Page 99 of Shiver

“I think we’d all agree that I’ve never known two more deserving people in my life. I’m surrounded by so much support, love, and truly just the greatest people, so it’s with a lot of experience that I feel I can say that.” He chuckles, and everyone follows suit.

“Ale has always been the best example for my siblings and me. He’s kind, compassionate, and patient beyond measure. I mean, he sort of had to be growing up with me,” Luca says, shooting Ale an exaggerated wink. “He’s been the perfect example of the kind of man I want to be, and I didn’t think the day would come that he’d meet someone who matches him in every way. Truthfully, I never thought he’d find anyone deserving of him, but in walked Kat. Or, how did the story go? Oh, right!” Luca says, snapping his fingers as if he actually just remembered how they met. “Aleliterallystumbled upon Kat, sleeping in the hallway of his apartment building.” The room is filled with laughter, clearly knowing the story too.

“I won’t take up too much time here for Kat’s sake. But I wanted to say what a blessing you’ve been, Kat,” he says, turning his attention to her. “Not everyone is lucky enough to experience the kind of love you two have, and I can say without a doubt that anyone who finds that…” His eyes lock on mine now. My breath gets caught in my throat as he finishes his sentence. “Well, they better not screw it up because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing.” Luca lifts his glass, and everyone takes their cue. “To Kat and Ale, the most incredibly deserving people I know. May you live long, happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives, side by side in this lifetime and the next.”

“To Kat and Ale!” everyone shouts, clinking glasses with one another.

I bring my glass of champagne to my lips, my eyes still locked on Luca’s as he does the same, his eyes never leaving mine, even as he drags a long swig into his mouth.

The bubbles tingle on my tongue, and the warmth from the alcohol slides down my throat.

I know I’d already wanted to confirm how he felt about me, but now more than ever, that’s true. I’m realizing that my fear of getting hurt by Luca has never really been about him or how the media portrayed him but about my own insecurities.

Even at the airport, when those women were all over him, he didn’t return the flirtation at all.

And that makes me think, just how long has it been since Luca De Laurentiis has been seen with a woman who wasn’t me or someone in his family?

As Luca takes his seat beside me, I work to keep the questions from boiling over when Ale and Kat stand.

“Thank you, Luca, that was, well, that was really sweet,” Kat says, her cheeks flaming with a blush. That’s kind of her trademark.

“Since it’s our perfect night, a night we’ve been waiting for what feels like forever, we thought it would be the best occasion to share something equally, if not even more important to us.”

A woman dressed in a black pantsuit enters the room with a manilla envelope in hand. Kat addresses her. “This is Sarah Thompson. She’s been working with us for the last several months, and today, in front of all of our friends and family,” she says, her cheeks tightening as she holds back tears, “we get to sign the adoption papers for our son, Oliver. He’ll be joining our little family really soon, and we wanted you all to be here for this moment.”

“Fucking hell,” Luca says, choking back tears. “I swear to god, I’ve never cried this much in my life, and believe me, I cried a whole lot when Gia first got here.”

I place my hand on his knee, squeezing gently and trying to hold back my own tears as Kat and Ale sign the adoption papers.

Kat looks around the room again and says, “I’m not really a speech kind of person, as I’m sure you all know, but I just wanted to thank you all for welcoming me and Kas into your family. It’s been the most extraordinary and unexpected blessing of my life.” Her eyes meet Gloria’s, and a tear slips down each of their faces, as if in sync with one another. Ale wraps his arm around his wife, squeezing her tightly to his side and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Kas and I have only ever had Aiyana and her family for most of our lives, and our Lola, for not nearly long enough. So I know I can say with absolute certainty that while raising a child may take a village, I’m glad that you all are mine.”

A sob threatens to break free of my lips, but I suck it back in and focus on the place where Luca’s hand and mine meet.

When they’re done signing, Ale crushes his mouth to Kat’s, overwhelmed by the moment.

An ugly sob leaves me as everyone jumps up, clapping, crying, and smiling.

***

The last couple of hours have been filled with so much dancing and karaoke, I feel like my feet could fall off, and my throat has been rubbed raw. After the kids were all brought to one of the cabins to get settled in for the night, the adults all reconvened by the firepit.

As things start winding down, I’m feeling the opposite. The longer this night has gone on, the more desperate I am for a free minute with Luca so I can finally tell him all the things I’m thinking and to clear the air before it’s too late.

I get up to use the restroom and manage to make it the thirty feet away and down the gravel-laden path without breaking an ankle in these heels. I don’t regret wearing them because they’re stunning, but the terrain here was a little more than I’d been anticipating.

I make it to the bathroom, locking myself inside. I spend an eternity staring back at my own reflection.

My skin is dewy, and my eyes are somehow both wild and, well, wildly exhausted. I’ve dedicated so much time to pushing Luca away that now that I’ve finally started to come to terms with these feelings, every suppressed emotion is weighing me down.

I wet a few paper towels with cold water, blotting the back of my neck to cool my overheated skin.

There’s a light knock at the door.

“One second,” I call.

The knocking doesn’t stop though; it only gets louder. “Samara, let me in.”

My head snaps to the door.

---