All I've Never Wanted(146)

She frowned at me, not looking glad at all. “Maya, why you wear white? Not your color,” she chided. “Your butt look even bigger in white!”

And here we go again.

Luckily, distraction came in the form of a little fur ball called Mickey—or Mikey, as everyone called him in front of my grandmother, since we didn’t want to set off another broom incident.

The puppy bounded over with Giselle hot on its heels. I’ve gotten to know her a lot better the past few months, and was surprised by how funny and down-to-earth she was, considering how much her husband was worth. Of course, the elder male Fiori had only stayed for about a minute before jetting off to Japan or something for business.

I can’t say I was sad to see him go.

“Mick—I mean, Mikey, settle down,” Giselle scolded as the puppy ran threatening circles around my grandmother, barking the whole time. Giselle had come to view Mickey as her grand-puppy; my grandmother, on the other hand, did not have a good relationship with Mickey. My grandmother hated animals, and I think Mickey could tell, because he never stopped growling at her when she was near, and she never stopped trying to swat at him with a rolled-up newspaper like he was a fly.

Needless to say, that was one feud I’m not going to intervene in. I value my life, thank you very much.

“Stupid dog, I ship you to pound if you don’t stop bark,” my grandmother snapped, eyeing my puppy resentfully.

Mickey crouched down and growled ominously, a challenge glinting in its eyes.

“Peewee! Blondie! Take care of him,” my grandmother demanded imperiously, as Parker and Adriana were the closest to her. They both just blinked.

At that moment, Mickey lifted up one leg and peed on my grandmother’s shoes.

Holy. Freaking. Crap.

Without saying a word, Roman, Giselle, Zack, Venice, Adriana, Parker and I all bolted from the scene, my grandmother’s scream ringing in our ears and attracting much unwanted attention. We managed to make it to safety but ran straight into Carlo.

“Carlo! You’re here!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms around the Colombian.

He looked amused. “Of course I’m here. You didn’t think I was just going to grab my diploma and leave without saying bye to you guys, did you?”

The rest of us exchanged guilty glances.

“So, you’ve decided then?” I asked, lowering my voice. “You’re going to Australia?”

Carlo’s face grew more serious and he nodded. I bit my lip. That was such a huge step, but I’m kind of glad he was going to do it. Middlebury would always be there. Love, on the other hand, is one of those things that was definitely worth chasing.

“Have you spoken to Daria?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Briefly, yesterday night. Right after she landed. The school’s going to mail her diploma, but…” He sighed. “She has no idea I’m going.”

I grinned and hugged him again. “I’m really proud of you,” I mumbled, my voice muffled by his chest. And I really was.

If I wasn’t so in love with Roman, I probably would have ended up with Carlo, but I’m not sure that would’ve worked. We were just so similar it would’ve been like dating myself, and besides, I know he he was meant to be with Daria. Everyone had found their other half; I’m glad Carlo had too. They just needed to make it official.


“Well, well, what do we have here? Cheating on the great Roman Fiori right in front of him? It’s a sight for sore eyes.”

The lazy, cocky drawl, which had made my skin crawl all those months ago but now just made me roll my eyes, came from directly behind me.

I turned and cast a disapproving look in Rico’s direction while Roman glared at him, looking like he was going to rip his face off.

“You’re such an instigator,” I complained.

Rico just laughed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Can’t help it sweetheart. It’s part of my charm. Girls can’t resist.” He winked at me. “Including you.”

“That’s it!” Roman was about to storm over to Rico before Zack and Parker held him back.

I laughed at the sight of Roman struggling against their hold, his legs flailing in the air, while Rico just smirked, a smug look on his face. When he looked at me though, I could see genuine pride and amusement in his eyes.

Adriana and Venice, who were also laughing, came up beside me, linking their arms with mine, while Carlo provided a safe, warm presence behind me. My parents also joined us, trailing after my furious grandmother like naughty schoolchildren. Mickey strutted behind them, looking almost as smug as Rico. When he saw me, he gave a happy yip and bounded into my arms.

I beamed at the scene, which may not have been as idyllic as in the movies, but everyone I loved was here, and in the grand scheme of things, they were all happy. And that was all that really mattered.

* * *

“Don’t forget, I gave you a list of all the best restaurants, shopping, and nightlife in every city you guys are going to, so use it,” Adriana instructed, leveling Maya with a stern look as passengers streamed past them to board the plane. “Don’t trust Roman, his taste is…questionable, at times."

“I’m standing right here, you know,” Roman snapped crankily, putting on his sunglasses. He was not a morning person, as anyone who looked at his face could tell.