Epilogue
Andrea
“What do you girls think?” My mouth circled into an O shape to take in a breath as I spun for the girls who were gawking at me on camera.
Gina squealed.
“You look like you are ready to go get your man.” Julie grinned.
“What if he doesn’t want me back? It’s been four months.” I was freaking out, and I had a very good reason to.
After Sofia’s demonic confession at her wedding reception, I couldn’t face my family, so I left.
Luciano let me cry it out in his arms that night.
I wanted to get away from everything, so I returned to Sicily at the crack of dawn.
I abandoned the man I loved. He never reached out to me afterwards, so that convinced me that I was fighting a lost battle.
“He loves you, baby girl.” Gina smiled encouragingly at me.
“But I broke his heart,” I whined.
“You weren’t ready then,” Julie said softly.
“You are now,” Gina buttressed.
I slowly nodded, flashing them a smile. “All right ladies, wish me luck.”
“Love you,” they both chorused and hung up.
I looked like a fiery, seductive dream wrapped in a silky red backless dress, hair wrapped in a low, neat bun, paired with bold red lipstick. I should feel confident, but all I felt was anxiety that made me want to lose my mind. I exhaled, stacking my essentials into my purse, then I left my room.
Papa reached out to me after everything, and the conversation we had was probably the most honest conversation I’d had with him in a long time.
It was a relief that he understood why I did what I did.
But of course, Lillian was a bitch about it as usual.
She raved like a typical madwoman, but she didn’t realize that her daughter liberated me with what she did.
That was what made Sofia scornful. She expected me to crash out after what she did, but I didn’t.
Instead, I found redemption, and possibly, I’d get the love of my life back.
Luciano was the love of my life. It was sad that I couldn’t see that until now.
He didn’t love me because I was perfect.
He loved me because I wasn’t. He brought me so much happiness and comfort, and he had my back when I was trying to get him not to.
He was the anchor I never knew I needed until I lost him.
And now, I was going to get him back.
The ride to Skull’s Lounge was short. I found out a few weeks back that he actually owned it—while I was stalking him, of course. I pulled over in the lot and found my way into the space. I was attacked with nostalgia and memories of the first time we met. It brought a sad smile to my face.
There was a grumpy guard at the entrance of the secluded hallway when I got there.
“Hi, good evening.” He didn’t flinch. “Is Luciano in? I’m his fiancée.” I maintained a soft smile.
He glanced at me, grunted, then turned around and led me through the hallway. I saw that we passed through his suite, so I knew he was taking me elsewhere. He stopped before a black door, then left me all alone.
“You can do this.” I breathed in and out, then knocked.
“Come in.”
I sucked in a sharp breath when I heard his voice. I hadn’t heard him in months. It was like every part of me was coming alive. I turned the knob and walked in with a pounding heart.
The room smelled of smoke, leather, and something animalistically his. I glanced around, and when my eyes connected with those blue ones I loved so much, I stopped breathing.
He was sprawled on a chair before a desk, all thick, messy hair, angular features, and sharp jawline. His gaze was hooded, almost unreadable, but I could feel his eyes following every curve of my body that was wrapped in the seductive fabric.
“Hey.” I wanted to clear my throat to sound less seductive.
He didn’t quip back a witty response as expected. He was quiet. Too quiet. Have I really lost him? I pushed back as my throat closed up.
“You didn’t call or text.” I tried to sound unaffected, but I could hear the shakiness slipping into my voice.
I hate this.
He was still quiet.
“So much for being obsessed with me,” I scoffed, tapping into the anger I was starting to feel. “If you don’t want me here, I can leave.” I waited for him to say something, but his expression didn’t shift for a second.
I cussed, turning around to leave.
“Did I say you could leave?” His voice was raspy like he hadn’t used it in a while. “Come here.”
My heart leaped for joy. I slowly turned around and approached him. When I got close to him, his coarse fingers wrapped around my waist, pulling me onto his lap.
“What are you doing here, amore mio?” He cupped my ass, tugging me into him so that I could be flush against his body.
God, I missed him.
“I’m sorry.” I croaked. I couldn’t do it anymore. The walls protecting my heart crashed.
His hot breath fanned my face, and I caught the movement of his lips getting trapped between his teeth as he glanced at my lips.
I grabbed his shoulder. “The way I treated you was awful. I shut you out and used you. I shouldn’t have done that. It wasn’t fair. If you want us to have babies, I can—”
He kissed me, so softly, so passionately. I moaned, cupping his face. The way he explored my lips dampened my panties immediately. I ground against him, eliciting a groan from him.
“Do you know why I didn’t reach out?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“Because I knew that as much as it hurt, you had to want it for it to work out. Being away from you, amore, it messed with me. I don’t want to be separated from you anymore.” He ran his finger over my lips.
“Me, either,” I murmured.
“We don’t have to have kids if you don’t want to. I’ll support whatever decision you make. I understand how traumatic it must have been for you when those three happened, so I will never put you under pressure to have my babies,” he told me, his voice reeking of honesty.
“I love you, Luciano.”
His body grew still. “Fuck, what did you just say?”
I kissed him. “I love you.”
“Dammit, amore. You have no idea how long I have waited to hear that,” he whispered.
I brought my hand, the one that bore the ring I hadn’t been able to take off since we split, to his face.
“You didn’t take it off.” He was surprised.
I nodded. “I want to marry you, Luciano. I want to make this real. I understand that—”
“That has been my dream since I laid eyes on you,” he rasped.
He slowly took off the ring. “Andrea Emilia Rossi, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
I laughed with tears in my eyes. “Yes!”
He had barely slipped the ring onto my finger when I kissed him.
Luciano went from being my fake fiancé to being the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with. He was mine as much as I was his.
Now and forever.
The End