Page 40 of Marry Me in Rome

“I thought we were over this,” a woman’s voice snapped from the doorway.

Every pair of eyes in the room swung to find a stern-looking woman dressed in a simple black gown shooting invisible eye-daggers at us. She wore her black hair in an elegant bun and parted down the middle to bring emphasis to a pair of large brown eyes. Matteo’s eyes.

She strode across the room and halted in front of us. Matteo flinched.

“You want to know why I chose you to take over the business, Matteo? You’re the dependable, predictable one who never makes the same mistake twice. Until today.”

“Mother,” Matteo said, his voice deep and strained. “This is not the time nor place for this discussion.”

Her reply tore sharply from deep red, frowning lips. “It’s both, because I’m not leaving until you’ve heard what I have to say.”

“Then we’ll discuss this in my office.” He grabbed my arm and practically yanked me along, past the wall with the large print and around the corner to a room with a glass desk and several black chairs. I walked in a daze, feeling a swell of anger. How could she embarrass her grown son like this, in front of his customers? She even spoke in English, as if she wanted me to understand every single insult.

Matteo released me and held the door for his mother, closing it just as she entered. “Jillian is not Clara. You can’t cut me off from the family and then walk in here making demands at my first event.”

“I came to invite you backintothe family.” Her eyes swept my pink dress with obvious disapproval. “I’ve seen your art being distributed and had a change of heart. I want you to continue your work here.”

He blinked. “You do?”

“Of course. If photography makes my son happy, it makes me happy. We have a long tradition of artists in the family, and I’m pleased to see you join them. I hope you’ll consider moving back into the estate very soon.”

“Move back in?” he repeated, looking positively floored.

I knew what this would mean for him. No more sneaking around his own house. He could focus on his work wholeheartedly and keep his relationship with Nonni and Vivi. He could keep his inheritance. Everything awry in his life would be fixed.

Everything except for one.

“Move back in,” his mother said again. “Keepingour familytogether is the most important thing. I was a fool, Matteo, for reacting as I did. Please forgive me. Leave this nonsense behind and come home.”

If she didn’t refer to his photography as nonsense, thenIwas the nonsense. Just me. Matteo could have his entire family back, but clearly I had no place in it.

Matteo frowned, looking back and forth between us. “Of course I forgive you, but?—”

“Your grandmother will be so pleased. She’s been terribly lonely since you left, and Vivi has been concerned about some of the choices you’ve made since then. As a family, we can continue the strong Italian traditions that would make your father proud.”

This woman was an expert at hinting without actually saying. She could be a politician. The export business probably required a lot of the same skills. Regardless, her meaning wasn’t lost on me. By Matteo’s pursed lips, he didn’t miss it either.

“I know you didn’t like Clara,” I said. “But Matteo is right—I’m different.”

“Yes, I can see that.” She frowned at my dress, and I suddenly felt less like a princess and more like a kindergartener playing dress-up. “But not in the most important way. Perhaps you haven’t done your research, Matteo. I know more about this young woman than you do. One mistake of social media ‘influencers’ is that they post far too much about their lives than they should. Have you seen her account, son?”

“Of course I have. She’s very talented.” His earlier defensiveness was back.

“And you’ve seen the photos of her past?”

Matteo looked at me, then away. “Yes.”

“Then you’ve seen the problem. No less than eight boyfriends, none of whom lasted longer than a month. She didn’t even try to hide it.” She turned to me. “Did you?”

I opened my mouth to reply, then closed it as my stomach sank in my gut.

“I’m aware,” Matteo said.

“Vivi was concerned about your repeating past mistakes, so she did some research. This woman’s last boyfriend, on his Instagram account, called her incapable of having a deep relationship. He said she simply refused to commit and would never invest in something that could lead to marriage.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “My dear son, I’m here to save you from yourself. After this event, we are packing up your belongings and going home.”

His hand went slack in mine, then pulled away. He looked as if he’d been slapped. “Jillie, tell her that she’s wrong.”

I swallowed hard, looking at Matteo’s pained expression and his mother’s triumphant one. “That may be my past, but I want my future to be different. It’s why I came. I think it can be different this time.”

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