Page 53 of Meet Me in Paris

“Put a plate of frogs in front of me again, and I really will throw it in your face.”

Hunter swept me into his arms, dipped me like a movie star, and kissed me until I couldn’t remember my name. A moment later, we were upright and wrapped in each other’s arms in the dark, our lips engaged in a dance older than time.

Here, in the middle of an ocean in a place I couldn’t even pinpoint and surrounded by strangers yet somehow unbelievably in the arms of the man I’d loved for longer than I could remember, I finally felt at home.

“Can’tthe guy just meet us there?” Alexis asked as we stood on one of the most beautiful bridges I’d ever seen in my life. “I’m starving, and we only have two days in Rome. I don’t want to waste them standing around.”

“Matteo is almost here,” Hunter said, not taking his eyes off me.

I eyed him back pointedly, though I loved every second of it. Then I turned to my sister. “Besides, the hungrier we are, the better the food tastes.” Not that Italy needed the help. We’d only been here a few hours, and so far, the food tasted far superior to my usual American fare. Good thing we had two full days in Rome because I intended to spend much of that time eating.

And the rest would be spent kissing on romantic bridges like this. I gave Hunter a quick peck on the lips. As I pulled away, his hand hooked my waist and he pulled me in for a long side hug. I leaned my head against his chest with a happy sigh.

Mom was right. Friendship did make the very best foundation for a marriage, and our magic wasn’t too familiar in the least. Something told me she would have approved of my choice. I wouldn’t ’t have been surprised had she arranged for all this in the first place.

Jillian checked her phone and gave a petite frown. “Your friend is taking his sweet time, Hunter. You know what they say about Rome and not being able to see it in a day.”

“It wasn’tbuiltin a day,” Alexis corrected. “It took hundreds of years. Just like this guy is taking to get here. I swear, Hunter, if he isn’t here in two minutes, I’m wandering the city on my own.”

Hundreds of years to build a city like Rome and decades to build what Hunter and I now had. Our stupid fight a few days ago felt like a distant memory. Now that we knew what we meant to each other, such silly little things didn’t rattle us in the least.

“Selfie time!” I called to my sisters and pulled out my phone.

They obediently gathered on either side of Hunter and smiled as I arranged the shot. A few clicks and I had at least one or two good ones. I shoved the phone into my pocket.

Alexis lifted her chin. “It’s been two minutes. I’m leaving.”

“I’ll come with you-uuuuuuu!” Jillian squealed as she nearly toppled, and I turned to find her being bowled over by a dog on a leash.

A man shouted at the dog in Italian and yanked him by the collar, chiding him quietly. Then he turned back to Jillian and spoke in perfect English. “I’m very sorry, miss. Dante has no manners.”

Jillian stared at the man, then the dog, and then the man again. She looked positively speechless. I couldn’t blame her. The guy looked like he belonged in a Bond movie, his beard neatly trimmed and his jacket casually expensive and well-fitted. He could easily pass for a model.

“Matteo,” Hunter exclaimed, releasing me to clasp handswith the man. “It’s good to see you. Hey, Dante!” The dog hurried to Hunter, tail wagging, accepting a series of pats and rubs at Hunter’s hand. I didn’t often see dogs that looked like this—wrinkly skin covered with short fur, a muscular build that reminded me of a boxer, and long, floppy jowls that drooped away from his face. Large and intimidating or not, he seemed friendly enough.

“What kind of a dog is Dante?” I asked, joining in on the patting. The dog didn’t seem to mind. “I don’t think I’ve seen one like him before.”

Matteo turned to me and extended his hand. “Neapolitan Mastiff. And you are?”

“Kennedy Travell. These are my sisters, Alexis and Jillian.”

“Nice to meet you all. Didn’t think anything could get my former roommate away from Paris, yet you seem to have managed it.” Matteo gave Hunter a friendly clap on the shoulder.

Hunter winked at me. “I couldn’t leave without a certain someone.”

Jillian straightened her skirt and checked her hair, still glaring at the dog’s owner, who completely ignored her now. “I think your dog needs more training. He shouldn’t be jumping on unsuspecting tourists minding their own business.”

Matteo raised a thick yet trimmed eyebrow. “And I think unsuspecting tourists should be more aware of their surroundings.”

Jillian’s jaw dropped.

Alexis and I looked at each other. This would be a fun afternoon. I never saw Jillian speechless, yet he’d rendered her unable to speak twice in less than a minute.

We headed to the far end of the bridge and toward a row of restaurants, Alexis hurrying ahead. We couldn’t go wrong, being led by my athletic sister’s stomach at lunchtime.

My phone buzzed before we reached the other side. I whipped it out to find a text from Claude.

I got your email. I am disappointed, but I think I know what is happening. You are with the angry man with the car, yes? When you marry, I’m also certified to book wedding venues in Paris. I can make for you a beautiful event.

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