Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Later we found Luca waiting on Kay’s front porch, bouncing with barely contained energy. Somehow, he always seemed to know when something important was happening.
“Did you ask her?” he called out before we’d even gotten out of the truck. “Is she wearing the ring?”
“How did you—” I started.
“I saw you practicing in the mirror this morning,” he said matter-of-factly. “You kept saying the same words over and over. Did she say yes?”
Gianna laughed and held out her left hand. “What do you think?”
He examined the ring with serious attention. “It’s really pretty. Does this mean you’re going to have another wedding?”
“We are,” I confirmed. “And we were hoping you might want to help.”
His eyes lit up like Christmas morning. “Really? Can we have cake with lots of frosting?”
Gianna kneeled down to his level. “We were hoping you’d walk me down the aisle. You know, give me away to your dad.”
Luca’s mouth formed a perfect O of surprise. “Like in the movies?”
“Exactly like in the movies.”
“That’s the best job ever!” He threw his arms around her neck. “I’m going to wear my best suit and walk really slowly so everyone can see how pretty you look.”
“It’s a deal,” she said, hugging him back.
As we drove home to our new house—really home now, in every way that mattered—I thought about how far we’d come. A year ago, I’d been a desperate single father willing to do anything to keep custody of my son. Six months ago, Gianna had been afraid to trust that our love was real.
Now we were planning a wedding because we wanted to, not because we had to. We were choosing each other freely, without fear or necessity driving our decisions.
“Look,” Gianna said as we pulled into our driveway. The December sun was setting behind our house, painting the windows gold and making the whole place look like something from a dream.
“It’s beautiful,” I said.
“It’s ours.”
“And we get to have a wedding!” Luca added from the backseat. “With cake and dancing and everything!”
And as we walked up the steps to our front door—all three of us together, by choice rather than circumstance—I knew we were exactly where we belonged.
The best was yet to come.
CHAPTER 12
Gianna
The April sun streamed through the windows of our bedroom as I sat at my vanity, watching Summer work magic with my hair. Six months had passed since that terrifying day in the courthouse when our marriage had been challenged, six months of happiness I’d never dared to dream possible. Today, we would marry again. Not out of necessity or fear, but because we chose each other completely.
“Stop fidgeting,” Summer said, securing another bobby pin in the intricate updo she’d spent an hour creating. “You’re going to mess up my masterpiece.”
“I can’t help it. I’m nervous.”
“About marrying the same man you’ve been living with for almost a year?”
“About doing it right this time. About standing up in front of everyone and promising forever when I finally understand what that means.”
Summer’s hands stilled in my hair, and she met my eyes in the mirror. “You’ve known what it means for months, Gianna. You’ve been living it every day.”
She was right. The past six months had been a masterclass in what real marriage looked like. Not the careful distance we’d maintained in the beginning, or even the passionate rush of new love, but something deeper. The quiet intimacy of morning coffee shared over the newspaper. The way Colby brought me tea when I worked late at the shop. How we moved around each other in the kitchen, a choreography born of paying attention to someone else’s needs.
“There,” Summer said, stepping back to admire her work. “You look beautiful.”
I studied my reflection in the mirror. The dress was simple but elegant, ivory silk that skimmed my curves and fell to just below my knees. Not a traditional wedding gown, but perfect for what this day represented. A new beginning built on the foundation of everything we’d already shared.
“Mom, are you ready?” Luca’s voice carried through the bedroom door, followed by a soft knock.
“Come in, sweetheart.”
The door opened and my breath caught. Luca stood there in his navy suit, looking so grown up and handsome that tears pricked at my eyes. But it was the expression on his face that nearly undid me, pure joy mixed with something deeper, something that looked like relief.
“You look perfect,” he said solemnly. “Dad’s going to be really happy when he sees you.”
“Is he nervous too?”
“A little. But the good kind of nervous. The kind that means something really important is happening.” He moved closer, suddenly shy. “Can I tell you something?”
“Always.”
“I used to worry that you might change your mind and move back to your old apartment. Even after you and Dad got married the first time.” He looked down at his shoes. “But then I realized something. You didn’t just marry Dad. You chose us. You chose to be my mom even when it was hard.”