Page 28 of My Italian Roommate

“I’ve always wanted to have a big family like mine. You’ll have to be willing to have close to half a dozen kids. I insist,” he grins but I can see that something more serious is brewing behind his eyes.

“I guess if I could afford a big family, I’d have one. That’s a lot of clothes, food, and bills. Then there’s college…”

“So, if you could afford a big family, you’d have one?”

“I think so. I do love kids, but then, I’d also have to have a dog for them of course.”

“What’s a family without a dog, princess? Are you kidding?” he laughs.

We finish up our lunch and take a long stroll down the beach, tossing our leftover bread to the seagulls. He has his arm around me, and as I lean into the warmth of his body, I tell myself that I don’t ever want this day to end. We reach a breaker and Mario lifts me onto the cliff before climbing up beside me. I look out across the water as far as I can see and spot sails on the horizon.

“This is like stepping inside a watercolor painting,” I tell him.

“That’s good because this is a moment that should be captured for eternity.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

He takes my hands and drops down on one knee. Oh my God! Is this…?

“I think this is how it’s done. Mallory, I knew the moment I met you that I never wanted to spend a day without you. I love you with all of my heart. Will you marry me?”

My eyes grow wide and I gasp for breath. This was the last thing that I expected to happen today, but I know deep down, it’s the one thing I’ve been wishing for. I feel the tears begin to well up in my eyes as my heart races inside my chest. How could I ever say no to the only man that I’ve ever loved?

“Yes. Yes, I love you so much!” I cry and he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the most elegant diamond that I’ve ever seen. He places the ring on my finger and rises to his feet, taking me in his arms. There’s nowhere else in the world that I would rather be than in the safety of this man’s arms.

EPILOGUE

MARIO

Mallory and I returned to Italy to marry on the Amalfi coast six months after my proposal. Her brother, Steve, was my best man. After Malory’s attempted abduction at the gala, Steve apologized for freaking out about us being together and we made amends. It was my pleasure to fly him and their mother over to celebrate with us and get to know my family. After the honeymoon, we returned to the States so Mallory could finish college.

Now, it’s time for me to embark on the final racing series of my career, and I’m devastated at the thought of being away from her. I’ve pondered this decision for several weeks and have decided that tonight is the night I’ll tell her. I make reservations at the same restaurant where I ordered the take-out the night after we met.

Mallory comes home from school to find me seated at the dinner table. She drops her keys and comes over to give me a kiss.

“I have a surprise,” I tell her. “I made dinner reservations at seven.”

“That sounds amazing. I’ll get ready.”

As she showers and changes, I consider contacting Tony but decide that I’d better speak to Mallory first. My wife should always be the first to know my plans.

She comes back looking amazing in a yellow dress and white sweater.

“You didn’t say where we were going. Is this okay?”

“You know what I’m going to say, baby girl. You’ll be the most beautiful girl there,” I grin.

* * *

We arriveat the restaurant and are seated in a quiet corner just as I requested. It seems that every time we go out, we run into one or two people who recognize me, and, tonight, I want to focus on Mallory and our conversation.

The waiter brings us our drinks, and I decide that this is as good a time as any to get this off my chest.

“Baby, I wanted to talk to you about the upcoming series.”

“Really? I wanted to talk about that, too.”

“You know, five months is a long time to be on the road away from you.”

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