Page 101 of Summer on Sunshine Bay

“Let me,” James said, and walked to Carmen. He crouched by her chair, speaking softly to her in Italian. Her mother nodded. “Sì. Sì,” she said, and nodded again. She took James’s hand and pressed it to her cheek, and then she got up from her chair, walked to Eva, kissed her, and said, “Don’t let him out of your sight. Lock him in your room if you have to. I’m going to church to pray. I’ll light candles. Bruno, you come too. We’ll pick up Ruth and her sisters along the way.”

Eva stared after her mother and then turned to James. “What did you say to her?”

“I promised I’d never abandon you, I’d never betray you, and I’d cherish and love you for as long as I lived.” He smiled. “I think I got her blessing.”

Her eyes filled, and she nodded.

Gia, her nieces, David, and Jennifer came over to congratulate them.

Her sister kissed her. “I’m happy for you, for both of you, but could you hurry up and set a wedding date? I have a feeling Ma won’t be leaving the church until James is safely married to you.”

“They already have a date,” Lila said.

Eva said at the same time as James, “We do?”

“You do. Tomorrow, and everything’s arranged so you don’t have to do a single thing.”

Eva’s knees went weak, and James wrapped an arm around her. “Are you okay with that?”

“Of course she is,” Lila answered for her. “Now, Dad, you have to leave. You can’t see the bride until the wedding.”

“Carmen said your mother wasn’t supposed to let me out of her sight and to lock me in her room. I like her plan better than yours.”

“Me too,” Eva agreed with James.

“But Sheena and Faith’s plane lands at Logan International in about ten minutes, and then they’re taking the helicopter you booked for them.” Lila gave her father acheckmatesmile.

“She’s right. I forgot to call them and tell them the wedding was off.” He raised an eyebrow at Lila. “Can I at least have an hour alone with your mother?”

“How about twenty minutes?” Jennifer said. “We have to go to Wedding Bells and find Eva a dress.”

“Do you still have that dress?” James pointed at the portrait her sister had painted of her that now hung behind the family table.

“I do, but what—”

“Great. Eva doesn’t need a dress, and Gia, that painting is sold. To me.”

Her sister didn’t argue. No doubt because Gia had tried gifting the painting of the girls playing in the sand to James and knew it was a waste of breath to argue with him when his mind was made up.

James led Eva out onto the deck, and she sagged against him. “We’re getting married tomorrow.”

“Look at me and tell me the truth. Are you really okay to do this?”

She was about to shake her head, and then she looked into his eyes. “Yes.”

He patted his jacket and slipped his hand inside the right-hand pocket. “I had this jacket on when I flew back on the Fourth.” He held up a ring box. “I guess there was a reason I didn’t take it out.”

“Oh, James. I’m so sorry about that night. That you saw me kissing Ryan. I started to go after you, but then I froze. Letting you walk away was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Sweetheart, I didn’t walk away because that boy kissed you. I walked away because I saw the panic on your face when you saw me there and it had nothing to do with me witnessing that kiss. I’d heard it in your voice when you disconnected before I said, ‘I love you,’ and I’d convinced myself you were just in a hurry to get to the restaurant. But I knew, no matter how much you loved me, you’d say no when I proposed to you that night.” He smiled and opened the ring box. “Look familiar?”

It was a white-gold engagement ring with an heirloom-cut emerald between two princess-cut diamonds. “Was it Grace’s?” She wouldn’t mind if it had been.

He angled his head to look at her. “It was yours. I gave it to you the first time I proposed to you, and you looked at it like it was a snake.”

“I didn’t see it. I was blinded by my tears and panic.” She held up her left hand, and he slid it onto her finger. “It’s beautiful. I love it, and I love you.”

“I love you too,” he said, and lowered his head to kiss her.

---