Page 114 of Trust Me

“I’ll love whatever you give me,” he murmurs, kissing my cheek.

I pull away from his embrace, searching for the purse that I dropped when I lost my shit looking around in here. I spot it near the counter and swipe it off the ground, placing it atop the counter. I dig in for his gift and hide it against my chest as I walk back toward him.

I pass it to him and watch as he eyes me in curiosity. Tearing past the wrapping paper, his face lights up with a boyish smile as laughter bellows from his stomach.

“You don’t like it?” I frown.

“No, dolcezza, I love it.” He smiles, looking down at the collector’s edition of The Powerpuff Girls series that I found online and ordered for him. It’s a box set of the entire series, in a pretty foil hardcover.

“And I love you.” I brighten, feeling on top of the world. I have my dream business ready to go, a man that I love, who loves me back, and I’m working toward a better relationship with my parents.

Instead of letting pride hide away who I wanted to be, I’m now proud of the person I’ve become. Of the life I’m building and creating with Elio, and our friends, who are like family.

“I love you more, trust me.” He swoons, crashing his lips to mine.

And I do, with my heart leading the way for once.

Epilogue

Elio

5 months later

“You know you’re going to lose, right?” Jasmine hums playfully, her curls flowing in the wind as we sit on the terrace of a restaurant on the Amalfi coast, playing chess.

I paid for a private section, always wanting to have her to myself.

“Probably, but I enjoy losing to you,” I tell her, loving how carefree she’s been on this trip.

Her bakery opens in September, and she’s been working like crazy to get everything set up. This trip came at the perfect time, giving her a chance to unwind before she has to start running her own business.

I know she’s going to fucking crush it, and I can’t wait to watch it happen.

I also happened to open a business down the street from her. My own mom-and-pop shop mentoring business. I also don’t open until the fall, giving us time to get prepared before jumping into the world of being entrepreneurs.

The only thing left to do? Propose to the love of my life and make her mine forever, officially.

So far, we’ve been to France, The Netherlands, England, Spain, Portugal, Germany, and now, we’re in Italy. There have been many moments where I nearly gave the photographer the signal that I was going to propose, but something in me said not yet.

I wanted us to enjoy our trip, without the excitement of the engagement taking away from it.

Jasmine knocks out my king, her squeal of joy overpowering the crash of the waves on the coast. It’s then that it hits me. It wasn’t under the glittering lights of the Eiffel Tower, nor on a gondola in Amsterdam or on the sandy beaches of Portugal.

It’s now, with her infectious smile on her face, a chessboard between us and the water in the background, a light rain beginning to fall from the sky.

I flick my wrist twice to the left, then to the right, giving the signal.

I check my coat pocket, feel the square box there, and take a quiet, deep breath. I didn’t anticipate how nervous I’d be, but dammit, I am.

There’s a soft Italian tune playing on the speaker, floating in from the restaurant.

“Dance with me?” I ask her, standing from my chair.

Jasmine smiles, her eyes lighting up. “Of course.”

I pull her up to me, cradling the back of her head as my other hand intertwines with hers in the air. The rain falls more rapidly now, but Jasmine’s smile grows as laughter fills the space from both of us. I spin her around, watching her black dress twirl around her.

My wife, my mind screams. Even though it’s not exactly true in this moment, it will be.

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