Page 35 of Marry Me in Rome

“So your friends don’t like Americans. It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before.” I winked. “Now, do you want to push them in, or should I?”

“I won’t say I’m not tempted.” He watched the group walk around the glass wall outside and turn out of sight. “It’s not where you’re from. They just know too much about Clara, about what happened.”

“Then they know more than I do,” I said pointedly. A not-so-subtle hint. “Vivi said you dated a blonde American model who only wanted to see you here, which made you suspicious. She didn’t say what happened after that.”

He pursed his lips together. “I was an idiot. There’s nothing more to tell.”

“Let me guess, then.” I sat on the white leather sofa and patted the spot next to me. He sat, letting me snuggle up and lay my head on his chest. The steady thumping of his heart and the warmth of his arm around me made me want to descend into sleep, but I really wanted to know. “You confronted Clara, asked her why she didn’t want to travel with you, and she wouldn’t answer your questions. So you threw her over the cliff.”

He looked down at me. “Like I said earlier. You’re more violent than you seem.”

“Oh, wait. She got on a plane to America and you showed up with six dozen roses and serenaded her. But she was allergic to roses, so that didn’t go well. Or maybe you didn’t catch her before she left, and you chased her down the runway on a horse but got left behind.”

He chuckled. The sound echoed through his chest.

“Ooh, I know. You?—”

“I went to visit her,” he said quickly. “With a ring.”

I turned my head upward to watch him. His strong chin dipped, and his eyes took on a weariness I hadn’t seen before.

“She said she had a model shoot and that’s why she had to return, so I waited until evening to make sure she’d be home. I wore a new suit and brought her flowers. White lilies, her favorite.” He swallowed.

I imagined a lovesick Matteo striding up the walk, holding flowers in one hand and straightening his hair with the other. So cute and nervous and excited.

“What happened?”

His face darkened. “Her fiancé opened the door.”

I stiffened. “Now I really wantto throw her off a cliff.”

Matteo gave a tiny smile. “He was immediately suspicious. Then Clara came to the door and went completely white.”

Uh oh. “Don’t tell me.”

“She pretended she didn’t know me. Said I must be looking for a different Clara Sorensen. She looked almost angry, like I ruined her perfect little balancing act.” He lifted a hand to rub his temple, grimacing. “I still wonder if she meant to carry on our affair after they got married.”

I lifted my head and stroked his face, feeling the roughness of his stubble against my fingers. “You are a good man. She knew you wouldn’t have stood for that, which is why she lied. You deserve to have every inch of a woman’s heart.”

“I’m never that reckless,” he insisted. “Next time, I’ll be more careful. Slow and cautious. Keeping both eyes open for potential problems.”

Next time.Not this time. I tried to pretend not to care, but it stung a bit. Even I had to admit that this was temporary, like those pink flowers hanging over the stone wall. Yet it hurt that he thought that too.

I cleared my throat, sending away the tightness in my throat. It wouldn’t do to spend our dwindling time together wishing for more. He needed some lightness in his life amongst all the heaviness. That, at least, I could give.

I covered my mouth in mock horror. “Wait. Are you saying you were lying at the Mouth of Truth? That you actuallyhavebeen in love? I can’t even believe it.”

His lips quirked up a bit. “And you were telling the truth. You’ve never been in love.”

My smile slipped. “Why do you think that?”

He paused, then looked me in the eye. “I spent hours last night scrolling through your Instagram.”

And seeing my ex-boyfriends. He didn’t have to say it. None of them lasted more than a few weeks.

“I’ve loved men before,” I told him, sitting up to face him. “Even if it didn’t last long.” Because I made sure of that. Just like I’d make sure this one ended before my heart got too invested.

“No doubt.” Except the hesitation in his voice said that he did, in fact, doubt every word.

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