Chapter 237 237
Chapter 237 237
We turn in unison when the powder room door opens and Caterina emerges, fresh-faced, looking happy and content until she sees us standing together. “What happened?” she asks, freezing like a deer in headlights.
“Nothing. Just a delivery.” I jerk my chin toward the kitchen. “And that tiramisu is calling my name.”
“Thank you for cleaning up, by the way. I noticed when I walked through the kitchen.” She winks at Charles, giggling. “You're full of surprises.”
“I do know how to use a sponge,” I retort as the three of us stroll down the hall. “And I'm fairly sure I even remembered to put soap in the dishwasher. You're supposed to use the stuff in the bottle on the sink, right?”
“Ha, ha.” Then she looks at me, frowning. “You're not serious, are you?”
“No. That's what's called a joke.”
Charles heaves a sigh behind us. “Somehow, my daughter got it into her head that men are all helpless.”
“Gee, where could I have gotten that idea from?” she fires back, smirking as she lifts the cake from its box.
“You want some coffee?” I ask Charles, who nods eagerly. Anything, so long as I have something to do, something to distract myself. It's amazing how a situation like this can make a man forget everything he knows.
Do I do it here and now? Should I wait? I don't know if I can wait. The days since I picked up the ring have been utter torture. No matter what I do, all I can think about is presenting it to her. Getting down on one knee, the whole thing. Making us official. It's the least she deserves.
If anyone ever told me I would end up brewing coffee for Charles Cole in my own kitchen after asking for his blessing to marry his daughter... Life is full of surprises.
“Are you going to do one of those baby registry things?” he asks Caterina while she slices the dessert.
“I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it,” she admits while licking cream and cocoa powder from her thumb. “I guess? I'm not even sure what we need.”
“Don't look at me,” I say with a shrug when the two of them do just that. “I'm sure they've come up with at least another dozen must-haves since Tatiana was born.”
“Maybe that's something we could do together,” Charles suggests, meeting my gaze over the top of her head. Why do I feel like this is a test? Probably because it is. He wants to be sure he has a place in all of this, that I won't shove him out of the way.
“I'm sure you would be much more helpful than I ever could,” I admit, handing him a steaming cup. He makes a point of holding my gaze, inclining his head ever so slightly. That subtle gesture encompasses a thousand words.
I passed the test.
“Before we eat...” Oh, I'm doing this. It felt like the moment would never come. Caterina gives me a quizzical smile when I take her hands, turning her away from the table.
“What's up?” She looks at Charles. “What's happening?”
“There's something I need to say.” And now that the time has come, everything I rehearsed in my head vanishes in a puff of smoke. I don't have the first idea where to start. How do you tell someone their existence makes yours worthwhile? How can I ever express the way she changed me?
The thing is, with her father here, I'm not sure how I want to go that deep. Certain things are for her ears only. Rather than stumble my way through, I cut to the chase by getting down on one knee and reaching into my pocket.
“Oh, my God.” She covers her mouth with one trembling hand, her eyes as wide as saucers. “Is this really happening?”
“It really is.” I open the box and hold it up, offering the ring since I can't pull out my heart and offer that instead.
“I love you,” I murmur as my heart pounds out of control. This woman has complete hold over me, body and soul. She'll never understand how wholly she owns me. My entire existence hinges on this moment. Her answer. Three letters. I know what she's going to say, since she already has, but that does nothing to lessen this profound moment. “Will you be my wife?”
“Oh, Gianni,” she chokes out before the tears begin to flow again. “I—”
Whatever she's about to say is cut off by an ear-splitting explosion that rocks the house.