Epilogue
Alessandra
“Come in, come in.” I usher Gavin and Emma inside. Upon returning from Italy, I moved into Quinn’s penthouse apartment, and amazingly, it already feels like home.
Emma is positively glowing, and Gavin is too—his mood has changed ever since they announced they were expecting. Only a faint hint is visible beneath her sweater, and I can’t wait to see how adorable she is with a real baby bump. Over the past few months, Emma and Corinne have both adopted me into the fold, and I feel like I’ve become part of the Kingsley family already.
Emma gives me a quick hug, and Gavin squeezes my hand. “Where have you been hiding that grumpy brother of mine?” he asks.
Quinn isn’t a grump. At least, not anymore, and especially not with me, but I chuckle at Gavin anyway.
“We’ve been busy with wedding planning,” I say, leading them into the dining room.
The weekly Sunday dinners became sporadic over the last couple of months since we returned from Italy after an extended vacation and threw ourselves into wedding-planning mode. Quinn has been exceedingly helpful, and though I never expected to do it all alone, I’ve been amazed at how involved he is. From picking flowers to deciding on our color scheme, he’s been right there every step of the way.
Cooper and Corinne are already seated in the dining room, and Corinne’s lifelong childhood friend, Aaron, is here, too, currently looking at the aquarium in Quinn’s study from his wheelchair.
I sit down to chat with the girls while Gavin and Cooper join Quinn in the kitchen. He still won’t accept much help, as he loves to cook for his family, but I know they’re not discussing his roasting techniques for the prime rib he’s serving. The conversations these past few weeks have been dominated by the topic of the Kingsleys’ long-lost brother, Will. A couple of weeks ago, Quinn succeeded in tracking him down, and the brothers all met for coffee as a sort of get-to-know-you meeting. They’ve since met for dinner and are working on building a relationship.
I’m so happy that it was my encouragement that led Quinn to pursue finding out more about his family. I know it pains him to think that he won’t have family to attend our wedding—other than his brothers, of course—but the excitement of finding a new family member has been a good distraction.
“So, six more weeks until the big day,” Corinne says, smiling at me with genuine happiness.
“I know. I can hardly believe it.”
“And everything’s on track with the planning?” Emma asks.
I nod. “I just need to complete my final dress fitting.”
With Quinn’s money and influence pulling the strings, all the wedding service providers from churches to reception venues to florists were all very accommodating with us. It also helps that I no longer work full-time as a nanny, which means I have time to devote to getting all of our affairs squared away.
My plan was to tutor students studying Italian and just enjoy life with my new husband. But Quinn’s thinking was if I was tied to a full-time job, I wouldn’t be able to pick up and take off with him on business trips or vacations, and I wasn’t going to argue.
I hear the men finish their hushed conversation, and Quinn leads the pack into the dining room, carrying a large platter of meat.
“That looks amazing,” I say as he sets it in the center of the table. I spent the hour before our guests arrived preparing the side dishes alongside my amazing fiancé, and see that each brother is carrying a dish—whipped potatoes and roasted vegetables.
Corinne brings Aaron and we all take our places at the table.
“I feel like a goddess with our men serving us,” Emma says, chuckling.
Gavin presses a kiss to the top of her hair. “You are a goddess,” he murmurs. “My goddess.”
“Oh, the wine,” I say, noticing the empty glasses at each placesetting.
“Let’s open one of the bottles we brought back from our favorite vineyard in Italy,” Quinn suggests. His gaze finds mine and we share a secret smile.
I follow him into the kitchen, where he backs me up against the counter and steals a kiss that takes my breath away. His muscular frame holds me in place while his warm tongue slides over mine.
“Bellissima,” he whispers against my lips.
“They’ll see us,” I whisper back.
“Hmm, don’t care,” he murmurs before kissing me deeply once again. His fingers intertwine with mine, and I can feel the press of my ring against the palm of his hand.
My engagement ring had been a simple gold band belonging to Quinn’s mother, up until about two weeks ago. He took me to the big fancy jewelry store downtown and told me to pick out a diamond to have mounted to the ring. After perusing my options, I opted for a three-carat solitaire. My new ring is actually his mother’s ring melted down and formed into a sturdy new band that holds the diamond. I absolutely love it. It’s new and old at the same time, and holds such sentimental value for Quinn, which makes me even more honored to wear it.
When I remember how he teared up the first time he saw the ring on my finger, a lump forms in my throat, and I fold myself into his warm embrace.
Quinn pulls back slowly, his eyes finding mine. “Ti amo,” he whispers in perfect Italian.
“I love you, too.”
“Let’s go,” he says, and I follow my amazing fiancé back to the table to enjoy the feast he’s prepared for our family.