Page 87 of Hated Vows

Stephano squats down with the stack of boxes and places them on the coffee table in front of me. A distinct noise comes from one of the boxes.

“Matteo—” I gasp.

“You need to start at the top, kitten.”

I glance to where our guests, most of whom I haven’t even properly greeted yet, are gathered around us. I bite my lip. Matteo has definitely done something crazy. “At the top?”

“Yep.”

It’s the smallest circular box with a lid. I reach for it carefully after watching how Stephano carried it, keeping it level. I lift the lid.

And break out laughing. “Oh my God. What did you do?” I’m staring at a glass bowl covered with cling wrap. Inside it swims a lone little goldfish. “Matteo.” I glance up at him and he sinks down next to me.

“We start here,” he says, for my ears only. “Come on, let’s help this little guy. He needs air.” Matteo lifts the glass bowl out of the box and peels off the cling wrap, then puts the bowl down on the coffee table. “There. Safe and sound. The goldfish we agreed upon.”

We didn’t agree upon anything that day so long ago, we only joked, but my heart is in my throat as tears push to the corners of my eyes. There are two more boxes, and there, the distinct sound coming from the middle one. “I’m going to cry.” I look up to see Dominic and Luca filming this moment on their cellphones.

“Don’t cry yet, kitten,” Matteo murmurs in my ear. “See how cute they are first.”

I reach for the second box and lift the lid. Two huge yellow-green eyes stare up at me and it lets out the cutest little meow. My heart bursts as I pick the kitten out of the box. A tiny ginger tabby whose sharp little claws immediately dig into the long sleeves of my dress. I don’t care. I just blink back tears as I hug his tiny body into my neck. “Where did you get him?”

“That one’s a rescue,” Matteo says as he strokes the kitten’s back with his forefinger. “You look smitten.”

“I am,” I laugh through my tears as I hold up the kitten for all to see. Cheers and claps sound through the room and I kiss the little thing on his head. “We’ll find a name for him later, unless...?”

Matteo shakes his head. “We’ll decide later. This moment might be?—”

“Too big? No kidding.” I’m not done. There’s still one box left. “Here, keep him safe.” I hand Matteo the kitten and he gathers it safely in his big hands. For a moment I just look at him, this man who has so many layers to peel off and work through. He leans back and lets the kitten rest on his chest. I just know Matteo is going to be the most perfect father a wife and children could ever hope for. Because there will be children, not soon, but soon enough. This menagerie is just our starter pack.

I lean in and kiss Matteo full on the mouth. He lets me, but then nudges me to the last box. “I think he’s sleeping.”

The lure of my husband with our kitten in his hands is huge, but I drag the last box closer. This one is heavier. I lift the lid, and curled up in the big hatbox, snuggled deep into a soft blanket, sleeps a darling golden retriever puppy. I reach for him, and he wakes up at my touch to look up, blinking. “Come here, you sweet little thing.” I gather him up in my hands and lift him out of the box. This one is at most ten weeks old. I raise him up for the world to see and more enthusiastic laughter fills our apartment. I’m not sure how you top a housewarming, but Matteo just did, by making it a home.

“Okay, that’s it,” Stephano says. “She’s woken the beast. Now all hell’s going to break loose.”

Matteo reaches out to scratch the pup behind the ear.

“Is he purebred?” I ask. I can’t be sure as he’s a ball of fur at the moment, all ears and eyes and a big yawn that makes us both laugh.

“When it comes to dogs, sweetheart, I only do purebred.”

I lean in to hug him, and the puppy goes to my lap only to immediately struggle to sit up straight. “You’re a bit extra, you know,” I whisper as I sweep my lips across Matteo’s cheek to his mouth. “But thank you for this crazy surprise.”

Matteo kisses me back. “That’s my love for you, kitten, extra…and a little crazy. Always.”

Yes. Extra and a little crazy. “Always.”