EPILOGUE
BELLA RUSSO
I walked past Matteo into our penthouse apartment, and it took everything I had not to drop to my hands and knees and kiss the floor. We’d only been gone for two weeks, but this trip had been so full of things to do and people to see that it felt like we’d been gone for months.
I walked into the living room and threw myself down on the couch. I sighed and let my head fall back against the cushions before a huge vase of flowers on the counter with a note propped against it caught my eye.
I smiled at Matteo as he kicked off his shoes and said, "You're so sweet!”
“Well, thank you!” Matteo said with a grin. “What exactly did I do? I need to know so I can repeat it.”
“The flowers?”
Matteo looked around in confusion before he said, “I’d love to say that was me, but it wasn’t.”
As comfortable as I was, I couldn’t resist the need to find out who they were from, so I walked over to read the card. I picked it up and took a minute to inspect the delicate flowers before I opened it.
It was a mix of everything from tulips to snapdragons that had been artfully designed in a way you didn’t typically see in a commercially-made arrangement.
I opened the card and smiled when I saw the note.
“Who are they from?” Matteo asked as he walked up behind me and slid his arms around my waist.
As he propped his chin on my shoulder, I lifted the card up so he could see what was written.
He laughed as he read it aloud,
“No matter how far away you go, you’ll always be a Texas Queen. Love you!”
There were tears in my eyes when I said, “We’ve got some great friends, Mr. Russo.”
“We do, Mrs. Russo, and they love you almost as much as I do.”
THE END