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“Hello, Mr. Atwater, and congratulations on your upcoming nuptials.”
“It’s Bourne, and welcome to our home,” I said, looking over her shoulder to Edric, who was grinning like the Cheshire cat. I knew the subject of the lovely doctor would come up again when we had more time to talk. All I would have to do is give him a few shots of scotch, and it would act like truth serum, and he would tell me the story.
“I have a piano waiting on me. I’ll leave you two alone and see you later with Sabina once I unveil her surprise.”
“Looking forward to it; she’s going to love it.”
“I certainly hope so,” I smiled and returned to supervising the small crew assembling her mother’s prized piano. I expedited this project as quickly as I could so it would make it here in time for our wedding. Of course, it will never compare to the gift she’sgiven me. The piano was special to her mother and Sabina, and one day, she will play for our children and continue the beautiful memory she has held from her childhood.
When Anna returned to the island, I told her about my surprise for Sabina. Her eyes brightened with excitement and confirmed what I knew—my Principessa would love her surprise. While I had some time with Anna, I asked her to sit so we could talk. It was long overdue, and she needed to hear what I should have said long ago.
“Anna,” I said as I reached for her hand, which may have startled her. “It’s okay; what I have to say is a good thing. Thank you, Anna; I don’t believe I have ever said those words to you. Growing up without my mother was incredibly hard but not as soul-crushing as it should have been, and I give testimony to you for being in our lives.”
“Sir,” I stopped her from speaking to get through this.
“Anna, please allow me to finish. Marielle loved you very much, and when my father sent her off to school, you remained behind to take care of him. My father would have been alone if not for you. After my sister died, and with me away serving my country, you were all my father had. I cannot express how grateful I am to you for caring for our home and watching over my father. You persevered during stressful moments and cared for me when I returned from service. I know I’m not the easiest person to be around, but you stayed because you loved our family, and now that love has grown bigger with Sabina in my life. You’ve embraced Sabina from the start, and it pleases me greatly how close you two have become. Thank you for everything you do and have done for my family. I want you with us wherever we go because my child will need you, too.”
“Oh, sweet miracles, Sabina is going to be a bella mamma?” she wiped away her happy tears as she sprang from where she was seated and hugged me with all her love.
“Yes, we are expecting, but we are not ready to share the news with the world yet.”
“I understand, but thank you so much for telling me. Oh, Bourne, Adair would be so proud of you for the man you are. He always loved you, but something broke deep inside him when Marielle died. I can’t explain it fully because I didn’t know your family when your mother died and how her passing hurt him. Your father only mentioned her a few times over the years, but it was nothing compared to how he loved you and your sister. You were a good son to him and an amazing big brother to Marielle, you know this, yes?”
“I do, and Sabina made me remember that, so will you stay on as our child's grandmother? Because Anna, you’ve been a beautiful mother to me.”
I didn’t understand too much after she practically strangled me with hugs and all the crying she was doing while saying something in Italian to me. All I know is that I have made her very happy, and I know Sabina will love that Anna will be with us for a long time. I had to change how we do things here on the island. Whenever I was here, just Anna and a few close staff members took charge of everything. Now, with Sabina here and soon our baby, I knew I would have to add staff that included a doctor in residence to care for Sabina throughout the pregnancy if we remained here on the island. I tried to convince Anna that she was getting a helping hand. She still rules the house, and we couldn’t live without her or her cooking.
Everything was ready for my Principessa, and now that I’ve concluded my business and spoken with Anna, it was time to find my woman. Sabina smiled as she slept, a good sign of having happy dreams. “Hey, sleepyhead, how are you feeling?” I whispered to Sabina as she roused from sleep.
“I’m perfect. I guess spa day wore me out, and Lucy never stops talking.” We both laughed, and then I held her in my arms,loving how she felt against me. “You look incredibly rested, which makes me happier than you know. So, how is our little one?”
“Doing great; we have a fighter in here,” she said, placing her hand over mine. “We’re getting married tomorrow, Bourne,” she said dreamily.
“I know; I can’t wait. So, have you rested enough to come downstairs? I have something I want you to see.”
“Wherever you go, I’ll follow,” she sat up, and I lifted her into my arms and twirled her around the room. Everyone was waiting for us as we finally reached the great room. Sabina looked all around and Lucy was so excited that Pierre kissed her so she wouldn’t shout out the happy news. We laughed, and then I continued with Sabina’s eyes on mine.
“Sabina, I love you. You are my Principessa, and although it’s not officially our wedding day yet, I’d like to give you my gift now if that’s okay with you.” She nodded without words and wiped away a few tears gracing her beautiful face. “I know I am not the only person who has loved you. I wasn’t the first, and I won’t be the last. We don’t choose our family, but we can certainly choose our friends, who become more than we ever dreamed was possible. The friends we have live in our lives and have left a permanent mark on our hearts. Tomorrow, we will marry in front of everyone who loves us, and we,” I kissed her lips and said, “You and I will no longer be alone. We will become a family. A family I will honor and cherish for all my days. God allows me to be here with you.”
“You are amazing, Bourne; how will I ever be able to show you how much I love you?”
“You already have,” I placed her down and asked her to close her eyes. She did, and with my hand entwined in hers, I guided Sabina toward her surprise. Anna opened the door to the great room. The piano was in the center and surrounded by floor toceiling windows. I placed a photo of Sabina and her mother taken on her last birthday. Sabina looked beautiful and happy as the necklace with the piano charm sparkled against her olive skin. Her eyes were still closed, but mine were wide open as I studied the natural beauty of these two women smiling back at me. I dreamed of a little girl at that moment and then pulled Sabina close to me.
“My Angel, my Principessa, this is my gift to remind you that she will always be with you. Open your eyes,” I whispered. I ordered the piano to be tuned and polished to its original beauty. The room was silent, waiting for Sabina’s reaction. She stepped out of my embrace and approached the piano. Her hand slid across the surface and tapped on a few perfectly tuned keys. All eyes were on me as I didn’t know what was happening. I turned to Edric, who shrugged because he didn’t know either.
“Did I fuck up?” I mouthed the words, and then Anna slapped my shoulder to reprimand me for my foul language. And just when my surprise was about to implode, or so I thought, Sabina took me in her arms and kissed me so hard I might have fallen over.
“Thank you, Bourne, you are the most amazing, thoughtful, and perfect man. I love my gift, and I love you so much more.” Applause came next, and then Sabina did the unexpected; she returned to the piano, looked at her mother’s picture, smiled, and began playing.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Sabina
“Dreams do come true,” I silently told Mama as I lit a candle for her. I’m marrying my prince today. He’s a knight in shining armor and the captor of my heart. I sometimes find myself laughing out loud when I think back to my life a few months ago back at school. I love that I now can say that if you had asked me three months ago if I saw myself getting married to a wonderful man, I would have said hell no. And now, here I am. My life now belongs to Bourne, as he belongs to me. We are two souls magically connected, and I guess we’ve always been. Today, we get to make it real and known to the world.
“Okay, Cinderella, you’ve had ten minutes to panic; it's too late to run now,” Lucy said through my closed dressing room door. Bourne had given me my very own bridal suite to get ready in. A team of stylists arrived early this morning to provide me with pampering first and then a lot of primping. I fully recoveredfrom the shooting, but Bourne was still very protective and didn’t want me to lift a finger if I didn’t have to.
“Alright, I’m ready,” I opened the door, and the minute Lucy saw me, she shouted, “OMG!” and said nothing else. “Do I look okay? I told the make-up artist not to go heavy on my eyes; I look like a clown, right?”
