Chapter 15 - The New Mistress of Moretti ManorLater that evening, after the grand feast of Italian delicacies, champagne toasts, and lively dancing had wound down into soft music and clinking crystal, Luca and I stood together on the private master terrace of the mansion.
A gentle spring breeze rustled the sheer curtains behind us, carrying the clean scent of the lake and the blooming roses from the garden below.
Inside the softly lit salon, Elena was sitting by the fire, holding a sleeping Barnaby’s head in her lap while Lily showed her photos from the wedding on her phone.
Luca held me from behind, his arms wrapped securely around my waist, his chin resting gently on my shoulder.
My left hand rested over his, the platinum and diamond rings catching the silver glow of the Chicago moon.
“Are you tired, Donna Claire?” Luca whispered into my ear.
I leaned back against the broad, solid warmth of his chest, smiling up at the starlit sky, feeling the steady, rhythmic beat of his heart against my shoulder blades.
“Not anymore, Luca,” I whispered back, turning in his arms to cup his rugged face in my hands. “Tonight, I’m finally home.”
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He smiled—the soft, peaceful smile of a sovereign whose wars were won and whose soul was finally whole—and kissed his wife beneath the Midwestern stars.
THE END
