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“I hope you always say my name just like that whenever you’re mad at me.”
“Do you plan on making me mad a habit?”
I grin unapologetically. “Probably. It’s just the way I’m wired.”
She shakes her head. “I’m having your baby. There are going to bemoreof you running around, raising hell.” She touches my lips. “With your wicked smile.” Her finger strokes along my jaw. “Your good looks.” She brushes down my chest. “This scoundrel heart.”
“Don’t forget they will have their mother’s stubborn streak. And her temper. And her big brown eyes that will make anyone fall to their knees and promise them the world.”
“My temper?” she exclaims. “What about your—”
I wrap my arms around her and haul her onto my chest, cradling the back of her head and kissing her hard. I’m vaguely aware of my ribs screaming in protest, but I ignore them, and kiss my girl like I’ve been wandering in the desert, lost and alone, and she’s my rescue team.
“You were made for me, Bambi,” I murmur in a husky whisper, squeezing her tight. “If I had to live a hundred lives, I’d choose you every time.”
Mia takes my face in her hands and presses another kiss to my mouth. “I’d choose you too, Laz Rosetti. No matter what people think, I’ll always choose you.”
I want to go on kissing her, but the pain in my chest turns into agony, and I can’t stop the moan that escapes my lips.
Mia gasps and pulls back. “I’m so sorry. I’m leaning right on your broken ribs. I should get out of this bed before the nurses see me.”
But I don’t want her to go just yet. There are still some things I have to say.
I pull her back and wrap my pinkie around the ring finger on her left hand. “What do you think about this? The moment I get out of here, we put a ring on your finger? For real this time.”
It should have been Mia wearing my ring from the beginning. I can only hope that the rocky start we’ve had means there’s happiness waiting for us just around the corner. Right now, with my girl in my arms, I’m feeling pretty good about it.
Mia smiles and melts against me, bestowing on me a look so angelic that I think I really have gone to heaven. “I think that sounds wonderful.”
* * *
Mia steps outof the bedroom dressed in a short, white satin dress with spaghetti straps, clutching a bouquet of pink roses. Her four-month baby bump is showing.
My heart is in my mouth.
“Mia,” I breathe. “You...” I reach for her and trail off. I have no words for how radiant my bride is. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
She smiles and goes up on her toes and kisses me. “And you’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”
I straighten the cuffs of my gray suit and adjust my black tie. “Better than my usual outfit of ripped jeans and engine grease, right?”
Lately, that’s the only way my bride has seen me. I’m working on engines morning until night, buying, restoring, and selling cars. Mia graduated last month, and she’s been learning how to do the accounts, handle the day-to-day running of the business, and scout for new cars and customers. She’s been incredible. I couldn’t ask for a better partner in crime.
We’ve rented a small auto shop in a cheap part of town, and we’re living above it in an apartment. It’s not much, especially considering what Mia’s used to, but she hasn’t complained once.
We decided on a simple wedding, just us, some of our close friends and Rieta. We had no choice about that, seeing as most of our families aren’t speaking to us and every cent we have is tied up in the car business.
As I squeeze her hand, our fingers intertwine, and I notice the plain band she’s wearing on her third finger. “I’m sorry it’s not a better ring. Or a bigger wedding.”
She puts her fingers over my lips. “Stop that. You know a big wedding doesn’t matter to me. Being married to you is what I want.”
I take her face between my hands and whisper, “No one has ever believed in me the way you do. Want to marry me?”
She pretends to think about it. “Yes, Lazzaro Rosetti. I will marry you. Come on, let’s go.”
Rieta is waiting for us on the steps of the Town Hall, practically bouncing with excitement. When she sees us, tears fill her eyes. “Look at you, Mia. My baby sister is getting married.”
A handful of people are waiting for us in the registry office. My friends and some of hers from school. She’s made up with the girls she pushed away because she was afraid of her family hurting them. It’s wonderful to watch her hugging them and laughing.
