The Temporary Wife: Luca and Valentina's Story(105)

He takes the ring out of the box and holds it up. “If you let me, I will do everything in my power to make you smile every single day. I’ll carry your burdens like they are my own, and I’ll stand by you no matter what we face. I’ll supply you with an endless stack of pink sticky notes, and I’ll even throw in some pink gel pens.”

I laugh then, and he smiles at me, his eyes twinkling.

“For the rest of our lives, will you let me be the man that gets to call you his? Will you let me be the one you lean on, the one that gets to love you? Valentina, will you marry me?”

I nod, tears in my eyes. “Yes, Luca. Yes.”

He breathes a sigh of relief, as though he genuinely thought there might have been a chance I’d say no, and I can’t help but laugh through my tears. Luca slides the engagement ring onto my finger, until it’s flush with my wedding ring, and then he reaches for me. His hand wraps around the back of my neck as he pulls me in close. “Thank you,” he whispers against my lips. “For choosing me, even now.”

I drop my forehead to his and inhale shakily. “I will always choose you, Luca. Over and over again, no matter the trials or tribulations we face. You are, and always will be, the one for me. I love you more than you’ll ever know.”

His lips brush against mine, and my breath hitches. “I love you more,” he whispers.





Chapter Sixty-Seven





Luca

Valentina stares at her engagement ring and holds it up to the light, watching the diamond shimmer. A soft giggle escapes her lips, and my heart skips a beat. It’s been a few days since I proposed to her, and she still isn’t over her ring. I’m so glad I ended up proposing to her. She deserves every bit of happiness I can grant her — I just wish there was more I could do, more I could give her.

Being with her in this way takes away every single doubt I’ve ever had, but I’d rather live with my fears for the rest of my life if it means showering her with everything her heart desires. This isn’t the life I want her to have. Because of me, she lost the job she fought so hard for. She’s being shunned by the industry she rose to the top of on her own merits, purely because she’s my wife. Is it truly okay to ask this much of her?

“Luca,” she says, her hands sliding up my chest and around the back of my neck. “What are you thinking about so hard?”

Her expression conveys concern, and I hate that. She doesn’t smile as much as she used to, and though I know that it’s partially because of the grief she still carries, it’s also because of me. Valentina won’t admit it, but I know she’s growing increasingly concerned about our future. She knows as well as I do that a Windsor Kiss of Death means we won’t be able to find jobs in our industry. No one will risk offending my grandmother.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” I say carefully, my arms wrapping around her.

Valentina leans back in my embrace, her gaze curious. She looks at me with such utter faith, and nothing scares me more than letting her down.

“I received a job offer from a company in Canada. I’m not sure we can escape my grandmother’s influence if we stay here, you know? I have no doubt she’ll tire of this eventually, and I don’t think she’ll punish us forever, but we also can’t keep living with this kind of uncertainty.”

Valentina nods, her gaze icy and calculating, and oh so fucking sexy. It’s been a while since I saw her look so cunning. “Take it,” she tells me. “Moving will be expensive, but if there’s anything I know about us, it’s that we can make it anywhere. We’ve done it before, Luca. We’ll do it again. I love your grandmother dearly, even now that she won’t speak to me, but I won’t sit back and let her ruin everything we’ve worked for. Let’s salvage what we can, and let’s focus on our own happiness.”

I nod and cup her face gently. From what I understand, Raven and Sierra have been distant recently, both no doubt barred from extending their help to us. Valentina tried hiding it from me, but I know she’s gone to my grandmother’s house a few times, only to be denied access. I never expected my grandmother to take things this far, and I’m hurt on Valentina’s behalf.

I understand punishing me, not only for going behind her back and marrying Valentina, but then breaking the agreement she offered me too. I’m fine facing those consequences, but she should have left my wife out of it. I’m not sure I can forgive her for the pain she caused.

Valentina takes a step back and rummages through her wardrobe. “If we have to, we could always sell this.” She opens up a jewelry box, and my eyes widen.

“Valentina, where did you get that?”

She stares down at the ruby encrusted jewelry set in her hands, her gaze bittersweet. “Your grandmother gave it to me for my birthday.”

“When?” I ask, my voice soft, despite my urgent tone.

She frowns. “It was shortly after Ares’s wedding. You and I weren’t on speaking terms, and I hadn’t come over for family dinner in a while. She must’ve known I was here instead of at my apartment, because she showed up and said she’d been craving Abuela’s food. We had dinner together, the four of us, and she gave me this as a belated birthday gift. She told me that she missed me, and that there would always be a place for me at her table.” Her face contorts in pain then, and she looks away. “I guess that wasn’t true, in the end.”