“You’re really moving here?”
He pressed his lips to my forehead. “I told you. No more running.”
“I love you,” I whispered, holding him closer.
He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “I love you too.”
The back door creaked open, and Grace poked her head out.
“There you are,” she said, her voice chipper and excited. “The internet is blowing up over you guys. Do you want to hear what they’re saying?”
Luca shook his head. “You know what? I think I’m good.”
THIRTY-SIX
Luca
A year and a half later…
“If this wholemusic thing doesn’t work out, we could always turn the house into a wedding venue,” McKenzie joked as she helped me with my tie. Earl Grey and Binx watched with a mixture of amusement and annoyance from the bed. They were unenthusiastic about the amount of people running around their home for Grace’s wedding and had decided to take cover in our bedroom.
“I’m not so sure the kids would be on board with that,” I said, gesturing toward the cats curled up on the comforter. The windows were open, beckoning the cool October breeze inside.
“Well, they have to grow up and get jobs eventually,” she joked. “We might as well make it a family business.”
“There.” She finished with my tie, straightening it one last time.
I caught her left hand in mine and brought it to my lips, ghosting a kiss over the vintage black sapphire ring on her finger. I’d found it tucked away inside one of the cases in a little antique jewelry store while I was on tour last summer and knew she had to have it. I gave it to her after I won my first Grammy earlier this year. It was rare and beautiful just like her.
“So, what do you think?” she asked, twirling so I could fully admire her in the navy bridesmaid dress she wore. McKenzie had been thrilled when Grace asked her to be in the wedding. They’d become close since I started working with Grace. There were many times when we were on the road that I got booted off phone calls with my own girlfriend so the two could chat, but I didn’t mind.
“Gorgeous,” I answered.
She smiled and turned so her back was facing me, her hair gathered to one side.
“You mind zipping me up?” she asked.
I obliged, then pressed my lips into the crook of her neck and began to slowly work my way up to her ear.
She spun on her heels and jabbed a finger into my chest. “I said to zip the dress, not make me want to take it back off.”
“So you’re saying you don’t want to take it back off?”
“I’msayingJo is already on the warpath because the DJ was half an hour late. She won’t think too kindly if we are as well, especially since we live here,” she said. “And since she’s seventeen months pregnant, I’d really like to not piss her off.”
“How did Jo become the resident wedding planner, anyway?” I asked, sitting on the edge of the bed to slide on my socks and shoes.
“I don’t know,” she answered, slipping her feet into a pair of heels. “I know she wanted to do it for Katie, but this time, I think she’s just doing it to torture herself.”
Derek and Jo had gotten engaged late last spring and were planning for a summer wedding the following year, but when they’d discovered they were expecting, they decided to push their nuptials out another year.
“We better get out there,” she said. “It’ll be starting soon.”
But I didn’t budge, smiling as I took her in. She was so fucking beautiful. And it wasn’t just because of how stunning she looked. It was something more, something deeper. She had a glow about her these days. She was happy.
“What’s that look for?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Just enjoying the view.”
