Epilogue One
Mia
The first six months were difficult. Julien disappeared twice, leaving me at the house on my own for a week at a time during each occasion. I never did find out where he went. He didn’t talk about it, and I didn’t ask.
When Gianna saw us walk into the café hand in hand when we’d returned to Italy, I could almost physically feel her relief. She had been shocked to see us, and when she’d hugged both me and Julien, she’d spoken so fast I hadn’t understood a word she’d said, but her face had been wet with tears she’d tried hard to conceal.
Julien had been quiet, but we were doing the right thing. He belonged here and it was time to make up for lost years. I gave Julien and his grandmother space, but I never felt left out when it was the three of us. In a way, I felt that I was a sort of safe haven for Julien. A place he could rest when memories and the thoughts of all that had been taken from him, taken from all of them, overwhelmed. In time, I hoped some of those memories would be fond remembrances rather than painful reminders, but he didn’t talk much about that part of things. I knew it was difficult for him and resigned myself to being there when he was ready — and for those times he wasn’t, I’d be there to comfort him however I could.
Now that I had no more ties to the St. Rose family, I felt free. I forgave Tanya for what I’d thought were her sins. In a way, I’d known all along she had been doing what she thought best. I realized during the time of the cover-up that she was young and Samuel was a much older, very dominant man. He had loved her, but standing up to him was almost impossible for her. It always had been now that I thought of their relationship. It was just that most of the time, there wasn’t any need to. He’d tried to please her and make her happy, but in that instance, he’d chosen wrong. Too bad that choice had had such terrible and final consequences.
But that was the past. I was determined to live in the present.
“Cake is ready!” I said.
Gianna came into the kitchen. “Oh! It’s perfect!” She swiped her thumb over the edge of the plate, pretending to clean it, but truly wanting to taste the frosting. It was Julien’s favorite cake, supposedly. Gianna had dug up the recipe and I’d baked it. A simple yellow cake with dark chocolate icing from his great-great grandmother’s days.
“Gianna?” I gave her a chastising look, but it was funny to see this sixty-something woman stand there sucking frosting off her finger.
“Just want to make sure it is right.” She picked up the candles I’d insisted on. It was Julien’s birthday. He was turning thirty, and we were surprising him. Neither of us were sure if he’d like the idea but we didn’t care. He needed to have some fun. We all did. Only problem was, he’d left early this morning without a word and I knew Gianna was as anxious as I to see him return. We had more than enough money to live on, he didn’t need to do any more jobs, and I wanted him to stop. Even though I’d told him I could accept him as he was, I wanted that part of his life to end.
At half past seven that night, I left the café to get changed. We’d decorated and were expecting guests at eight. I took the longer route by the cemetery to the house, but he wasn’t there — and he wasn’t at the house either. I had a quick shower and changed, forcing myself not to worry. The last two times he’d left, he’d told me he was going. I hadn’t pushed for details. I knew when not to. I just hoped the pattern hadn’t changed to where he’d just leave without a word. Things were so uncertain with him. I wondered if they would always be.
At eight o’clock, I made my way to the café, but I felt a little deflated. Gianna smiled at me when I arrived but she couldn’t hide her disappointment when I walked in alone. Several guests had already arrived, the old men taking their usual places while the women collected around the tables that had been pushed together to make one long one. Everyone wanted to help and people were in good spirits, eating and drinking. But all I could do was wait.
Shortly after I arrived, Angela walked into the café. I hadn’t seen her since that day at the shop. I had purposely been avoiding her, and now I wasn’t really sure why. I trusted Julien, but for some reason, I felt protective of him when she was around, even though he didn’t pay her a moment’s attention.
“Where is the birthday boy?” she asked, pouring herself a glass of wine.
“Running an errand.”
“Hmm. He’s been gone all day, hasn’t he?”
I faced her. “Are you trying to say something, Angela?”
She gave me an innocent look. “Me? No. Just making an observation.”
“When do you go back to Rome?” I asked.
Gianna joined us, her own drink in hand. “Yes, Angela, when do you leave?”
I almost spit my drink out at the way she said it.
“Three months,” Angela said, gloating. “I dropped my summer course so I could help my grandmother.”
“So selfless of you,” Gianna commented.
I checked my watch and I could see from the corner of my eye Angela open her mouth, but before she could speak, Julien entered, stopping short when he saw everyone, saw how the café had been decorated.
“Surprise!” Gianna and I yelled, although we were probably the most surprised out of everyone there. I exhaled a long breath when he entered and though it took him a moment, he finally smiled.
“What’s all this?”
“Your birthday,” Gianna said, intercepting him on his way to me. “Happy birthday, Julien.” She sounded like she’d wanted to say that for years. I saw her push an envelope into his hand before she turned for the kitchen.
Julien looked at it, then stuffed it into his pocket unopened and came to hug me. “Is this your doing?”
“Mine and your grandmother’s. Happy birthday.”
He kissed me, our foreheads touching as he did.
“I don’t have anything for you—” I said.
“I have everything I need right here,” he said, wrapping his arms around me.
I smiled up at him, wanting to ask where he’d been but not wanting to spoil this moment, knowing I had to take him as I could get him.
“Happy birthday, Julien,” Angela said, opening her arms to hug him. She was unbelievable.
Julien looked at her as if seeing her there for the first time. “Oh. Thank you, Angela. Where’s your grandmother? I promised to come by and help put some shelving together for her.”
Angela grinned and sent a sly look my way. “Well, I’m taking care of the shop for the summer and I’ll be there all day tomorrow. Why don’t you come by then?”
He nodded, peeling her hand off his arm. “I’ll talk to Myra later.”
The lights went out and Gianna came out of the kitchen carrying the cake, all thirty candles burning bright. Julien took my hand and held it, and I knew he felt a little uncomfortable with all the attention. He was a man used to being invisible. Everyone joined in to sing.
“We never celebrated your birthday properly, Mia,” he whispered to me.
“I am more than okay to forget this particular birthday.”
He smiled but when it was time to blow out the candles, he tugged on my hand. I leaned down with him and we blew them out together. He kissed my cheek. “I have something for you.”
“For me?”
“Mia baked it, Julien,” Gianna interrupted, setting a huge slice onto a plate and handing it to him. “See what you think.”
He took the fork and scooped up a giant mouthful. His lips stretched into a grin and he nodded, shoving a second forkful in before putting the cake down. I wiped the frosting from the corner of his mouth and he smiled.
“My favorite. And it’s just like I remember.”
It was so strange but I felt so very proud in that moment and he must have seen it on my face, in my huge smile. Gianna served the cake out and Julien took my hand and led me into the kitchen.
“I don’t think we should leave your party. You’re the guest of honor!”
“Shh,” he said, looking into the café from the opening between the kitchen and the counter before pushing me to a corner where we wouldn’t be seen. There, he pressed me against the wall with his body and kissed me like a man starving. “I love how you taste, how you smell. I love everything about you, Mia.”
He looked down at me and I smoothed my hands over his shoulders, feeling his muscles beneath the tight-fitting shirt. “I wasn’t sure if you were coming home today.”
I said it before I could stop myself. I knew he cared about me, and I wanted to make things easy for him, but I needed him to know my fears too.
He grew serious. “I understand. And I know it’s not been easy for you, with me I mean. I know I can be distant at times. Believe it or not, I do feel better, in a way. It’s good to be home again.”
“I’m glad, Julien.”
“You’ve been more than patient with me and I want you to know something. I’ll never simply leave here, leave you, without a word again. Ever.”
I nodded, but was it enough? Would it ever be enough as long as he did what he did?
“I had to take care of something in Cortona today,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small box. “Took longer than I expected.”
I’d always heard the saying ‘my heart skipped a beat’ but I’d never felt it until that moment.
But his smile disappeared and his face grew serious again. “Mia, I’m done with Cash. With the past. I know that’s a reason you worried I wouldn’t come back today, but I want you to know that’s never going to happen again. I’m here to stay.” He went down on one knee then, fumbled with the box for a moment and for the first time since I’d known Julien, I saw that he was nervous. Even when men shot guns at him, I’d not seen him falter. It was strange and endearing, in a way.
Finally, he got the box open and turned it to me, his eyes glistening when I met them after glimpsing the old-fashioned gold band in the box, the diamond glittering on top of it.
“It was my mother’s. I had to have it resized for you and the jeweler who made it for them lives in Cortona.”
“Julien—”
“I love you, Mia, and I want you to marry me. I want you to be my wife, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
My hand trembled as I went to touch the ring.
“Will you marry me, Mia?”
A warm tear streaked down my face and I sniffled, meeting his tear-filled eyes. Unable to speak, I nodded, covering my mouth when he stood and took the ring from the box. Without a word, he slipped it onto my finger, the fit perfect.
“It looks beautiful,” he said.
I looked up to meet his gaze and he kissed my cheek, kissed the tear there.
“Don’t cry, Mia. We’ve had too many tears. It’s time to laugh.”
I smiled. “I’m happy, Julien. These are not sad tears.”
The door opened just as he went to kiss me and Gianna came in, carrying the cake plate with one remaining piece on it. The moment she saw us she stopped —and would have backed out if Julien hadn’t called her over.
“You’ll be the first to know, Gran,” he said, holding my hand up.
Her eyes reddened instantly. “It was your mother’s.”
Julien nodded and Gianna cried, taking us both into her embrace at once, kissing us, and again, talking too fast for me to understand.
“Did you open the envelope?” she asked him when she stepped back.
Julien looked confused for a moment but then reached into his pocket and took out a folded envelope.
Gianna shook her head and took it from his hand, straightening it out. She handed it back to him with a soft smack against the side of his head, and he opened it, pulling out an official looking form. While he read it, I looked at it over his shoulder.
“You’re giving me the café?”
“I’m giving it to both of you. And I hope you’ll give it to your children one day.”
I felt Julien’s gaze shift to me, but I kept mine on Gianna. I was happy, I wasn’t going to think about what couldn’t be right now. And who knew, the doctor didn’t say it would be impossible. He’d said it would be a miracle.
“I want you to stay, Julien. Now that you’re home, I want you to stay.”
“So you’re buying me?” he teased.
“Whatever it takes. Besides”—she wrapped an arm over my shoulder—”I need this one here. If you two leave now, I don’t know what I’ll do short of following you wherever you go. You probably don’t want that.”
We all chuckled. “We’re staying Gran.” He turned to me. “We’re staying.”