“I love you, Alex,” he says, a painful kind of sincerity in his voice.
“It’s too late.”
“No, it isn’t.”
I laugh bitterly and gesture toward the room. “Look where we are.” My eyes go to my wedding dress and I point to it. “Look atthat.”
“It doesn’t matter.” He steps toward me again, and I stare into his dark eyes, the gold flecks in his irises pulling me in. “There isn’t going to be a wedding. I called it off.”
“What?” I ask, my voice low. “How did you… What?”
Settimo smiles and it’s real this time, the nervousness only evident in his eyes. “I thought about waiting until they asked who objects, but it seemed a little theatrical.”
“I don’t understand.” I shake my head, not quite believing it. “Paolo…”
“Paolo will be thrilled. I promise you that. You didn’t think I’d seriously let him raise my child, did you?”
“The child you don’t want? Thehalf-blood?”
Settimo’s face contorts in pain like I’ve kicked him. “I told you, I don’t care about that anymore. They’re mine.Fully. We may not have conceived them on purpose, but I don’t regret it, Alex.” He pauses long enough to take my hand. “They’re the second best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“And the first?” I croak.
“Meeting you.” He smiles. “Kind of strange to think of my father’s funeral as the best day of my life, but so far, it has been.”
“You don’t mean that.” I shake my head. I’ve wanted this, more than anything, I’ve wanted this, but now that it’s here, it doesn’t seem possible. “You’re fixing a problem. Yesterday, you wanted nothing to do with me.”
“Yesterday, I was a fucking idiot. Of course I wanted you. I’ve wanted you since the day I met you. I just didn’t think I could have you. Turns out, I can have whatever the fuck I want… if you’ll give it to me, of course.”
“And what is it that you want, Settimo?”
He takes a step back and puts his hands in his pockets. His lips pull into a half smile, and he shrugs. “I thought I’d start out with a real date. Maybe keep it simple this time. S’mores on the back deck, sippin’ wine,nonalcoholic of course.”
“Think you’ll manage?” I ask, a grin forming on my face.
He chuckles. “You know, I could use a reason to chill out on the drinking.” He nods toward my belly. “I’ll manage.”
“What else?” I ask, leaning against the countertop.
“I thought we’d watch the stars. I’d impress you by pointing out constellations I looked up that day.”
“Mmm, that would probably work.” I nod. “Then we could go inside, to the sitting room, and I could take you up on your offer to paint you. I’ve been dying to have your tattoo in front of me. I can’t quite get my sketches right.”
“And the rest of me.” He smirks.
“It would be a nice challenge.”
“But then...” He shrugs and steps toward me, putting his hands on my waist. My back arches on the counter as I look up at him. “We’d have to fuck. You wouldn’t be able to resist.”
He winks and gives me a teasing smile, and I chuckle.
“You’re probably right.”
Settimo takes a deep breath and leans into me, pressing his lips to mine. I expect it to go from soft to hard, as it has almost every other time, but he pulls back before it goes that far.
He pulls a box from his pocket and sets it on the counter. “But first.”
My eyes widen as I look between him and the box.