Chapter 22

We assumed Matteo and I would take Vivi’s chopper and my sisters would catch the morning train to Venice, where we’d wander the city and then reboard the ship. But when we reached the lobby of the hotel the next morning, Vivi and Matteo waited with secret smiles.

“I thought we were meeting you at the station?” I said as he swept in for a kiss.

“Change of plan. Vivi convinced our mother to offer the family jet so we could all fly together.”

My eyebrows rose. “Your mother?”

“This is as close to an apology as she’ll get,” he said.

Vivi looked sheepish. “I explained my mistake and told her that we were wrong about you. When that didn’t work, I said if she wanted Matteo back in her life, she’d have to accept you too. It must have sunk in, because I got a text from the pilot this morning. He’s waiting for us.”

“Wait, you aren’t flying it?” I asked.

She chuckled. “I do still have my pilot’s license, but not for this aircraft. It’s more comfortable as a passenger anyway. I hope you don’t mind if I come along.”

“Of course not!” I looked to my sisters for confirmation, and they nodded. Then I gave Vivi a hug. “Thank you.”

“Thanks for forgiving me. I was an idiot.”

“We all are, at times.” Matteo grinned at his little sister. “Especially in our family, as you’ll find out. Now let’s get to that plane.”

“I’m not telling that story,” Alexis said as we walked the beautiful streets of Venice.

“You ended up sopping wet last time you were here, and you won’t even tell us why?” I leaned against Matteo’s shoulder, nearly drunk with happiness. This—traveling with him, seeing the country from his perspective and spending every moment together—was heaven. I never wanted to leave.

“It’s humiliating.” Alexis grimaced.

“We’ll have to guess,” Kennedy said. “You were taking a romantic ride in a gondola and insulted the gondolier. Or you tried to jump into someone’s boat as they rode by, Bond-style, but missed entirely.”

An idea struck me. “Wait, I know. You caught fire while dancing at a club and they had to hose you down.”

Alexis rolled her eyes as we chuckled. “Kennedy is closer. Infinitely closer. You know I look like a dizzy elephant when I dance.”

“We’d better hit up a club at some point, then, because I have to see this.” Matteo chuckled.

“I’m going with the gondola story then,” Kennedy said. “You were riding with a handsome Italian man but the gondolier wanted you for himself. He made the mistake of complimenting you and you didn’t reciprocate, so he ‘accidentally’ tipped the boat over on you both?”

“Oh my gosh,” Alexis said with a groan. “You aren’t going to stop, are you?”

“Not until you tell us the story.”

“Fine. I was out for a late run and forgot that some of these sidewalks end abruptly in canals. All right?”

We started to laugh as Alexis frowned.

“You ran through the streets of Venice alone at night?” Vivi repeated. “Some of these streets can get pitch-black. You aren’t afraid of anything, are you?”

“Well, now I am. That water is nasty.” Alexis shuddered.

Vivi threw back her head and released a giggle of her own, a happy, high-pitched sound. The two had already become quick friends in the hours we’d spent here. I would never have put them together as soul sisters, an athlete and a helicopter pilot, but it sparked the beginning of another idea. After our sisters trip, I’d ask Alexis if she wanted to return with me to Rome for a little extra sister time. Something told me Alexis could use more friends in her life right now.

Someone’s phone buzzed. Alexis’s hand shot into her pocket and retrieved her phone. She rarely got calls or texts, so I watched with interest as she read the screen . . . and went positively pale. She actually stopped in her tracks.

“Everything okay?” I asked her as the rest of us slowed.

“Um.” She cancelled the call and shoved the phone back into her pocket. “Totally fine.”

“Who was that?”

“Somebody who should never have gotten my number in the first place.”

I placed my hand on her shoulders. “Dad can be a jerk sometimes. Don’t let him get to you.” Weird that he’d contact Alexis so soon after our little pizza date yesterday, especially since he had to know I would tell the others.

Alexis gave me a funny look. “Yeah. Dad. That’s definitely true.”

Odd. I stared at my sister, who looked almost guilty. Dad calling would make her annoyed and angry. So who was on that call?

Alexis barreled forward as if making it clear she didn’t want to talk about it.

Okay. I’d ask her about the mysterious caller later.

Matteo gave me a side hug. “Everything okay?”

“I hope so. Where are we going again? When are we going to see another bridge?” I asked. Venice had beautiful and historic bridges, but 400 bridges was an impressive number. I wanted to see at least fifty of them today. From the top this time, preferably, and not while swimming for my life.

He pretended to look surprised. “The Bridge of Fists wasn’t enough for you?”

I gave him a sideways look. A bridge used for fighting among the Venetian clans hundreds of years ago, complete with foot markings to indicate where to start, was one of my favorite weird features here in this city. Losers of those fights ended up in the canal. Surrounded by so much history and culture, of course Matteo had felt the need to show us that.

“Maybe something with a little less of a violent history?” I asked.

“If you want less violence in the past, you’re in the wrong city. But I do have one last bridge to show you, and there’s only one way to see it.” He turned to the others. “Mind if I steal Jillie away for about an hour?”

“Please do. All the kissing is nauseating,” Kennedy moaned, then winked.

“You made your point,” I told her, though I did offer an apologetic smile. She grinned right back.

“Go have fun,” Alexis said. “Vivi can show us around for a bit.”

“I’ll show them things they actually want to see.” Vivi gave her brother a pointed look.

“Then my job here is done,” he said. “Ready?”

I grinned. “Ready.”

Matteo took my hand and we turned onto a side road, winding through a charming neighborhood. I would never get over how these homes often backed right up to canals. Instead of garages, they tied up their boats to the back door. I tried to imagine going grocery shopping in this city and came up blank.

We soon arrived at a gondolier station with a long line, which Matteo bypassed. He waved at one of the gondoliers, who gestured to his boat and welcomed us with a wide smile.

As we settled in and greeted the gondolier, who seemed to be a friend of Matteo’s, I found my boyfriend’s arm to be the perfect pillow. Soon he leaned over. “In a minute, we’ll see the famous Bridge of Sighs, which connects Doge’s Palace interrogation rooms to the New Prison. They say it was prisoners’ last chance to see the city they loved before being shoved into their prison cells. See? Less violence all around.”

I shot him a glare. “Maybe today’s itinerary should be subject to prior approval.”

He laughed. “Fine, I’ll take you to the church of gold in Saint Mark’s Square next. After that, it’s up the steps of the Campanile so you can see the city from above. Same place Galileo set up his famous telescope before presenting it to the Doge of Venice in 1609.” He pulled me closer and kissed my head. “More importantly, I think it’s one of the most romantic places in Venice, which happens to be one of the most romantic cities in Italy.”

As I looked around at the city, moving slowly behind us with the low hum of activity in the distance and the man I was slowly falling for at my side, I shook my head. “I do like Venice, but now that I’ve been to both places, I would want to marry in Rome. Hypothetically speaking, of course.”

I worried he would find my comment too forward, but the glint of light in his eyes only shone brighter. “Of course. I’m a little partial to Rome as well.”

“I do have a question, though. If a person were to, say, throw some coins into Trevi Fountain, do you think their wish would come true?”

“It depends how many. One for love, two for an attractive Italian, and three for?—”

“How about eight?” I blurted out. “What does eight coins in the fountain mean for my future? Does it mean I’ll have a zillion kids and a houseful of cats and dogs? Not that it’s a problem or anything, because I love all three, but I kinda want to know what I’m getting into.”

He slid his hand along my cheek, consuming every ounce of my attention. “It sounds like you’re going to need a big house. Luckily, I know one that’s available.” Before his words could register, he leaned in for a long, deep kiss that lit me on fire from the inside.

If there was a bridge of sighs of whatever, I didn’t get to see it. There would be a million photos of that to be found online. The world only had one Matteo, my handsome Italian man, and he was mine.

My life wasn’t perfect. My family had problems and drama and my past had some dark moments, but this moment was perfect, and I looked forward to many more like this.

And that, I decided, meant that the world was exactly as it should be.