"You're not?" For a second, he was afraid he'd heard her wrong. There was a smile in her eyes, though. Would she be smiling if she was about to break his heart?
The rest of the restaurant faded into the background. Nico was vaguely aware of Rafe and Dani excusing themselves from the room, not that it mattered. He only had eyes for the woman in front of him. Everything else was background noise.
"What made you change your mind?" he asked.
Of course, her staying didn't mean she wanted him back in her life. He tried to remind himself not to get his hopes up. She'd never even said she loved him.
But she was smiling. They both were.
"For starters? A good long look at where I was." Her lip trembled, breaking the spell between them. She looked down at her pastry. "I realized I'd been stuck in the past. Not so much regarding what happened-although I was stuck about those things, too-but more like frozen in time. In my head, I saw myself as that same impressionable twenty-one-year-old girl. I forgot how much time had passed.'
Afraid she was about to beat herself up, he cut in. "Not so much time."
"Enough that I should know better," she told him.
She wasn't making sense. Confused, he waited as she got up from the table. Her high heels tapped out her paces on the terra-cotta.
"I should have known that the person I am today isn't the same as the person I was back then. At least I shouldn't be, if I let myself grow up.
"I'm not making much sense, am I?" she said, looking at him.
"No."
"I was afraid of that." Her small smile quickly faded away. "What I'm trying to say is that you were right. I was afraid of repeating the past. For so long I thought I was trapped in my marriage. Then the trial happened, and suddenly I had a second chance. Throughout the entire trial, I swore to myself I would never let myself become trapped again."
And along came Nico charging in to make everything better. Exactly what she didn't need. He'd heard enough. "It's all right, Louisa. I understand."
"No, you don't," she said, walking to him. "I should have realized that I can't make the same mistake, because I'm not the same person. I can make new mistakes, but I can't make the same ones."
Through her speech, Nico had been fighting the kernel of hope that wanted to take root in his chest. All of her rambling sounded suspiciously like it was leading to a declaration. Until he heard the words, however, he was too afraid to believe. "Are you saying...?"
"I'm saying I've fallen in love with you, Nico Amatucci. I started falling the day I arrived in Monte Calanetti, and I haven't stopped."
She loved him. "You know that I'm still going to want to rush in and fix things."
"And I'll probably get mad and accuse you of trying to take over."
"I'd expect no less."
The eyes that found his this time were shining with moisture. "Because no one said love had to be perfect."
"Just perfect for us." After days of separation, Nico couldn't hold himself back a moment longer. Jumping to his feet, he rushed to take her in his arms. Immediately, he felt a hand against his chest.
"I still have scars," she said. "You're going to have to be patient with me."
"I'll wait for as long as it takes," he promised. "There's no rushing the harvest. A long story," he added when she frowned. "I'll tell you about it later. Right now, I'd much rather kiss you."
Her arms were around his neck before he finished the sentence. "Bella mia," he whispered against her lips. Thank you, he prayed to himself. All his dreams, everything he'd ever wanted, he was holding in his arms right now. Nothing else mattered.
As his lips touched hers, one last thought flashed across his mind.
No sweeter wine...
EPILOGUE
February 14, Valentine's Day
IF YOU ASKED LOUISA, the palazzo had never looked lovelier, not even when the place had hosted the royal wedding party. Standing in the ballroom doorway, she couldn't stop smiling at the crowd of people who were there to celebrate the opening of her hotel.
This weekend, the palazzo would only host a handful of overnight guests, mostly friends who had agreed to be guinea pigs and test the service. They would open to the general public on a limited basis next weekend, and she hoped to be fully operational by summer.
The crowd was here for the first annual St. Valentine's Ball. Billed as an opportunity to experience medieval romance and pageantry, the idea was the tourist development committee's first official success.
A flash of red sequins caught her eye. "Lindsay's outdone herself this time, hasn't she?" Marianna said, appearing by her side. "No wonder she does so many A-list weddings."
"No kidding." The room was a gorgeous display of roses and red tapestry. "We were lucky she offered to help, what with her schedule." But then, the woman had a soft spot for the village since it was where she'd met her husband. He was here with her tonight. A quick look across the dance floor found the two of them stealing a kiss in the corner. They were caught by Connor and Isabella, who'd apparently had a similar idea. Yet another couple who had found love here.
Monte Calanetti seemed to have a romantic effect on people.
"I overheard a couple talking in the lobby about booking a room for next year's ball," Marianna was saying. "I hope you're planning to take advanced reservations."
"Of course," Louisa replied. Talk about a foolish question. "My business partner would kill me if I didn't," Louisa replied. "Speaking of, where is your husband anyway?"
"He went upstairs to check on the baby and her nanny."
"Didn't you just check on them five minutes ago?"
"I did, but Ryan has to see for himself. Daddy's little girl, you know."
Louisa laughed. Sometimes she thought her two friends were competing to see who could dote on their daughter the most.
The idea of asking Marianna's husband, Ryan, to invest in her project had happened completely by accident. Literally. Louisa had almost knocked him over the day she had taken the palazzo off the market. As luck would have it, he'd been looking for a new start-up project. Neither Nico nor Marianna had any idea until the partnership was official.
Naturally, when he found out, Nico had teased her about going behind his back. In reality, he was excited for her. It was a sign of how good things were going between them that they could joke about that terrible night last fall.
A tap on her shoulder pulled her from her thoughts. "Nico told me to have you join him in the other room," Marianna said.
It never failed. As soon as she heard Nico's name, a shiver ran down Louisa's spine. The man would forever have that effect on her. "Did he say what he wanted?"
The brunette waved her hand. "You know my brother tells me nothing. I think he and Angelo are up to something. I saw them and Rafe with their heads together. Their poor, poor wives."
"You might want to include yourself in that category," Louisa reminded her. "Whatever they're up to, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Ryan's involved, too."
"He'd better not be."
The two of them walked toward what was now the hotel lobby. Of all the changes that the palazzo was undergoing, this was the most drastic. What had been the plain entranceway was now a richly appointed lobby. Louisa had done her best to keep the structural changes to a minimum, although she did concede to installing a small built-in counter that served as both the front desk and concierge location.
The staircase remained the same, however. Richly polished, the stairs made a welcoming statement to everyone who walked in. It was in a group gathered around the bottom banister post that Louisa found her man. He was talking with his brother, Angelo, and Angelo's wife, Kayla, who had flown in from New York City. Rafe and Dani were also chatting.
Nico stepped to the side slightly, drawing her attention, and her heart stuttered. He sure could wear a tuxedo. Wasn't fair. Tomorrow he would be back in his T-shirt and jeans and would look just as sexy. Worse, she'd bet he would look just as good fifty years from now, while she'd probably end up with gray hair and a thickening waist.
So you think the two of you will be together in fifty years, do you? Nico caught her eye and winked.
Yeah, she decided. She did.
At her arrival, Nico leaned in and whispered something in Angelo's ear. His brother nodded. "There you are, bella mia!" he greeted. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her into a lingering kiss. Same as she did whenever Nico touched her, Louisa melted into his embrace. Such an overt public display of affection surprised her. She chalked it up to the champagne and the atmosphere.