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CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Kace and I spend Thanksgiving in the castle with Kayden and Ella. Adrian stays as well, just for safe measure but Savage heads to Paris to be with his wife. The holiday is wonderful, the best I’ve had for years. The feast is held in the war room and so many people are there, too many to count, including Adriel, Kayden’s best friend who lives in the next tower over, and his beautiful sister, Giada. Marabella is in heaven, cooking for everyone with Giada’s help. And Gio is right there with me and Kace. And to my relief and joy, the two of them begin to bond and it’s really everything to me.
When the meal is over, we all gather in the main foyer to decorate the largest Christmas tree I’ve ever seen. Kace is standing behind me when it’s lit up, holding me from behind. We all gasp as the castle lights go out and the tree suddenly glows with blinking multi-color lights. Eventually we all disperse, and Kace and I bundle up for a walk. “I thought we’d head to Paris in a few days,” he says, our arms linked as we stroll. “That would give us plenty of time to explore before the show.” He stops and faces me. “I’d like to fly out to Germany right after the show, Christmas Eve,” he says. “We’d be home that night and home for Christmas.”
“Home?”
“That’s our second home, unless you end up hating it, and then we can sell it. Maybe we need our own castle in Italy.”
My lips break into a smile. “Maybe we do.”
“If you like Germany, we can have three homes. New York. Germany. Italy.”
“That’s a lot of homes.” I laugh. “And we haven’t even started the plans for the remodel of the new apartment.”
“We will. To all of it. You have a lot of living to do, baby.”
“Yes,” I say. “I do.”
When the day comes to leave Italy, it’s emotional. I hug Gio so long and hard, and still don’t want to let him go. “This isn’t goodbye,” he promises. “And you could just move here.”
“We might,” Kace interjects. “At least for part of the year.”
The two of them shake hands and then we say our goodbyes to Kayden and Ella. Ella hugs me and when I would shake Kayden’s hand, he hugs me, too. “Come back soon,” Kayden says when he and Kace shake hands.
“We will,” I promise before Kace can.
A short flight later, we, along with Adrian, land in Paris, the city of love, and I’m on the moon. I can’t see enough fast enough. Savage picks us up at the airport while a Walker team is there to handle Kace’s violins. “Miss me?” Savage asks, opening the door to the SUV for us.
“Actually,” I say, hugging him. “Yes.”
Since Chris and Sara have a second home in Paris, we’re invited to stay with them, but since we’re going to be here so long, weeks after all, Kace rents us a stunning apartment. That first night in Paris, we have dinner with them and tell them everything about Italy. In the weeks that follow, Sara and I spend quality time together, I do a lot of shopping, and I even begin to learn French. And the closer the holiday comes, the more the city lights up with Christmas. Parisians know how to do the holiday.
Finally, the night of the Christmas Eve show has all but arrived. On the twenty-third, Jenny and Jerry arrive, and it’s a delight to see them again. Later that night, Mark and Crystal fly in as well, with the donated violins in tow. We meet them and Chris and Sara for dinner where there is laughter that flows plentiful. For the Christmas Eve show, I choose a red, mesmerizing tulle gown which features delicate straps, plunging neckline, crisscross straps in the back, and a long flowy skirt. When Kace sees me, his expression is all heat and fire, and love.
“You,” he says, wrapping his arm around me, “are stunning and I am the luckiest man alive.”
But it is me who feels lucky.
As for Kace in a tuxedo, it doesn’t happen. He and Chris decide to give the large crowd what they expect. Which is them in their raw forms: jeans, T-shirts, boots, and leather. It’s somehow absolutely perfect.
The event is held at the incredible Louvre museum and Kace’s entire band is here, even Kiki, but I’m okay with her now. Kace cleared her attendance, which mattered a lot to me, and besides, I’m confident in what I share with Kace. We’re a team.
Right before the show, me and Sara, are backstage with Kace and Chris. Just before showtime, we both kiss our men, and then together, hand in hand, Sara and I take our seats in the front row with everyone. Blake and his wife, Kara, who is lovely. Savage and his charming wife, Candace. And Mark and Crystal. Even Kayden and Ella. Adrian stands by the stage, extra security for the night.
When the show begins, I have chills. The lights go out and it’s just such an exciting moment. Christmas Eve at the Louvre watching the Kace August and Chris Merit perform, when last year I was alone.
The lights go down and Kace’s violin begins to play, and it’s so very beautiful. The show is all Christmas and as Kace plays some of the most beautiful holiday songs ever created, Chris creates Christmas scenes: a house with snow, and quaint little villages with Christmas trees. As the show comes to an end, Kace takes the microphone.
“Merry Christmas, everyone, and thank you for spending a little bit of this holiday with us.”
There are murmurs and a shout of, “I love you, Kace!”
He smiles. “I love you, too. And tonight I hope you’ll indulge me a bit.” He eyes Chris. “Chris here certainly is. Some of you know that I write a few songs here and there.”
I lean in close to Sara and whisper. “What is this? Why didn’t he tell me about it?”
She smiles and squeezes my hand. “Just watch.”
She knows about it. Why don’t I know about this?
“I’m going to introduce a pretty famous guy. Please welcome Rafael, who is perhaps the most famous Mexican pop star on planet Earth right now. We’ve just signed a deal for his English debut with the song I’ve written.”
Adrian’s brother? Oh my God, I think. My gaze shoots to Adrian’s at the side of the stage and he winks at me. Rafael steps onto the stage, a gorgeous man with a goatee, lots of muscles, and in a whole bunch of leather. He greets the crowd with, “Merry Christmas,” in Spanish, and French and then in English. “It’s an honor to be here and to sing this song for the first time ever with you.”
Kace says, “I wrote this for someone special in my life and I’m going to set aside tonight’s auction violin and play a very special instrument as well.” One of the crew takes the violin in his hand and offers him another. “This is the Stradivarius 1695 Fetzer, once believed lost forever.” He hands off his microphone and his eyes find me, and what I feel that connects us is unexplainable, a bond like I never thought possible.
Kace lifts his violin to his chin and begins to play, the instrument singing like a magical voice. And then Rafael starts to sing, his voice absolutely beautiful as well:
She’s a mystery and a song, a shadow in the light—
It’s the song Kace wrote for me and damn it, I start to cry. Sara smiles at me and wipes my cheeks. “You’re messing up your make-up,” she chides, and points at Chris, who is painting my portrait. My God, what is happening right now?
When the song is over, the applause is wild and Kace takes the microphone again. “As you might guess, that song is for a woman. That woman is Aria Stradivari, of the Stradivari family. She’s here tonight and I’m going to ask her to come up here.”
My eyes go wide and he says, “Please say ‘Merry Christmas’ to Aria Stradivari, one of the kindest, bravest people I’ve ever known.”
Nerves assail me and I shake my head no. Kace mouths “yes” and then Savage, in a tuxedo, steps in front of me and offers me his hand. “Come or I’ll carry you.”
I pant out a breath and accept his hand. He leads me to the stage where Adrian takes over and helps me up the stairs. Kace is waiting on me, his hand outstretched, waiting for mine. I have a tiny flash of a memory, in the bakery, when he’d offered me his hand and it had felt like a question. It
does tonight, too, and I don’t know why.
But I don’t hesitate. I take his hand. “Hi,” he says, walking me to him.
“Hi,” I whisper. “What are you doing?”
“This,” he says, and then he goes down on one knee. He produces a box and opens it to display a gorgeous ring shaped like a daisy, yellow stones surrounding a sparkling diamond. I gasp and cover my mouth.
“Aria Stradivari,” he says. “You have changed my life and made me a better man. I can’t live without you. Marry me. Please.” He smiles. “See I have manners now, too.”
I laugh and cry. “Yes, you do. And yes, I will.”
Kace stands again and slides the ring on my finger and when he pulls me into his arms and kisses me, the crowd goes crazy.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
When Kace and I step off the stage, the congratulations are many, but the ones that stand out the most, and touch my heart, are those of Jenny and Jerry welcoming me to the family. When finally Kace is able to pull me backstage alone, he kisses me, tender and sweet, and then says, “I love you. Let’s get married in the daisy fields in Cremona. That’s as close to your parents as we can get.”
