Page 75 of Family Secrets

One of the most difficult changes for her to accept as Emilio’s daughter, was how she could shop. Elizabeth found it difficult to avoid looking at price tags and either handed over a credit card or allowed Gino or one of her bodyguards to pay for her purchases.

“Well, a dress like this deserves to be complimented,” Gino mumbled as he kissed the edge of her mouth. “I happen to love the wrapping on my birthday gift.”

Elizabeth thought back to the day prior when she’d found the dress in question, old habits die hard as she accidentally looked at the tag, her eyes bulging, as the cost would have afforded her a decent used car back in Kansas. It’d taken both Chiara and Gia threatening to call her father before she handed the card to the excited sales lady.

Elizabeth lifted her eyes to his. She prayed he would always look at her with the same hunger he did today, and she would feel the love he confessed to her every time he touched her.

“You have guests to greet.” Elizabeth reminded Gino when he attempted to deepen their kiss. Elizabeth found it odd how there were no happy birthday banners hung over the door frame, no balloons floating over a table filled with presents. Instead, there were uniformed individuals with trays upon trays of food and drink circling the room.

“You’re right.” Gino pulled back, placing a soft kiss to her forehead. “Do me a favor, stay where I can see you, I have something special to show you later.”

Melting into his tenderness, Elizabeth nodded, “Of course.”

“I love you,” Gino whispered, before giving her a much more chaste kiss.

“I love you, too.”

Gino senther a wink before allowing the crowd to swallow him up as he shook the hand of every man he passed.

Needing a fresh drink, Elizabeth searched the room for one of the waiters, her eyes landing on Chiara’s smiling face, her arm wrapped around the sleeve of her longtime bodyguard, Luca. Chiara confided in Elizabeth how the pair had been in love for years, but her marriage to Jonathan prevented them from being together. She further admitted Georgianna was a product of that love, a well-known, unspoken about story in the Amato family. “Do you take me as a woman who would give herself to a man who had already betrayed her?” She told Elizabeth when her mouth hung open in astonishment.

Elizabeth wanted to have the strength and grace Chiara possessed, and the unwavering loyalty of Nona Vitale, who had several men tripping over each other to help her.

Just as Elizabeth took a glass from a passing tray, the music changed and a multi-tiered birthday cake, glowing with sparkling candles, was rolled into the center of the room. A chorus of happy birthday rang out across the room.

Gino took his place beside the cake, waiting a few moments for the cheers and applause to die down. “Before I make a wish and blow out these candles, I’d like to have Elizabeth come here and stand beside me.”

With all eyes on her, and a round of applause making her blush, Elizabeth forced her feet to move toward Gino, her cheeks and neck warm as she took her spot beside him.

“You came into my life, carving out a chunk of my heart so you could move it.” Gino sang as collective ahh’s, rang out. “You stood strong when the side effects of my world tried to knock you down, and you love me in spite of my unsavory history.” Reaching into his pocket, Gino dropped to one knee as he held out the ring, a hushed murmur blanketing the room around them. “Elizabeth Vittorio, will you marry me?”

Elizabeth dreamed as a young girl of a moment such as this. Granted her dream didn’t include a man as handsome and dangerous as Giovanni Vitale. She thought of how, not so long ago, she’d been willing to settle on a mediocre relationship, one she would have regretted for the rest of her life. Now, she had the kind of life she’d read about in romance novels, and not the horror story Jonah tried to write for her.

“Elizabeth, you're making me nervous here. Don’t leave me hanging, beautiful. Especially with all these candles melting into my cake.” Gino teased in an attempt to keep from passing out.

Elizabeth didn’t care for all the death and destruction she had to face to get here, but the journey of discovery had been worth it. Extending her hand to Gino, “Yes, Giovanni Vitale, I would be honored to be your wife.”

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