Page 47 of Marry Me in Rome

“I’m down if you are.” Alexis’s lips rose in a genuine, non-teasing grin.

Kennedy lifted an eyebrow. “You’re kinda smart for a youngest child.”

“Now that all the mushiness is out of the way,” Alexis said, “anybody up for a movie? I’m thinking a comedy. Maybe Roman Holiday.”

Alexis and I burst out laughing.

Kennedy frowned in confusion. “I don’t get it.” Just then, her phone buzzed. She pulled it out and read the screen. Her eyes widened.

“What?” I asked.

“Hunter just landed and checked his texts. Matteo’s sister texted him, asking for your number. Says she really needs to talk to you. Viviana, right?”

“Vivi wants to callme?” If this was a kicking-while-down situation, I wanted nothing to do with it.

“She gave her number. I’m not sure she’s still awake, but we can try calling if you want. If not, I’ll tell him so he can pass it along. We’ll back you up either way.” Kennedy watched me expectantly.

“I vote no,” Alexis said. “She just tanked their relationship. She can go jump into the river.” We looked at her. It took a second for her to remember, then she continued in a rush, “Um, a different river. A dirty, muddy river totally unlike the river that Jillie fell into.”

“What do you think?” I asked Kennedy.

“Your call, but it must be important if she’s texting Hunter.”

My thoughts exactly. Vivi didn’t seem like the vindictive type. She didn’t like me, but she cared deeply about her brother, and that we both shared. “I’ll call her.”

“Sounds good.” Kennedy initiated the call and handed me the phone.

As much as I loved my sisters, I didn’t want an audience, so I took it and stepped onto the balcony just as Vivi answered. “Ciao.”

“It’s Jillie,” I said.

Her breath came out in a rush. “I have to tell you how sorry I am. You are not like Clara and I understand that now. If I hadn’t told my mother, none of this would have happened.”

I could barely understand her. “None of what? What happened?”

“First, a question. Please tell me the truth. Are you with my brother?”

I leaned against the wall, my legs threatening to give out. “No. I haven’t seen him. You don’t know where he is?”

She cursed in Italian. “After you left the galleria, my mother went to his apartment to pack his belongings. She asked me to help her, so I came.”

“Okay?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know this in such detail. It only pushed the nail in deeper.

“When his guests left, he came upstairs. He looked completely calm. He said he found a life of love and our mother couldn’t get in the way of that simply because she never found it herself. He said he was always part of the family even if she didn’t want to call him her son, and that was her choice, not his. ‘I’ll let you back into my life,’ he said, ‘but on my terms, and I’m not moving out of this apartment.’ Then he walked out.”

My breath was shaky. “He really did?”

“He did. I followed him outside and asked where he was going. He said you were different from Clara and there was only one of you in the world, and he was lucky he found you, and he wouldn’t let you escape.” She paused. “Did you really say you wanted to be part of the family?”

At the time, I hadn’t thought through what that meant. Yet another embarrassing moment today. “Yeah.”

“Jillian, knowing what I do now, I would support you one hundred percent if that happened. I’m sorry that I didn’t see how happy you made my brother. I thought you would use him and toss him aside like Clara did.”

“I couldn’t do that,” I said softly, feeling the truth of it somewhere deep inside. Sometime in the past forty-eight hours, I had changed. As impossible as it seemed, I wanted to spend the rest of my life at his side and in his arms. “Where did he go after that?”

“He got into a taxi and left. His phone just goes to voicemail when I call. I hoped he found you, but now I’m worried. Where is your ship sailing now?”

“Venice, but I’m still in Rome.” But he didn’t know that. He’d think I was on my way to Venice, and he would take the fastest route to get there.

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