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“Oh my God!” Nat cries. “I can’t fucking believe it.”
“I know,” I cry.
“Holy shit,” Jennifer whispers as she holds my hand in hers. “That ring is something else.”
With a laugh, I glance outside to see Lorenzo and Maso looking on through the window. They’re smiling almost as much as I am. Rici and I have been on cloud nine all weekend. We can hardly wipe the smiles off our faces. I never knew I could be this happy.
“Your coffees, lovely ladies.” The server arrives at the table with three cappuccinos.
“Thank you, Bosco,” Nat and I say in unison. We’ve gotten to know our server well.
Bosco gives us a huge smile of appreciation. This isn’t the nicest-looking café in Milan, but the staff is so lovely, and it’s the only place that makes coffee taste like it does back home. It’s mostly filled with Australians all the time.
The other day, I made Rico come here with me before work. When Bosco saw him, he nearly swallowed his tongue at the sight of him.
“Ah.” He notices the girls staring at my engagement ring. “Are we celebrating?”
“We are.” I smile proudly and hold my hand up. “I’m engaged to be married.”
“Enrico Ferrara?” he whispers with wide eyes.
“Uh-huh.”
His mouth falls open and he claps his hands together. “Holy mother of God, we must celebrate.”
He rushes behind the counter, digs out a bottle of champagne, and pops the cork. It spurts out in spectacular fashion as we all laugh out loud. The other customers are giggling—his excitement is contagious.
I glance outside again and see Lorenzo and Maso laughing, too.
This is a happy day.
Bosco pours us all a bottle of bubbly and hands us the glasses. He pours one for the other three people in the café, also, and he takes two glasses outside for the boys. “I propose a toast,” he announces once back inside.
We hold our glasses up. “To Mrs. Ferrara-to-be.”
“To Mrs. Ferrara-to-be,” everyone says. I giggle in embarrassment. I feel famous.
Everyone goes back to their conversations and the girls’ attention comes back to me. “Were you expecting this?” Jennifer asks.
“No. I mean, I thought we would get married one day. But this early? No way. This is all his doing. It bothers Enrico that I’m not his wife. He wants it to be legal.”
Jennifer leans on her hand and smiles dreamily. “He’s so romantic.”
“I know, right? So, tell us about the proposal,” Nat says.
“He took me to our special place.”
“Where’s that?” Jennifer asks.
“The Pantheon.” I smile as I stare lovingly at my ring.
“In Rome?”
“Yes, he took me there two years ago when we first met.”
“You’ve been together for two years?” Jennifer squeaks. “No.” I laugh. “It was terrible timing back then. His father and grandfather were killed in a car accident that weekend, and he was too upset to start anything.”
“Murdered,” Nat mutters into her wineglass. “Tell it as it is.”
