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The only thing that allowed me to sleep last night was physical exhaustion from jetlag. I’ve gotten so used to Kelsey sleeping curled up in my arms that sleeping alone was a foreign feeling.
Frankie and I headed down to the ground floor to partake in the breakfast buffet the staff put out. I had to refrain from eating a second — and third — helping of the delicious food, for fear of not fitting into my tux later.
While Kelsey and Savannah spend the day getting spoiled by the spa staff, I’m working with the owners of the castle and the onsite wedding planner, Lucia, I hired to make sure everything is set for tonight. Because we just arrived yesterday, I’ve been emailing back and forth with Lucia throughout the past week to finalize details.
“Buongiorno, Signore Brooks, how are you?” Lucia calls from the gardens where the ceremony will be held. She is standing in a gazebo that’s decorated with white twinkle lights and white orchids, exactly as I imagined it.
“Buongiorno, Lucia,” I greet her with a peck on each cheek. “Everything looks magnifico.”
“Grazie. The quartet will arrive around three o’clock and set up over here.“ She motions to the left of the gazebo. “They have rehearsed the song you requested — which is molto romantico.” She places her hand on her heart in a swoon-filled manner. “And they will play it when your bride walks toward the gazebo.”
“Perfect,” I sigh with a smile. “How is everything looking in the Monsignore’s Suite?” This room, I’ve been told, is the “royal” suite and is the largest one available in the castle. It’s most commonly used as the honeymoon suite for newlyweds. Kelsey and Savannah stayed in the Suite Medici last night, while Frankie and I stayed in the Suite Tornabuoni. I didn’t want her getting a peek at what I’d had the castle staff set up in there.
“Ah, for that we will need to find Giovanni. He should be floating around here somewhere, preparing for this evening’s festivities.”
I can feel my jaw drop slightly as I take in my surroundings on our way back to the ground floor of the castle. It’s even better than the pictures Holly had sent when we were discussing venues. Hundreds of trees surround the property, giving a much more intimate feel to the atmosphere around us. A vast garden with a wide variety of flowers borders the walls of the castle. If I had to take a guess, I’d say there are at least a hundred different flowers among the beds. I imagine it takes a team of gardeners to keep up the landscaping maintenance on this property.
When we enter the ground floor, I find Frankie in his element — at the pool table shooting around. He looks up from his cue and flashes me a playful grin. I nod an acknowledgement that I’ll join him for a game later.
“Here he is!” Lucia exclaims. “Signore Medici, may I please introduce Signore Joey Brooks.”
“Piacere di conoscerti, Signore Brooks.” Giovanni expresses his pleasure to meet me and extends his hand to shake mine.
“Piacere. Thank you for accommodating us on such short notice.”
“Ah, it is my pleasure.” He throws up his hands in excitement. “Shall I show you to the Monsignor’s Suite? I’ve just finished the last of the preparations you requested.”
I breathe a sigh of relief — the gazebo and the honeymoon suite were the two most important things about today. Well, aside from Kelsey meeting me at the altar and saying “I do,” obviously.
Giovanni leads me through the castle, up the stairs and to the main floor, where the suite is located. I’m in awe of how they’ve managed to modernize this castle, while still keeping a contemporary theme to the decorum. The chandelier light fixtures are definitely the originals that were installed in the ceilings when the castle was built. There are dark-stained wooden pillars throughout the main floor with intricate carvings within them.
My breath hitches in my throat as Giovanni opens the doors to our suite. It looks far more elegant than I ever could have imagined. They’ve taken my vision to the next level, and the sight nearly brings a tear to my eye. As I’d requested, the staff has laid a trail of white orchid petals leading from the door all the way to the four-post king-sized bed, where a pile rests, scattered in the shape of a heart across the duvet.
“We will have the staff bring up the champagne and desserts you requested whenever you wish, Signore Brooks. We thought it better to keep them cold until this evening,” Giovanni announces from the doorway as I walk through the suite toward the bathroom.
There is a large, round whirlpool bathtub in the middle of the room — clearly designed for two people. Around the edge of the tub lay more orchid petals, but these ones are purple to offset the porcelain white color. If I’m awe-struck by the beauty of the work they did, Kelsey is going to be beside herself. Her love and appreciation for the little things in life is the reason I wanted to make this so magical for her. She would never have planned something like this for our wedding, but it’s nothing less than what she deserves.
“Grazie, Giovanni. Everything looks perfect — she’ll love it.” I extend my hand out to his and shake it enthusiastically. “I appreciate the work you and your staff have done to make this wedding magical for my fiancée.”
“Ah, Signore Brooks, it is truly my pleasure. Making dreams come true is my life’s passion.”
Now that I can breathe a little easier about everything being in place, I decide to go join Frankie for a game of pool before it’s time for us to get ready for the best night of my and Kelsey’s lives.
Chapter 61
I don’t know if the right words have been invented to describe how I feel right now. Relaxed and spoiled don’t even begin to cover it. My body feels light and carefree after my massage and facial. I know Joey planned for us to travel other places throughout Italy this upcoming week, but I’d be perfectly content staying here the whole time.
The castle staff has been off-the-charts friendly and accommodating — hotels and resorts in the U.S. could stand to learn a few things. The food they put out in the breakfast buffet this morning was chef’s kiss — pun intended. It’ll be a miracle if I don’t gain twenty pounds while we’re here if the food is this good everywhere.
In the midst of everything, I’ve missed Joey today. I know he’s traditional and doesn’t want to see each other before the wedding, but it’s the first night I slept without him since we got together. Between not having his strong arms wrapped around me and my nerves running rampant, I hardly slept last night.
Me: Since I can’t see you until the ceremony, I’ll do the next best thing. Sav and I had an amazing morning in the spa. I know I’ve already said it and I’m sure I’ll say it many more times. But thank you for being such an amazing man and planning all of this for us. I love you so much and I can’t wait to marry you ?
Joey: I love you too, Angel. You don’t have to thank me. Just seeing you happy is worth it. I can’t wait to watch you walk down that aisle to me. I know you’re going to be the most beautiful bride ever ?
“Okay, what should we do until the stylists get here? We’ve got about three hours.” Savannah plops herself down next to me on the king-sized bed.
“I have no idea. There’s so much to do around here, but Joey doesn’t want us to see each other until the ceremony.”
