Luca considered me, his eyes thoughtful as he worked through what I said. “I can’t wait to kill him.”
“I guess there’s no point in stressing about him now. Let’s just enjoy our dinner.” I took a bite and closed my eyes.
“Good?” Luca asked.
I nodded slowly, enjoying every chew until I swallowed.
Our conversation fell to less serious topics as we finished our scallops and main courses.
“I’ll be right back.” I took our plates to the sink and went to the fridge. There, thawed and ready to eat, was the top of our wedding cake. Carrying the box carefully to the table, I hummed the wedding march.
“Are we really going to eat that?” Luca playfully sighed.
“Of course! It’s tradition.”
“Stale cake.” He sat taller, laying his napkin back on his lap with a flourish. “Let’s do it.”
I opened the top and pursed my lips to keep from smiling. The icing was nowhere near as precise as I assumed it was on the day, seeing as so much of the cake was peeking out from underneath. “Looks great.”
Luca gave me a flat look.
“Oh! I forgot the knife.” I went to stand up, and Luca caught my hand.
“Forget the knife.”
I frowned. “But how are we—”
Luca grabbed a hunk of cake with his bare hands and held it up. “Like this.”
“You just—How very uncivilized of you.” I took a bite from between his fingers. It tasted like the freezer.
“Good?” Luca smirked, reading the disgust on my face.
I grabbed my own hand full and shoved it right in his face. “Delicious.”
His tongue tickled my palm, and I jerked away, dropping cake all over the table.
“You should’ve probably put it in Tupperware.” Luca stood and walked out of the dining room.
“Hey! You can’t leave me to finish this.” I shook the icing off my hand, splattering dollops of cake on the table.
He came back carrying a pastry box and a glass container. “I had Paul make up a new cake top, but we can save a bit of that for our first anniversary.” Carefully setting the box on the table, he transferred the half-smooshed cake to the glass dish.
“Perfect.” I looked in the new box and smiled at the delicate piping. Closing the lid, I said, “We should save this for breakfast.”
Luca pressed the lid on and nodded, licking the icing off his thumb. “Sounds good.”
We put the cakes away and washed our hands before going to the living room, where Luca had set up candles and had music playing.
“I thought we could do a little dancing before midnight.” Luca held out his hand with a small bow.
I took it and stepped into him. “You made a playlist of our songs.”
Luca turned me, bringing me to his chest. “I did.”
“A perfect reception.” I rested my cheek against his shoulder, and we danced in circles around our living room. He held me close, placing sweet kisses to my temple and hair. As he hummed along to the songs, his throat vibrated against my ear, lulling me into a relaxed, if not aroused, state. His hands smoothly caressed my body, his knuckles sliding along my spine, circling the row of buttons above my ass.
This was my happiness. Luca, me, and an entire night before us.