She smiled gently. “No one’s asking you to give up your home. You have a boutique there, and I can get my ESTA to visit anytime.”
“I want to be with him, but I don’t know how to leave. I don’t want to thin—”
“Would he do it for you?” she asked, cutting me off.
“Huh?”
“If you called him right now and told him you’re not moving, but want him to come to Italy to be with you, would he do it?”
“In a heartbeat,” I said quickly. “He would do anything I wanted.”
“Then there’s your answer.” She smiled. “I’m not forcing you, but for once, I want you to make a decision foryou. Not for me, or your friends, or your career, but because it makes you happy. Everything else is tangible—you can visit, travel—but happiness isn’t. You’ve lived a hard life, and I never want you to experience that kind of sadness again.”
After my mom left, I called Ronan, but he told me to give him some time since he was in an important meeting.
I doodled on a sketch pad to pass the time. An hour later, my phone rang—FaceTime from Ronan.
“I’m so sorry for the wait, baby,” he said, looking tired, his hair tousled, wearing scrubs instead of a suit.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “And don’t worry, I understand you were busy.”
“Thank you, and yeah, I’m good.” He yawned. “A bit hungry and tired, but good. How about you?”
“I’m okay. Tell me about your day.”
He started rattling off everything he’d done: meetings, site visits, a surgery, an interview, and more.
“That’s a lot,” I said.
He chuckled and took a sip of water. “Today’s a slow day, butit’s all good. Tomorrow’s my day off.”
“Are Thursdays always your day off?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. Rachel handles my schedule. I get whichever day is least busy.”
“That sounds hectic.”
“It is, but it comes with the job. I’ll be retiring soon, though.”
“Soon?”
“Yeah. I’m getting old. The companies will still run under me, but I’ll finally get some rest.”
“Old?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t think you’re old. Retirement’s at sixty-two to sixty-five, and you’re not even close to that.”
He smirked. “I’ve lived a full life. I need to marry you, start our own family, and then I can rest.”
Marriage? Sure. Starting a family? I’m not opposed to pregnancy. Rest? That, he deserves.
“You deserve to rest, babe.”
“I could say the same about you,” he said. “Fashion designing is hard work. I don’t know how you manage it all.”
I chuckled, leaning back in my chair. “It’s a passion. It just feels right, you know?”
