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He turns to my bride. “Congratulations, Mia. I’ll leave you and Lazzaro to your celebrations, but I came for a reason other than to give my brother those papers. I have a message from your mother.”
Mia immediately stiffens.
“No,” I say sharply. “You’re going too far. Get lost before I throw you off these goddamn steps.”
Mia puts a soothing hand on my chest. “It’s all right, Laz. What does my mother want, Fabrizio?”
Faber casts a wary look at me and then back at Mia. “She’d like to see you. That’s all.”
Mia hasn’t spoken one word to her mother since I busted out of the prison that her uncles made for me.
“Thank you for passing the message on, Fabrizio.”
“Will you see her? Ms. Bianchi will ask me for your reply.”
“Quite the lap dog, aren’t you, Faber?” I growl. Can’t he take the hint that this is none of his damn business?
Mia firmly shakes her head. “Not right now. I want my life with Laz to have a chance to blossom before I even think about inviting anyone in who doesn’t want the best for me.”
“Your mom does want the best for you.”
“Then she can show me that herself when I’m ready. Thank you for passing the message on. I’ve got nothing else to say about it.”
When he opens his mouth again, I hold a finger in his face. “Not one more word. I’m not above a fistfight on my wedding day.”
He closes his mouth and nods. “Goodbye, and congratulations again.”
I turn to Mia when he’s gone. “Are you all right? I’m sorry about that. Faber doesn’t know when to shut his goddamn mouth.”
Mia gives me a smile. “Nothing could shatter my good mood today. Come on, let’s go celebrate.”
We have our wedding dinner in a restaurant, then our friends see us off as we drive into the mountains. Our wedding present is a weekend in a remote cabin with a big bed and a Jacuzzi.
Mia drinks a glass of non-alcoholic champagne, and we lie in the tub together. Both of us are covered in bubbles. I scoop water over Mia’s belly and watch the suds slide down her bump as I cup her from behind with both hands.
There’s a mirror off to one side, and as she puts her champagne down, our eyes meet in the glass.
“We’re starting a new life together, you and me,” I murmur, gazing at our reflections.
I remember that time all those months ago when I crept into her bed and woke her up in the middle of the night. I was behind Mia, and she saw me in the mirror by her bed. She asked me what I was doing in her room, and I told some stupid lie. That I was bored. That I was angry.
The truth is, deep down, I’ve only ever wanted to be with Mia.
Ever since I first laid eyes on her, it’s always been her.
I plant a kiss on her neck, smiling into her beautiful Bambi eyes. “You and me. And our baby.”
EPILOGUE
Mia
“That’s the battery, which gives the car power. And that’s the radiator that cools the car down. And this part here is what makes the car go vroom vroom. That’s Daddy’s favorite part, princess.”
I watch Laz bent over the open hood of the Mustang with Mirabella in his arms, her chubby arm reaching for the shiny engine parts and black tubes.
“She’s going to be fixing cars before she can talk,” I tell him with a smile, pressing a kiss to his lips and then another to Mirabella’s cheek. She has her dad’s green eyes and his sense of mischief, too.
“That’s the plan,” Laz tells me with a grin. “I’ll have her driving a stick shift by the time she’s five.”
