Page 83 of Matteo

“Is that good?” I’m confused.

“It’s very good. And it makes me a little sad. As beautiful as it is, it didn’t become that way to me until you.”

“Ah, now that makes me sad.” It really does.

“It is.” He’s quiet for a minute. “Thank you. This is something I wouldn’t have without you. The way you know things about the painting and tell me about the artist… It adds another layer.”

I blush at the compliment. “You’re welcome.”

He presses a brief kiss to my lips. “What do we want for dinner? Do we want to pick something up on the way home or order something once we get home?”

We decide to pick up some Mexican food. With Layla getting determined to use her now three teeth at every opportunity, I decide to get extra rice and beans. She loves beans, but she’s hit or miss on rice.

Between the wait at the restaurant and how long everything takes, Layla wakes up again when we go upstairs. The minute she sees food, she opens her mouth for us to feed her. I feed her a small spoonful of rice. She spits it out. “Layla, gross.”

“Ah, Layla, you don’t like rice? Are you sure?” Settling her onto his lap, he offers her another spoonful. This time, Layla swallows it down like it’s ice cream.

I roll my eyes. “She is a daddy’s girl.”

His grin could split his beautiful face in two. “There’s nothing wrong with that.” He assures her as he kisses her cheek and feeds her another spoonful of rice. “No, there isn’t.”

I’m shaking my head at them both.

Layla is asleep again as I clean up after us. “Are you going to lay her down for her nap?”

“I got her. What do you think about us taking our honeymoon in New York? We could see shows and museums and stay in a hotel or the condo my mom still has there. There’s also my place in Baltimore. I kept it as a place for families to stay in, and it’s empty now. We could see the National Gallery of Art. Or would you want to do the Paris thing instead? I think Paris has better art museums. The woman I talked to about planning the honeymoon gave me a comprehensive plan, but I don’t know if we’re going to be able to get the passports in enough time.” Matteo has his eyes glued to his phone.

Out of all the questions, only one makes it out of me. “Married? We’re getting married?”

An eyebrow goes up as he tucks his phone away. “Yes, married. What did you think me telling you that you were mine was about?”

“Matteo Castillo, I can’t believe you. That’s the worst proposal in the world. Those awful jumbotron proposals are a few steps up from that.”

He rolls his eyes and reaches for me. I back up. When he sees it, an eyebrow goes up. “I love you, woman. You’ve given me a life. And a daughter. Why the hell did you think you were going to get away from me?”

I want to melt like a marshmallow at his declaration. But I hold fast. If I buckle, he’s always going to get his way. “Nope, try again. I want flowers. I want a ring. I want the question. An actual proposal, Matteo Castillo.”

His chuckle slides down my spine. “Fine. You’ll get your proposal. It will come. For now, I need your input on where we’re going on our honeymoon. We’re going to Chicago for the Art Institute for three days as a late birthday present on Wednesday—after your therapy appointment. Going during the week will hopefully mean we get the museum to ourselves.”

This man. “For my birthday?”

He nods. “Yes, if Layla gets a do-over for Christmas, then you get one for your birthday. I was told I was crazy for going to Chicago in February. We won’t be able to go out on the water for our own personal architecture tour.” One shoulder goes up. “That just means we’ll go again when it’s warmer.”

Okay, maybe he doesn’t need to propose. “I can’t believe it. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Back to the honeymoon. Where would you rather go? I wanted us to go overseas, but I’m not sure we’ll be able to get our passports back in time.”

“You want to go on our honeymoon based on where the better art museums are?”

“Yes,” he shrugs. “If it’s important to you, then it’s important to me. It’s not like you’ll never get to go. I’m sure you’ll probably have more fun without Layla and me, but I also know it will take forever for you to go by yourself.”

“Have I told you how much I love you?”

“It’s been a few hours. Show me.”

Matteo

“Why is he being such a prick today? He’s only smiling at the babies.” We’ve already eaten brunch and my grandfather is as far away from my mother as he can get while still being in the same house.

---