Page 45 of Marry Me in Rome

They didn’t say any more than the pigeon had.

“Fine. I’ll play the game, but can I trade for my sisters instead? I don’t need to marry a handsome Italian man or even come back to Rome. I just want to be happy with my family.” I turned, counted the correct number of coins in my hand, and tossed them over my shoulder. They landed with a delicateploinksound.

A distant voice floated over the wind. It sounded eerie, like a phantom in the mist. If I didn’t know better, I would swear it was calling my name.

Maybe Iwasinsane.

“Jillie!”

I turned to peer into the mist. A dark figure came into form, shaped like a woman. As the fog swirled around her, a familiar face emerged and came into focus. Kennedy?

Her shoulders slouched in relief and she jogged over to yank me into her arms. I stood as stiff as a board, still unsure whether this was really happening.

“You had us scared to death!” Kennedy practically yelled in my ear. When you didn’t show up, Alexis and I got special permission to disembark to go looking for you?—”

Yep, definitely real. I pulled away and looked at her and the wet mark I’d just left on her shirt. “Hold on. You left the ship? But it’ll be long gone by now.”

Her voice was incredulous. “Of course we left the ship. Did you really think we’d just sail away without you?”

“Well . . . yeah. Basically.”

Kennedy swept me into her arms again. “Jillie, as incredible as this trip has been, these are only places. You’re the only family we’ve got left. My sisters are all that matters, above Hunter and everything else. I’m sorry I made you feel otherwise. You have no idea how sorry.”

I sniffed, surprised to find my nose running a bit. “This is a lovely conversation, and I’d love to continue having it, but I’m freezing.”

She pulled away and looked at me. “Oh, dear. You look terrible. Are you okay?” Then she stiffened. “Did something happen? Where’s your phone? Your, uh, second one.”

“My new phone is gone and I’m fine. It’s a long story that I’ll share when I’m not dressed like a giant wet piñata. Where is Lexi—I mean, Alexis?”

“Wandering the city in a taxi, looking for you. I’ll text her to meet us and then call the cruise line. Don’t worry, I’ll figure the rest out.”

“We’llfigure it out,” I corrected. “All three of us.”

She chuckled. “You’re right. We women will figure it out. As long as we’re together, it doesn’t matter that we’re in a strange city.”

I smiled and looked around at the curling fog and all its secrets, which I’d had a taste of tonight. “Rome isn’t strange to me. Not anymore.”

“Wow,”Alexis breathed.

“Yeah,” I muttered.

We sat propped up on pillows, all together in a shared bed in the first hotel with availability. Thankfully, Kennedy had thought to grab a backpack and fill it with our spare clothing, passports, money, and my shoes before leaving the ship. I wore a comfy rock T-shirt and jeans, covered in blankets, finally feeling warm for the first time in hours. My pink dress lay draped over the shower curtain in the bathroom, likely beyond saving.

It felt good to tell them about today’s events. I held back some of the kissing details about Matteo on the island, obviously, and I sped through the dinner with Dad. Not that it mattered. By the looks on my sisters’ faces, they filled in the gaps on their own.

Kennedy sat with arms folded, her cheeks red. “I could kill him.”

“Which one?” Alexis asked.

“Dad. Matteo was just being stupid. Dad was being himself.” She groaned and put her face in her hands. “I can’t believe I was gone for all of this. I’m a horrible sister.”

“At least you found Jillie,” Alexis said. “I didn’t think to check the tourist sites. I had the taxi driver go down every major street while I yelled out the window. People probably thought I was crazy.”

“At least you didn’t talk to a dog. Or a pigeon. Or a fountain god, for that matter.” I chuckled. “Something tells me the Travell girls made quite an impression on Rome today.”

“Bummer that your epic Rome-ance turned out to be an epic failure,” Alexis said innocently.

Kennedy groaned and I gave Alexis a nudge with my shoulder. “How do you do that?”

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