Chapter 14 - THE PROPOSAL BENEATH THE STARS
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Two weeks before Christmas, the first heavy snow of the winter blanketed Chicago in a pristine, glittering coat of white.
The sprawling gardens of the Moretti estate looked like a magical wonderland from a fairy tale.
Luca had invited Caroline, Lily, and my mother for an intimate private dinner in the conservatory.
The glass walls of the conservatory were warm, illuminated by thousands of twinkling fairy lights wrapped around exotic palm trees.
A roaring stone fire crackled in the center hearth, filling the room with the sweet fragrance of cedar and pine.
After dinner, Lily had pulled my mother and Caroline over to the antique grand piano to sing Christmas carols.
Their laughter and cheerful voices echoed pleasantly beneath the glass dome.
Luca stood near the French doors overlooking the snow-covered rose garden, holding two steaming mugs of spiced cider.
I walked over to him, wrapping my woolen shawl around my shoulders.
“A penny for your thoughts, Mr. Moretti?” I teased softly, leaning against his shoulder.
Luca smiled, handing me one of the mugs, his arm wrapping securely around my waist.
“I was thinking about how empty this house used to be,” he confessed, looking out at the falling snow.
“I used to sit in this exact spot with a glass of scotch, listening to the silence, wondering what the point of all the fighting was.”
He turned me in his arms until I was facing him completely.
His dark eyes were luminous in the glow of the fairy lights, reflecting an ocean of deep, unshakeable tenderness.
“And now?” I asked, my breath catching in my throat.
“Now, this house is filled with laughter,” Luca replied softly.
“My daughter is happy, my ex-wife is safe, and I have found the woman I was born to love.”
From across the room, the piano music quietly faded.
I turned my head and saw Caroline, my mother, and Lily standing in a neat semi-circle, watching us with beaming, tear-filled smiles.
Lily was practically vibrating with excitement, holding her hands over her mouth to keep from squealing.
My heart began to hammer wildly against my ribs as I realized what was happening.
Luca set his mug down on a nearby marble pedestal.
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box.
He looked up into my eyes, and for the first time since I had met him, the fearless Don of Chicago had a slight tremble in his fingers.
Slowly, with absolute reverence, Luca Moretti sank onto one knee before me.
He clicked the velvet box open.
Resting inside on a bed of white silk was not Vanessa’s cold, showy diamond.
It was a breathtaking, vintage platinum ring featuring a brilliant, flawless sapphire surrounded by a halo of delicate diamonds.
A sapphire as blue as the ribbons Lily had tied around her braid.
“Emma Sullivan,” Luca said, his deep voice thick with raw, overwhelming emotion.
“You walked into my life and saved my daughter from cruelty.”
“You showed me that real strength is not found in guns or power, but in love and sacrifice.”
“You are my heart, my peace, and my home.”
Tears broke free from my eyes, streaming down my cheeks like warm rain.
Luca looked up at me, his eyes shining with devotion.
“Will you do me the greatest honor of my life?”
“Will you marry me, Emma, and be my wife, my partner, and the Donna of my soul?”
Lily couldn't contain herself any longer.
“Say yes, Miss Emma! Please say yes!” Lily shouted, jumping up and down in her satin shoes.
Caroline and my mother both laughed through their happy tears, nodding encouragingly.
I dropped to my knees on the stone floor right in front of Luca, wrapping both of my arms tightly around his neck.
“Yes!” I cried against his lips, laughing and weeping at the same time.
“Yes, Luca! A thousand times, yes!”
Luca let out a rich, joyous laugh that shook his chest.
He pulled me into his arms, lifting me off the ground as he stood, spinning me beneath the glass dome of the conservatory.
He slid the sapphire ring onto my finger; it fit perfectly, gleaming like a star in the winter night.
Lily rushed across the floor, throwing her arms around both of our waists, burying her face into our embrace.
May you like
Caroline and my mother walked over, wrapping their arms around us, uniting two broken families into one unbreakable circle of love.
Beneath the falling snow and the starlight, our future was written in stone.
