Page 114 of The Wedding Crush

He sucks in a lungful of air.

His voice is low and measured as he says, “Something happened at the bachelor party, yesterday.”

“I knew it,” Morgan blurts out. Accusation laces her tone.Guilty of what, though?“Dante tells me everything, but he wouldn’t tell me what happened with y’all.”

I force a stilted smile, still unclear where Stefano is going with this conversation.

Short of naked strippers planted around a rustic dirt field, I’ve got no clue what could be noteworthy for eight guys shooting each other with high-speed paintballs. Stefano hadn’t mentioned anything to me.

I figured they went, they played, they got sappy over rounds of drinks. The bachelorette party wore me out, so I needed a recovery day, plus time with Ace. Nothing on the drive here, either.

My shoulders are up to my ears.

“It’s not what you’re thinking. I asked everyone not to speak about the bachelor party,” Stefano explains.

I dart an assessing gaze between Stefano and Dante then back to Morgan who looks like she’s still chewing on this version of what’s happening, and not the premeditated agenda I’m starting to suspect this is.

“But why?” Morgan asks, genuinely curious.

She reaches up to intertwine her fingers with Dante’s.

“I needed time to reach out to Mother and Chiara. Get my ducks in a row for tonight…”

Quietly observing, I take note of the way he keeps rubbing my palms, like he needs somewhere to place his energy. I notice Dante’s restlessness and unwavering focus.

“What do you mean, for tonight?” I ask.

“Avery, I don’t want to waste any more time. We’ve already lived and learned through our past marriages. Now, I’m in a relationship with an amazing, beautiful, kind and caring woman, who I want to spend the rest of my life with. I wanted everyone to know.”

Stefano slides off the edge of the couch, lowering himself onto his knees in front of me. The desperation on his handsome face heightens as he holds both of my hands.

I chew the inside of my cheek to keep from crying.

“You said all of that?” My voices catches.

Stefano curves his hand to my cheek, and I can’t help leaning into his touch.

He smiles sweetly.

“You’d be so proud of me. I told my mother, my sister, plus all the guys at paintball.”

“The man was a lethal weapon out there, knocking ’em down and taking names,” Dante boasts. “Just ask Jameson.”

An emotion-choked laugh spills out of me. “What were you doing, shooting people, then pouring your heart out?”

“That’s about the size of it.” Dante laughs.

A few seconds pass as the silence thickens and Stefano’s expression grows serious.

“Avery, I need you to know that so many things in my life feel uncertain, but you are not one of them.” He drags the pad of his thumb over my lower lip before he kisses me softly. “For so long, I’d given up on my dream of love and a family. I figured it wasn’t in the cards for me.” He shrugs. “Now, I know I was waiting on you and Ace. I want you to be my family.”

Stefano’s voice wavers.

His piercing brown eyes water as he looks at me, “Avery. Pollyanna, my sunshine…”

Apparently, taking his cue, Dante retrieves a bouquet of daisies from behind the couch, and hands them over.

Morgan stares in open-mouthed shock at her sneaky fiancé as Stefano leans back and holds the flowers between us.

---