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“I love you, Anna. So much. And I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. If you’ll let me.”
Her mouth dropped open. “What?”
He reached into his pocket. Her heart started to beat faster. His fingers uncurled to reveal...
Three cents?
She stared at the coins in confusion. Coins?
Then the rhyme returned. Her head snapped up, hope tearing through her so quickly it nearly made her dizzy.
Three coins and you’ll be married soon.
“Antonio...”
“I have prayed every night for the last two weeks that you still feel about me the way you did the night of Alejandro’s wedding. Because if you do...” His other hand disappeared into his pocket and came out with a black-velvet box. “I hope this diamond will be one you’ll wear knowing it is solely because I love you.”
Had she thought she’d taken risks before? Because none of the risks she’d taken in the last ten months meant anything compared to what lay before her now. Antonio had hurt her not once but twice in spectacular fashion. Could she trust him again?
“I know I hurt you,” he whispered, reading her mind once more. “I know loving me after what I’ve put you through is a risk. I can’t promise I won’t hurt you again, because love is not perfect. But I can promise I will spend the rest of my life doing whatever I can to make you as happy as you deserve to be, and striving to be the best man I can be.” He swallowed hard. “You make me feel like the best version of myself, Anna. I can’t picture my life without you and I want you to be mine, forever and always.”
It was the most realistic declaration of love she’d ever heard, one that paled in comparison to any love story she’d watched or read. With a tremulous smile, she reached down and scooped the three coins out of his hand. She turned her back, tossed them over her shoulder and listened as they fell into the fountain. When she turned back to Antonio, it was to see a mix of love and desire and hope in his eyes.
“Is that a yes?”
She flung her arms around his neck, threw back her head and laughed as he scooped her up in his arms and swung her around in a circle.
Somewhere off to their right, a light flashed.
“Damned paparazzi,” Antonio swore. “I’ll kill—”
Anna cupped his face in her hands and kissed him, cutting off his remaining statement.
“Think of it this way,” she said as she pulled back. “We’ll always have a picture of your proposal.”
His laugh rang out across the plaza. “Are you always so positive?”
“Better get used to it.” Her face hurt from smiling so hard as he set her down and slid the diamond ring onto her finger, the oval-cut beauty offset by two gems, a blue sapphire and an amber-colored topaz. “Because I’m positively in love with you.”
EPILOGUE
Three years later
ANTONIOCHASEDHISniece Ava through the waves, the two-year-old’s squeal making him grin. Just a few steps ahead of her, his nephew Xavier scrambled up onto the warm sand.
“Xavier, why don’t you give Tío Tony a break?” Calandra called. She was relaxing on one of the chaises-longue, her six-months-pregnant belly round and evident even in her black swimsuit.
“I don’t mind,” Antonio called up. Besides, he needed the practice. He glanced over at his wife as she chatted with Everleigh and Everleigh’s father. His gaze drifted down to her stomach, concealed by the loose fabric of her sundress. Excitement zipped through him. They planned to make their announcement this evening at dinner when the whole family was gathered. Not just the Cabreras, but Calandra’s little sister and her boyfriend from North Carolina, and Richard Bradford and his former housekeeper now girlfriend. William had joined them, too, along with Kess.
Although, Antonio reflected with a smile, those two hadn’t been seen since dinner last night. He’d had his suspicions with the verbal sparring they had engaged in since they’d arrived for the annual family summer trip to Positano last week. Perhaps the family would be celebrating another wedding soon.
Adrian dashed into the waves and scooped Ava up into his arms. The little girl let out a squeal of delight before turning and wrapping her chubby arms around her father’s neck.
“When are you going to have one of these?” Adrian asked with a boyish grin.
“Someday soon,” Anna answered with a conspiratorial grin aimed Antonio’s way as she walked into the warm waters of Le Porto’s private beach. Antonio had set aside three hours for the family to enjoy the cove before reopening it to the guests of the hotel. Given that the hotel had become Positano’s number-one choice for luxury vacations and had received award after award since its grand opening, he’d felt confident notifying his guests that the beach would be briefly closed for a private gathering.
Antonio pulled his wife close and kissed her.
