Page 66 of His Fantasy Bride (Things To Do Before You Die)

The party faded as she filled his consciousness. He strode toward her, ignoring the people who attempted to get his attention as he passed. Coming to a halt in front of her, he stared his fill.

Her expression was serious as she returned his gaze. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

He shook his head, trying to get his brain to function. “I wanted to give you some time.” He blew out his breath. “And maybe I needed time as well. But you came.Grazie. I wasn’t sure you would.”

“I wasn’t sure you wanted me to.”

“I wanted you. You look beautiful,cara mia.”

He took a step closer and cupped her face with his hands, lowered his head and kissed her. If she was going to tell him it was over, that he was nothing more than a job to her, then he wanted this kiss first.

But she was kissing him back and all around him the room vanished, leaving nothing but Gabby. Finally, he came up for air and stared down into her face. Her lips were swollen, her lipstick gone and she was quite the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

“Tell me just one thing,” she said.

His heart stalled.Anything, he’d tell her anything.“What?”

“Tell me you forgive me.”

“Of course I forgive you.” He stroked a stray strand of hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “I won’t lie. What you did was wrong, and you hurt me. But Luca told me about your mother. You did what was necessary to protect the ones you love.”

She bit her lip. “So where do we go from here? I’m still not who you really want. You wanted Gabrielle. I’m just Gabby.”

He’d thought about this a lot in the time they’d been apart. “You’re notjustanything. And you’re wrong. I thought I wanted Gabrielle, but I was playing safe. Going for the sort of woman I believed I needed. But maybe I had to lose Gabrielle to realize what I truly wanted.”

“What do you want, Vito?”

“I want you. All of you. I want a woman who challenges me, brings me to life, but at the same time makes me feel safe, as though I can face anything as long as you’re at my side. I want a fighter, someone who’ll stand up to me and tell me I’m flawed. You’re all that to me.”

“I am?”

He nodded. “And I know if I screw up, you’ll understand. You’ll forgive me and you’ll help me forgive myself.”

She sniffed. “Always.”

She still wasn’t giving anything away, still hadn’t told him how she felt. Had she come tonight to say good-bye? To tell him she was leaving, going to New York without him. That it was over. He had to convince her to give them a chance.

Someone touched him on the shoulder and turned reluctantly.

His father stood at his side; Vito hadn’t even noticed him approaching. He glanced from him to Gabby and smiled. “Gabby,” he said. “It’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to be here.”

His father nodded to the front of the room where a small podium had been set up. “They’re ready for you.”

He didn’t want to leave her, even to go just across the room. But maybe he could use this. Gabrielle, he’d kept a secret; he wanted the world to know about Gabby.

He leaned in to her, gave her a swift kiss on the lips. “I have to give a speech, but don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

The room fell silent as Vito stepped up onto the podium. “Thank you all for coming tonight, and for your help over the past year.” He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He had one chance to get this right. “I had all sorts of things I wanted to say to you, but I’m going to leave that to someone who can say it much better—my father. But before I pass you over to him, there is one thing I would like to share.

“This year has been a time of change and self-realization for me. Someone I’ve come to care about deeply has taught me a lot about who I am and who I want to be, the sort of life I hope to lead. She’s shown me that it’s okay to make mistakes occasionally, and that forgiveness is a two-way street. But most of all she’s shown me who I want to share my life with.” Across the room, his gaze caught and held hers as he continued, “Gabrielle Harper, I love you. Deeply. Madly. Irrevocably. And, Gabby, know this…if you ever run again, this time I’ll be right behind you.”

Holding his breath, he stared down through the sea of faces to where she stood, eyes wide, hands clasped to her chest. He searched for a reaction. Some evidence that she returned his feelings.

Finally, she took a step forward, and it was enough. He jumped down from the podium and stalked toward her, the crowd parting for him. He came to a halt in front of her.

“I have something that belongs to you,” he murmured, pulling the small box from his pocket. His heart thumped as he flicked it open. She still hadn’t spoken, and he had no clue what she was thinking.

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