“And far less stressful, I bet.” She laughed, giving me a sidelong glance. “It must be nice to take a break from all that responsibility.”
“Nice doesn’t even begin to describe it,” I replied, meeting her gaze, feeling lighter than I had in months. “Besides, a chance encounter with someone like you was something I didn’t expect today.”
She gave me a shy smile, looking down for a moment. “I think… It’s been a good surprise for me, too.”
“And here we are,” I replied, pausing beneath a tree with blossoms overhead, the setting sun casting a golden glow around us. “I don’t want this day to end.”
Her gaze met mine, soft and warm, her voice barely above a whisper. “I was thinking the same thing.”
I hesitated, knowing I didn’t want to let her walk away without a way to find her again. “By the way, I don’t even know your name. We can’t be strangers forever, can we?”
She gave a small, amused smile, eyes meeting mine. “It’sNina.”
“Nina,” I repeated, letting the name settle on my tongue. “Perfect name for a perfect day. I’m Ronan.”
“Well, Ronan,” she murmured, her voice filled with that same quiet warmth, “nice to meet you.”
Finally, I took a step back, unsure if I could leave without a promise to see her again. “Would it be too forward if I asked for your number?”
She tilted her head, eyes bright with a hint of challenge. “You tell me, Ronan.”
“How about I give you mine instead? You can text me… if you want to.”
She pulled out her phone, and I typed in the number before glancing up and smiling softly. “Alright, Ronan. Maybe I will.”
As I stared back, she added with a little laugh, “Thank you. I needed to clear my head, and… well, I definitely did that.”
I nodded, feeling lighter than I had in a long time. “I’m glad I could help.”
With one last smile, she turned to leave, and all I could do was hope I’d see Nina again.
Chapter Twenty-three
NINA
Present Day
ITALY
“Am Iseeingcorrectly?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, disbelief gripping me at the unforgiving hour of eight in the morning.
“I should be wondering if I’mcountingright,” Inaya replied, her shock mirrored in her tone.
Laid out before us were ten extra-large boxes of assorted heart-shaped chocolates from my favorite chocolate factory, Tuscani Cioccolato S.r.l, each one seemingly mocking my ability to process this early surprise. A fuchsia envelope lay atop them, the handwriting unmistakably his and infuriatingly perfect, asalways.
“This is…”
“Extravagant?” I ventured, my pulse quickening, hoping we were thinking the same word.
“Romantic,” she whispered, her eyes wide, as if the world had stopped spinning.
I didn’t bother responding. With a swift motion, I grabbed the note, tore off the perfectly placed seal with the kind of care that felt almost sacrilegious, and braced myself, knowing full well the sweet words I was about to read would leave me utterly speechless.
“A few of these won’t hurt, right, Ro?”
Nina Moretti.
Love, RR
