Page 50 of Marry Me in Rome

“ . . . amazingly clever sister,” he continued. “Would you consider flying Jillie and me to Venice?”

“Yes, but not till morning,” she said. “It’ll only take us two hours and the pad is closed at night anyway, so we all might as well get some sleep. And you”—she punched him lightly on the arm—“are going tocharge your phone.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He winked at me.

“I, for one, am disappointed,” Kennedy said. “We paid over sixty dollars each to get in here, and there hasn’t been a single kiss. What kind of show is this?”

I shot her a fake glare. “We aren’t performing monkeys. Besides, you and Hunter have kissed enough to last us all a few months.”

“Hear, hear,” Alexis muttered.

“Do I get an opinion?” Matteo asked innocently.

“Anyway,” I said, turning back to him, “you asked why I’m here and not on the ship. It’s a very long story that I’m happy to tell, but first, I want to make one thing very clear. I came after you because today was the best day of my life, and I can’t imagine a tomorrow without you.”

One of my sisters sniffed. Kennedy looked at Alexis and wrapped her arm around her.

“Understood. Here’s what I need you to know, Jillian Travell.” He closed the space between us, those intense eyes boring into mine. “I’m not going anywhere. If one of us messes up or the long-distance thing gets hard or you start to doubt or get scared, I’ll still be here. You can try to push me away or you can run, but I’m as stubborn as you are. I’m not giving up or leaving you alone.”

“Taken out of context, that’s almost creepy,” Vivi said, “but I think she understands the sentiment.” She turned to my sisters. “All right, everyone. It’s time to . . . ”

We didn’t make it till the end of her sentence. He was already kissing me, cupping my face in his hands in case I wanted to pull away. Which I didn’t, obviously. This wasn’t just a fun kiss or a way to fill time or even exploratory. With this kiss, he claimed me in a way he hadn’t yet.You’re mine, and you always will be,it said.

I kinda really liked it.

Dante whimpered and rubbed against our legs. Matteo grinned against my mouth and pulled away, reaching to pat the dog.

“Got it, buddy,” he said. “Let’s go home. At least for a few hours.”

I crouched and gave him another hug. “Want to know a secret? I may have cats, but I always was a dog person.”

As everyone laughed as Dante sniffed my face and gave my cheek a good, solid lick.

We assumedMatteo and I would take Vivi’s chopper and my sisters would catch the morning train to Venice, where we’d wander the city and then reboard the ship. But when we reached the lobby of the hotel the next morning, Vivi and Matteo waited with secret smiles.

“I thought we were meeting you at the station?” I said as he swept in for a kiss.

“Change of plan. Vivi convinced our mother to offer the family jet so we could all fly together.”

My eyebrows rose. “Your mother?”

“This is as close to an apology as she’ll get,” he said.

Vivi looked sheepish. “I explained my mistake and told her that we were wrong about you. When that didn’t work, I said if she wanted Matteo back in her life, she’d have to accept you too. It must have sunk in, because I got a text from the pilot this morning. He’s waiting for us.”

“Wait, you aren’t flying it?” I asked.

She chuckled. “I do still have my pilot’s license, but not for this aircraft. It’s more comfortable as a passenger anyway. I hope you don’t mind if I come along.”

“Of course not!” I looked to my sisters for confirmation, and they nodded. Then I gave Vivi a hug. “Thank you.”

“Thanks for forgiving me. I was an idiot.”

“We all are, at times.” Matteo grinned at his little sister. “Especially in our family, as you’ll find out. Now let’s get to that plane.”

“I’mnottelling that story,” Alexis said as we walked the beautiful streets of Venice.

“You ended up sopping wet last time you were here, and you won’t even tell us why?” I leaned against Matteo’s shoulder, nearly drunk with happiness. This—traveling with him, seeing the country from his perspective and spending every moment together—was heaven. I never wanted to leave.

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