Chapter 21

I assumed it would be easy, finding him at the station. But the moment I walked inside under those bold letters that said Roma Termini, it felt impossible. The building felt like a huge airport with hallways jutting in several directions. Arched ceilings hovered overhead with a pattern of small square windows. I didn’t see an information desk anywhere.

“The largest train station in Italy,” Kennedy said, reading from her phone. “80 trains come and go every day. If it’s this busy at 10:45 at night, imagine how busy it is during the day.”

Leave it to my sister to look up trivia about every single stop. “Do you see which platform is bound for Venice? Our only chance is to catch him before he boards.”

“I’m looking, I’m looking. One sec.”

We moved aside to let a large group of travelers through while she combed through her phone. I searched every face, but Matteo was nowhere to be found. Far in the distance, I caught sight of a giant board with platform numbers. “Maybe I’ll?—”

“Got it!” Kennedy exclaimed. “Rome Termini to Venice Santa Lucia. It leaves at 10:55 from platform 21.” She frowned. “That only gives us nine minutes to find it.”

“Then let’s go!” I darted toward the first sign I saw leading to the twenties. My sisters followed.

A few minutes later, my legs and chest ached and the blisters on my feet screamed, but we’d only made it through half the station. I ignored the pain and increased my speed, apologizing to the people I darted around. Platforms sixteen and seventeen. A turn, and then eighteen. Come on.

The speaker overhead blared something in Italian, then switched to English. “Venice Santa Lucia now boarding on platform 21.” The voice said it twice.

With a groan, I sprinted around a turn and slid to a stop in front of a set of turnstiles lit with green lights. A bored security guard sat behind them.

“I need to get to platform 21!” I called to him.

He gestured to the turnstiles. “Swipe your ticket.”

“But I don’t have . . . ” I growled and stomped my foot. “It’s important! I’m need to stop someone from getting on that train!”

“Sorry, miss, but you must have a ticket to enter this area.”

“Here!” Kennedy pulled up behind me, breathing hard. She handed me her phone. “She has a ticket.” On the screen of her phone, I saw a QR code.

“Bless you, Kennedy,” I murmured, scanning the screen. It beeped and the arm slid back to allow me entrance. I jumped through and took off at a run.

“One ticket per passenger,” I heard him say to my sisters as I sprinted away.

“Come on, come on.” I dashed down the steps toward platform twenty. Twenty-one had to be right across from it. The one with the train sitting there.

“Wait!” I called, waving my arms. A few last people boarded the train, dragging their suitcases behind them. Then the doors emitted a ringing noise and slid shut.

“No!” I cried, arriving at the doors and banging on them. “Let me on the train!”

“Train is departing,” an automated voice said from the speakers above. “Please stand behind the red line.”

The train began to move.

I trotted after it, throwing my weight into the doors, trying to slide them open again. Then the doors moved out of reach as the train picked up speed, and I had to stop and watch it go. The train exited the station and into the night.

I stood with my hands on my knees, sucking in air like a marathon runner, and wanted to cry. One last chance, and I’d come so close to finding him . It didn’t seem fair.

A familiar jingling sound echoed in the tunnel, but I ignored it. My brain barely worked and my body pulsed with adrenaline.

Even if we made it to Venice on our train in the morning and looked for him, I doubted we could find him. Not with my phone missing and his dead. It was like Rome itself conspired to keep us apart.

The jingling sound got louder, and then something smashed into me. I yelped and stumbled to keep my feet, managing to find my balance.

Dante stood by my feet, panting hard. A leash trailed from his collar, and I would’ve sworn he was smiling.

“What—Dante, what are you doing here?” I chuckled and patted him on the head.

“Looking for you, apparently.” Matteo trotted to catch up. He stopped a few feet away. “We took our seats on the train and he decided he wanted to be outside. I’ve never seen him yank the leash out of my hand and run off a train before. You made me leave my backpack behind, you rascal.” He stooped to pat his dog next to my hand.

“I owe you big time, Dante,” I told the mutt, giving him a hug.

Matteo pretended to whisper in the dog’s ear. “I think you won her over.”

“He did. I’m still trying to decide about you.” I smirked and folded my arms.

He ducked his head and grinned ruefully. “I deserved that, and I want you to know that I’m sorry.”

“Hold on. Did you just apologize , Matteo? I didn’t think you capable.”

“What you must think of me, Jillie. Heaven knows you deserve someone who will choose you over his own family without having to think about it.”

Was he saying . . . ? “True, but I don’t know if Dante will come to Venice without you.”

“When you’re done joking about me almost making the biggest mistake of my life, are you going to explain why you’re here and not on a cruise ship headed for Venice?”

“I’ll explain once you tell me why you rejected your mom and bought tickets to Venice.”

“That’s easy. Dante and I had a question for you, and I didn’t get the chance to ask it the first time. Since the situation has changed, though, we’d like to amend the question.”

“Which is?”

“We—I intended to ask you to stay, but I won’t take you from your sisters. Like you said, family is important and you’ll only get to do this trip together once. So Dante and I want to know if you’ll come back afterward and spend some time with us before flying home.”

“Hmm. Sorry, but I’m not sure I like that idea,” I said.

Matteo’s eyebrows narrowed in disappointment. “If you can’t, I’m happy to come to Arizona. I’ll come to you, Jillie, wherever you are, if it means spending more time with you.”

“Aw, that’s sweet, but that’s not what I meant. I’ll return to Rome on one condition, and it’s non-negotiable.”

“Name it.”

“I’m not waiting that long. You and Dante have to come to Venice and spend the entire day with us tomorrow. We’ll get on the next train out, which is . . . ” I strained to see the board. “Six-thirty in the morning?” So much for that idea.

“Or you can say please and get a better ride,” a voice said from behind me. Vivi arrived, along with Alexis and Kennedy. All three wore huge grins.

“My lovely, incredible, talented sister,” Matteo began.

“You forgot clever,” Vivi said.

“ . . . amazingly clever sister,” he continued. “Would you consider flying Jillie and me to Venice?”

“Yes, but not till morning,” she said. “It’ll only take us two hours and the pad is closed at night anyway, so we all might as well get some sleep. And you ” —she punched him lightly on the arm—“are going to charge your phone. ”

“Yes, ma’am.” He winked at me.

“I, for one, am disappointed,” Kennedy said. “We paid over sixty dollars each to get in here, and there hasn’t been a single kiss. What kind of show is this?”

I shot her a fake glare. “We aren’t performing monkeys. Besides, you and Hunter have kissed enough to last us all a few months.”

“Hear, hear,” Alexis muttered.

“Do I get an opinion?” Matteo asked innocently.

“Anyway,” I said, turning back to him, “you asked why I’m here and not on the ship. It’s a very long story that I’m happy to tell, but first, I want to make one thing very clear. I came after you because today was the best day of my life, and I can’t imagine a tomorrow without you.”

One of my sisters sniffed. Kennedy looked at Alexis and wrapped her arm around her.

“Understood. Here’s what I need you to know, Jillian Travell.” He closed the space between us, those intense eyes boring into mine. “I’m not going anywhere. If one of us messes up or the long-distance thing gets hard or you start to doubt or get scared, I’ll still be here. You can try to push me away or you can run, but I’m as stubborn as you are. I’m not giving up or leaving you alone.”

“Taken out of context, that’s almost creepy,” Vivi said, “but I think she understands the sentiment.” She turned to my sisters. “All right, everyone. It’s time to . . . ”

We didn’t make it till the end of her sentence. He was already kissing me, cupping my face in his hands in case I wanted to pull away. Which I didn’t, obviously. This wasn’t just a fun kiss or a way to fill time or even exploratory. With this kiss, he claimed me in a way he hadn’t yet. You’re mine, and you always will be, it said.

I kinda really liked it.

Dante whimpered and rubbed against our legs. Matteo grinned against my mouth and pulled away, reaching to pat the dog.

“Got it, buddy,” he said. “Let’s go home. At least for a few hours.”

I crouched and gave him another hug. “Want to know a secret? I may have cats, but I always was a dog person.”

As everyone laughed as Dante sniffed my face and gave my cheek a good, solid lick.