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“Too long,” the man said before he turned to me. “I’m Alfredo Carelli, Lorenzo’s uncle.”
“Celine Forger,” I said, standing. Alfredo pulled me into a cheek-kiss routine just like Luana had before he let go of me. Gino came in a moment later.
“Hey,” he said, surprised. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“I thought she should see the place,” Lorenzo said and shook his brother’s hand, clapping him on the back with the other.
“Do you ride?” Gino asked me.
“Horses?” I asked.
Lorenzo’s eyes sparkled, and Gino smirked. “That was what I was referring to.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I can. I haven’t in a while, but I had lessons when I was younger.”
“Good, it’s the best way to see the place. Let’s go.”
“Wait,” Lorenzo said. “I have something to tell you first.”
Everyone fell quiet and looked at him, and my stomach bunched into a fist of nerves.
“Celine and I are engaged.” His statement was so simple and straightforward.
Luana and Alfredo were both stunned into silence and blinked at Lorenzo and then at me.
“She’s not Italian,” Alfredo said.
“She’s not,” Lorenzo answered coolly.
Was that a problem?
“Can you give him children?” Alfredo asked me.
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.
“That’s rude to ask, Alfredo,” Luana chided him.
“I don’t know if that’s what we’re going to do,” I admitted carefully.
Alfredo narrowed his eyes at Lorenzo. “You hadonejob. Marry a nice Italian woman who will give you children.”
“I love her, Zio,” Lorenzo said, his eyes hard.
For a moment, they stared at each other, and the atmosphere grew tense. I held my breath. Were they going to come to blows? Were they going to kick me out, demand that Lorenzo break the engagement?
Alfredo let out a breath, and he visibly relaxed.
“Love is important.”
“It’s everything,” Luana added now that her husband had relaxed.
“Are you happy?” Alfredo asked.
Lorenzo nodded. “Happier than I’ll ever deserve to be.”
Alfredo opened his arms and grabbed Lorenzo into a hug. “Then you have the family’s blessing.”
Lorenzo’s rigid body relaxed, and when Luana hugged him, too, I thought I saw his eyes grow misty for just a moment.
