Chapter 11 - The Keys In The Blue Velvet Box
I stared at him, my heart doing a wild flutter against my ribs.
“You bought this house?” I whispered.
“I put an offer in,” Luca corrected gently. “But I won't sign the closing papers unless you tell me it’s the right one.”
He stepped out of the car and came around to open my door.
He took my hand, leading me up the stone path to the front porch. The air smelled of blooming lilac and fresh lake water. It was a place of total peace.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, looking up at the grand windows.
“It has a massive kitchen,” Luca murmured, standing close behind me, his hands resting on my waist. “And a huge backyard. Plenty of room for a dog. Or… anything else.”
I leaned back against his chest, smiling. “Anything else?”
“I’m forty-three, Emma,” Luca said, his voice dropping to a low, incredibly tender rumble near my ear. “I spent my entire life building an empire of shadows. I want to spend the rest of it building a family in the sun.”
He turned me around so I was facing him.
The intense, serious look in his dark eyes made my breath catch.
Luca reached into his jacket pocket.
He didn't pull out a fountain pen. He didn't pull out a flash drive.
He pulled out a small, dark blue velvet box.
My hands flew to my mouth.
Luca sank down onto one knee right there on the front porch of the empty house.
“Emma Dawson,” Luca said, his voice thick with an emotion that brought tears instantly to my eyes. “Fourteen months ago, you walked into my house and brought light into a place I thought was permanently dark. You saved my father’s life. You saved my soul. You are the bravest, kindest, most beautiful woman I have ever known.”
He opened the velvet box.
Inside rested a flawless, radiant-cut diamond ring, sparkling brilliantly in the spring sunlight.
“I don’t want to spend another day of my life without you by my side,” Luca said, looking up at me with absolute, unwavering devotion. “Marry me, Emma. Let’s make this house a home.”
Tears spilled over my eyelashes, running down my cheeks.
I didn't hesitate. I didn't think about the past or the fears that used to hold me back.
“Yes,” I sobbed, dropping to my knees right in front of him. “Yes, Luca. Yes.”
Luca let out a breathless laugh, sliding the beautiful diamond onto my finger. It fit perfectly alongside the silver cuff his grandmother had worn.
He pulled me into a fierce, tight embrace, kissing me deeply.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, laughing through my tears.
When we finally stood up, Luca pulled a heavy brass key from his pocket and pressed it into my palm.
“The realtor left it for us to look around,” Luca smiled. “Do you want to see our new home, Mrs. Moretti?”
I looked at the key, then down at the ring on my finger.
“I’d love to,” I smiled.
We unlocked the front door and stepped inside.
The house was empty, echoing with our footsteps, but it didn't feel cold. It felt full of endless possibility.
May you like
As we walked through the sunlit rooms, hand in hand, the shadows of the past finally disappeared forever.
TITLE: The First Christmas In The Light
