Page 25 of Falling for my Family's Rival

“I like that answer,” Marissa says. “My family and my faith have always been the most important things in my life. I always want that to be the case…” she says, with a subtle grin, staring up at me through her beautiful long lashes. It’s like she read and spoke my mind.

We’ve talked about some of the things we hope for in the future, but this is the first time either of us has brought up children. The thing about being with Marissa is that it makes me want to have a whole bunch of kids. Even if I wasn’t sure before, I am now.

“I just hope I don’t have any kids like my brother, Angelo,” I say.

Marissa bursts out laughing. “I wasn’t expecting that,” she says. “I’ll have to meet him soon.”

“I’d like for you to meet my whole family,” I say. “When we think they won’t kill each other, of course.”

“Agreed,” Marissa says. “Oh, let’s go sit in the reading garden.”

I look up and realize that we’ve made it to the library. This seems to be a truly special spot for Marissa. I gladly follow her through an arched entryway covered in vines into a secret garden. There are benches and a table with chairs. I can tell that in the daylight, this place is probably quite charming. In the dark, it actually feels quite romantic. I’m glad that Marissa brought us here.

We sit down on one of the benches, and Marissa leans her head against my shoulder. I feel a rush of warmth spread through my entire being. Despite the fact that we are in a truly strange situation, I feel like we’re united in the common goal of trying to get our families to get along. It shouldn’t seem like such an impossible thing to do.

“We’re pretty lucky, despite everything,” I say.

“We are,” Marissa agrees. “I think that all of these challenges are only going to make us stronger.”

“We have so much to figure out, still,” I say. “But I feel confident that we’ll come up with something.”

“I’m sure we will,” Marissa agrees.

We sit for a while longer, sometimes silent, sometimes chatting, but mostly just enjoying being next to one another. No matter what’s going on around us, when I am next to Marissa like this, the world seems right, and I have deep hope and faith that all will work out for us - even with our families. Someway, somehow.

Marissa lets out a gasp. “Oh my goodness,” she says. “It’s almost five in the morning! I’m sorry, Luca- I really need to get home!”

“Wow, I didn’t realize it was so late,” I say. “I’m sorry I kept you out so long.”

“Don’t worry about that,” she says. “I cherished every moment of it. I’m glad that we got to spend this special time together.”

“Me, too,” I say.

We head back through Cranberry Creek, hand in hand. Her hand in mine feels perfect, like one hand. I have a deep peace, thinking of how much stronger we are together - hand in hand, heart to heart. I don’t ever want this moment to end.

As the dark vanishes and the predawn light begins to wake the birds, I’m mindful of the fact that soon people will also be waking up to get ready for work. I don’t think that anyone will see us, but there’s a better chance that we will be seen now. I don’t mention this to Marissa, because I want her to be able to go home and get at least some sleep without worrying about all of this.

By the time we get near her house, I’m relieved that no cars have passed us the entire walk. I lean in to kiss her gently. She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me closer. When we break apart, I whisper, “I love you, Marissa. With all my heart.”

“I love you, too, Luca, with all of mine,” she whispers back.

The moment, the profession of love, feels sacred and I don’t want it to end, but I give her another kiss on the forehead and let her go into the house. I walk backward, watching the light go on in her room, hoping that no one woke up when she came in. I don’t want her to have to face her family alone. At some point, the two of us are going to have to confront our families, but we will do it together.

As the first rays of light break across the sky, I make it back to my car, sure that I haven’t been seen. I feel like this lightness, both the literal break of dawn and the figurative lightness that I feel, symbolizes a new beginning for both of us.

Sixteen

MARISSA

We are meeting for Book Club at the library, which hasn’t been our usual spot lately. Violet has been hosting us in the private library in her mansion. It’s a surprisingly cozy spot. But she and her husband are currently having work done on their house, so we decided to go to the OG spot, where we started meeting in high school.

I like this little nook of the library, though. It brings back such good memories. The librarians even let us bring snacks. My favorite librarian, Abby, lingers in the doorway as she lets me in. She was a few years younger than us in high school.

“What book are you guys reading this month?” Abby asks.

“We’re reading Romeo and Juliet,” I reply.

“Oh, I love that one!” Abby says.

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