Page 360 of Niccolo

I tilted my head down the hallway towards Fausto. “Is he aware why we’re here?”

“I had to tell him in order to persuade him to come.” She smiled faintly. “He thinks I’m double-crossing you right now.”

A bit of dread settled in my stomach. “Is he correct?”

She immediately went cold. “Really?”

“I love you, Sofia – but I’m not sure I entirely trust you.”

She sighed in exasperation. “You want me to swear?”

“Actually, yes. That would make me feel better.”

“Alright,” she said as she held my gaze. “I swear on my being in love with you.”

My heart almost stopped beating.

It was the first time she’d said it –

I love you.

Or, if notexactlythat, it was close enough for me.

My previous dread became joy, and I grinned.

“And I swear on my love for you,” I whispered. “When this is over…”

“We can be together,” she whispered back happily.

“I wasn’t going to say that.”

She frowned. “What were you going to say?”

I smiled. “I was going to say, ‘Marry me.’”

She looked at me, shocked, and took an involuntary step back.

“Too soon?” I joked.

“Are youserious?!”she whispered frantically.

“What, you think I was just going to ask you out on a date?” I asked drily.

“I didn’t expect to beproposedto.”

“You might not have been around the mafia long enough to have heard it, but we have a saying about marriage: do it quickly or not at all, because none of us knows what tomorrow will bring.

“Here’s what I know: I love you. I want to be with you – for the rest of my life. There is no one else like you. I could search ten lifetimes, and I’d never find someone I loved and respected more. So I’m asking you… marry me.” I tilted my head towards Fausto. “I’d get down on one knee, but that might be a bit suspicious.”

One corner of her mouth turned up slightly. “Is that how you’re getting out of buying me a ring?”

I grinned. “I’ll have it ready for you the second this is over.”

She swallowed hard. “…alright.”

I raised one eyebrow. “‘Alright,’ you’ll believe it about the ring when you see it, or – ”

“Alright, meaning yes,” she whispered. “I’ll marry you.”

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