Page 298 of Valentino

I turn toward him. “What for?”

“To get married.”

My heart somersaults in my chest.

“You were serious?”

“Deadly, and you better have been too.”

I nod, overwhelmed. “Uh-huh.”

“So the twenty-first?”

“Wait, that’s only…” I do the math, “…three weeks away.”

“And.”

I blink.

“We can have a ceremony with just the two of us, and then in time when everyone else catches up, we can have a big wedding and invite everyone.”

“We don’t have to rush things, Val.” I shrug. “I was only joking on the plane.”

“But you had a very good point.” He slides his hand down over my behind.

He’s always so touchy.

“This has been thirteen years in the making and I don’t want to wait a minute longer than I have to…to call you mine.” He leans down and kisses me softly.

“I’m already yours.”

“I want it in the eyes of the law.”

“Is this crazy?” I whisper.

“Absolutely.” He rubs his thumb over my bottom lip. “But when have we ever done anything the normal way?”

I smirk. “True.”

“I have to go, goodbye, sweetheart.”

“Are we still going to see your father tonight?”

“If that’s okay.”

“Of course.” I smile. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

With one last kiss goodbye he breezes out the door. I put my coffee down and laugh and twirl, and flop onto the couch. That was the most unexpectedly incredible and amazing twenty-four hours of my life.

Holy shit.

6:30 p.m.

Valentino pulls into the driveway of a house in Lake Como.

“This is it.” He gives me a stifled smile.

Butterflies swirl in my stomach as I look around. The house is a medium-sized Italian house, nothing grand or fancy, and I don’t know what I expected but this wasn’t it. Because of the loud and luxurious way that Valentino lives his life, I just always assumed that his parents….