect.’
Peyton turned it around to show him, and he rose slightly to press a gentle kiss against her mouth. ‘Perfect,’ he agreed. ‘Just like you.’
‘Just like us,’ Peyton whispered. ‘Just like him.’
And she dragged their joined hands to her belly, where their son rested safely, and kissed him back.