I wanted you to reach out and hold me, to tell me not to go, and when you didn’t…’ She shook her head, eyes glistening with tears. ‘I’m not free without you, Vicenzo. You’re my freedom.’
Her sweet scent wrapping itself around him told him this was real. She had come back to him dressed in white, to make a statement, to make him believe.
‘Oh, Cara…’ He pulled her so tight she could barely breath, and buried his head in her neck and hair. His words were muffled against her neck as he kissed her and talked at the same time. ‘The only reason I didn’t reach out was because I knew if I touched you I’d never let you go again, and then you’d hate me for not giving you the choice to walk away. But you don’t know how hard it’s been to stand here and think of you getting onto that plane… I was attempting to drink myself into a stupor in order to stop myself from going out and hauling you back here.’
She searched blindly for his mouth, pressing kisses on every bit of exposed skin. ‘I couldn’t do it. The thought of leaving the island, leaving you behind, was too much.’
Their mouths connected and they kissed as if they’d never kissed before, as if they’d been parted for years.
When they finally broke apart Cara looked up and smiled tremulously.
‘Enzo…Vicenzo…I love you so much.’
He smiled, and his body tightened in anticipation at the innocently sexual look in her eyes, at the softness of her body melded to his. He held her face in two shaky hands. Looking deeply into her eyes, Vicenzo asked, with a tremor in his voice, ‘Will you marry me again, Cara? Here on the lawn in front of the people we love…so that I can prove to you how much I love you and need you…’
Happiness exploded through Cara like a sunburst. ‘Of course I’ll marry you. Over and over again if you want.’ And she reached up and pressed her mouth to his, stealing his soul with the sweetest kiss.
It was early evening by the time Cara found herself waking slowly and opening her eyes. In her half-sleep she had a momentary sense of panic, and her eyes flew open to see Vicenzo resting on one arm, looking down at her with a serious expression on his face.
‘Cara I’ll never leave you again like I did that night. That’s why you never wanted to stay in my bed, wasn’t it? You were afraid you’d wake and it would be that morning all over again…’
Cara nodded warily.
Vicenzo bent his head and kissed her deeply, telling her of his love, his devotion. ‘I’m so sorry for hurting you.’
She put up a hand, touched a finger to his mouth. ‘Don’t be. This is our second chance.’
He put a possessive hand on her bare belly, and already Cara could feel a tingle of sensation run to her groin. She wriggled.
‘Do you think that second chance could include trying for another baby?’
Cara stilled, and searched Vicenzo’s face. ‘You don’t have to say that just because…’
He shook his head, ‘I’m not. But I’m happy for it to happen whenever you’re ready.’
Cara reached up and pulled his head down to kiss him. ‘I think if our track record of getting pregnant is anything to go by then we might already be there… But just in case, there’s no harm in trying again…’
They were married again in a simple, intimate ceremony in the villa’s garden, overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean, six weeks later. Rob, Barney and Simon had traveled from England to be with Cara as her attendants. If the Italians thought it strange, they didn’t let on.
Cara walked barefoot down the grassy aisle on Rob’s arm. Dressed in a strapless sheath of cream silk that fell in soft clinging folds to just above her ankles, she wore a garland of white peonies on her head, her hair loose and flowing down her back. No jewelry except for the simple pair of diamond studs Vicenzo had given her the day before. He had to fight back the tears as he watched her approach. He’d never seen anything lovelier in his life.
He was equally casual, barefoot, in black trousers and a white open-necked shirt. Their eyes never broke contact once. And when it came time for them to kiss, after the vows had been exchanged, Vicenzo took Cara’s face reverently in his hands and whispered softly, before touching his lips to hers, ‘I vow to love you always, and to kiss you as often as I can, Mrs.
Valentini.’
Cara blinked back her tears and smiled tremulously. ‘Good. So hurry up and kiss me, Mr. Valentini.’ He did, for a long, long time—until the crowd started clapping, laughing, and finally pleading with them to stop so that they could get on with the celebrations.
EPILOGUE
EIGHT months later Cara smiled sleepily as she felt strong, sure hands take her week-old daughter from her chest, where she’d just started to wake up, grizzling contentedly.
‘Time for Sophia Allegra and her papà to have a little bonding time, I think—and to let Mamma rest.’
Cara opened her eyes just in time to accept a long, lingering kiss on her mouth before Vicenzo—or Enzo, as she was more used to calling him now—stood and winked down at her, then walked down the garden towards the cove with their daughter cradled into his chest.
She raised herself on her elbows and watched her husband walk away, naked except for cargo shorts, his broad back smooth and darkly olive from the sun after the time he’d taken off work to spend with them. Her heart leapt as it always did.
And then, not wanting to be left behind, she stood and wrapped a sarong around her waist, and went to join her family as they stood on the shore of the sea, with the waves rushing in and out.
Vicenzo tucked her into his side with a possessive arm, and the look they shared said it all. She wrapped her arms around his waist and together they stood on the beach with their baby daughter, watching the setting of the sun on another beautiful day.