Page 302 of The Devil's Fire

“You will love this one.” Damiano poured us a glass of red wine. “To you.” He said and clinked our glasses together.

“To us.” I corrected him with a smile. “For being bad bitches and outliving our enemies.”

Damiano threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh, completely taken aback by my words. My cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. I loved the sound of his laughter; so deep and carefree.

“Salute, for being called a bad bitch for the very first time in my life.” Damiano chuckled as he raised his glass.

“There is a first for everything.” I laughed and raised my glass in agreement.

“Indeed, there is.” He said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Oh, wow! This is good.” I exclaimed after sipping the wine.

“I knew you would love it. This is one of the sweeter wines we produce.”

“I would love to know how you make this one; it tastes almost like juice.”

“You will. Mr. Roberts is coming to visit. He wants to witness with his own two eyes the place you have talked so highly about. If all goes well, he will be making a much larger purchase, and you will receive fifty percent of that.”

“What? No!” I almost shouted at him.

“Yes. You made it happen.” Damiano insisted.

“I didn’t even know what I was talking about back then.” I tried to explain to him, but he only gave a half-shrug.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does! Look at what you’ve accomplished. You’ve not only created jobs for all these people, but made a community. They all have a roof over their heads. This is all your doing.” I gestured to the beautiful landscape. The view from the top of the hill was breathtaking, with the lights from the houses below sparkling like stars in the night sky.

“I am well aware of it, my love. It still doesn’t change the fact that you gave him a different perspective.” He said as if it wasn’t up to discussion.

I slightly frowned before an idea came to mind.

“Okay.” I agreed. “Then I want to invest the money in this place, and whatever money that will be made from that, I want to reinvest. Then use the money to create more jobs and housing for the people.”

These amazing, hard working people have transformed this place into what it was today. They deserved everything.

“I had a feeling you would say that.” Damiano said with a soft smile. “Will that make you happy, my love?”

"Without a doubt. Yes!”

“Then so be it.” Damiano cupped my chin, tilting it upwards before pressing his lips to mine.

This night was unforgettable.

My heart overflowed with emotions, and words failed to capture the depth of my feelings at this moment. Being with the man I loved and talking about everything and nothing at the same time.

Damiano rested his head on my lap as I fed him chocolate-covered strawberries. He shared more about his family and upbringing in Italy, and I loved how big of a family he came from.

“Thank you for bringing me here. This place is like something out of a fairytale.” I stood by the hill’s edge, with Damiano’s arms embracing me from behind. The landscape unfolded before me, and the night sky adorned itself with a myriad of stars.

“Anything for you.” He whispered, planting a gentle kiss on the side of my head, and I sighed in bliss.

This night couldn’t have been more perfect.

“Are you happy, my love?” Damiano asked.

“I don’t think ‘happy’ will ever capture this feeling.” I replied with a smile. “And what about you? Are you happy, agápi mou?”

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