LAUREN

“Why didn’t we eat with the rest of the family?” I ask as I set my fork down on my empty plate.

There’s nothing better than Mrs. Forte’s sauce. Not even the best restaurants in Chicago’s Little Italy can come close to the perfection she achieves every single time.

“I wanted to sit in my favorite place with my favorite girl.” He smiles over the candlelight.

“Your only girl,” I remind him with a smirk. “You were busy while we were gone.”

His secret spot near the lake has been transformed. The rocks have been draped in blankets and pillows, with two place settings waiting for us when we arrived. He lured me out here, reminding me that there was a meteor shower tonight. And watching nature’s fireworks was a perfect ending to a stressful week.

“I had help.”

I gaze across the flickering flames and smile, touched by the sentiment and amount of thoughtfulness he put into such an event. He moves the empty dishes off to the side and scoots across the blanket until our legs are touching.

“Mi amore,” he says quietly as he grabs my hand. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”

“Okay.” I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly dry because of the look on his face.

“Like the moon, you’ve locked me into your orbit since the moment our worlds collided.”

I love when this man speaks to me as if we’re in a romance series on the Science Channel.

“I can’t imagine my life without you in it. In a few short months, you’ve changed everything I’ve ever known and made me want more out of life.”

My heart races. This conversation is heavy, but he wouldn’t… Would he?

He reaches underneath the pillow to his side, and I hold my breath. Maybe he would. Oh my God. He’s going to ask. I gasp, suddenly unable to breathe as the moonlight radiates off the diamond like a star in the sky kissed by the heavens.

“Antonio.” I cover my mouth with shaking hands.

“I can’t wait any longer. I’ve never loved another person like I love you, Lauren. I’ve never wanted to settle down and have a family of my own until you came into my life. I don’t want you to be my girlfriend anymore. I want you to be my wife and the mother of my children.”

I hold my breath as he pauses, and tears begin to fill my eyes. When he hinted around about our future on the island, I shut him down quickly. But as each day passed, I couldn’t imagine being alone again.

I wanted it all. I wanted him. I wanted the picket fence and the tiny feet running around the house with unusually loud laughter compared to their size. I wanted the American dream and everything I didn’t have as a child.

“Yes!” I screech and fling myself into his arms, peppering his face with kisses. “Yes.”

He laughs and pulls away, still holding the ring in his hands. “I didn’t ask yet.”

“Get to it, Forte. Stop beating around the bush.” I wiggle my fingers near the ring, unable to wait any longer.

My entire body is shaking. I don’t remember the last time I was this excited. It was probably something work-related, but for the life of me, I can’t remember. But this day, this moment, I’ll remember forever. Sitting in Antonio’s private spot as the Perseid Meteor Shower plays over our heads.

Antonio leans forward, bending down on one knee. “Lauren Bradley, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes,” I say again with just as much enthusiasm as I did a moment ago before he slips the ring on my finger. It’s by far the biggest rock I’ve ever seen other than those in museums which show off the excesses of royals around the world. “It’s so beautiful.”

He falls backward and takes me with him. “I love you, Lauren. You’ve made me the happiest man tonight.”

“I love you too, Antonio.”

But I know there is one more thing I have to do, and Antonio isn’t going to like it. It needs to be done. I have to be free.

ANTONIO

I was practically buzzing by the time we walked back to the house just after the moon rose high enough to block out the meteors. Lauren said yes, and soon she’d be my wife. Sleep was impossible; my system was too hyped to get any rest.

I stared at her for hours, watching her sleep so soundly with a hint of a smile on her face. Soon she’d be Mrs. Forte, and I’d do everything in my power to make her happy.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Mamma asks as she enters the kitchen just after six.

“I tried.”

She grabs a mug from the cabinet and pours herself a cup of coffee before joining me at the table. “It didn’t go as you hoped?”

“She said yes, Mamma.”

My mother’s face lights up at the news. “You’ve made me a happy woman this morning, Antonio.”

“I’ve never been happier in my life.”

The words I speak are the truth. Never have I experienced the euphoria I do in Lauren’s presence. Everything, even down to the most mundane chore, is thrilling and somehow interesting when I have her to share it with.

“Why couldn’t you sleep?”

“I’m worried I’m going to mess it up,” I admit, turning the coffee mug in my hands.

“Marriage isn’t easy. You’ll make mistakes like every person does when finding their way on a new path. My mother gave me the best advice just after I married your father.” She glances out the window, staring off into the distance. “She said to never go to bed angry. That was her key to a happy and long marriage.”

“That’s it?”

“When that doesn’t work, she said to drink plenty of wine.”

I laugh and remember my grandmother. The portly woman who wore nothing but black for the last twenty years of her life because her husband had died.

“It always helped me with your father, especially once you kids were born.” She laughs as she lifts the mug to her lips. “I miss him so much, Antonio.”

“I know, Mamma. He’ll be home soon.”

“I know. I wouldn’t trade a day of my heartache because I married the love of my life.”

I understand her words. There have been days I’ve felt anguish with Lauren, like when Trent snatched her away. But even during those times, I never once wished I hadn’t met her. I live with no regrets, especially when it comes to her.

“Don’t bury yourself in work either. Life is too short to be stuck in an office.”

“Tell that to Lauren,” I sigh. “I fear she’ll work herself into an early grave.”

“Find a way to change her mind.”

“How?”

“A baby often puts life into perspective.”

“Mamma.” I shake my head and close my eyes. “I can’t force her to have a child.”

“Wine, my son. Wine.”