Stella Mia by Rosanna Chiofalo

Author:Rosanna Chiofalo [Chiofalo, Rosanna]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Published: 2014-11-11T16:00:00+00:00

It’s midnight. Carlo and I are getting ready for bed. While Carlo washes up, I climb into my bed and release a deep sigh as my body sinks into the downy mattress. The bed I shared at home with my siblings was so flat from the weight of all our bodies in it. My back often hurt when I woke up in the morning. Within minutes, I’m drifting off to sleep, but just as I begin to dream, Carlo nudges my arm lightly.

“Sarina, are you asleep yet?”

“I was. Is something wrong?” I look up into Carlo’s face. He looks slightly nervous.

“I’m sorry. I thought you hadn’t fallen asleep yet. I’ve only been in the bathroom for five minutes.”

“I guess I’m exhausted.”

Carlo nods his head. He then kneels down on the floor beside my bed. He strokes my hair.

“You know I love you very much?”

“Si. And I love you very much.” I sit up in bed and lean forward to kiss him.

“I have thought about this probably since the first day I met you, if you can believe it. But I wanted to make it more special. However, circumstances are forcing me not to waste any more time.”

Carlo takes my hand and slips a braided gold ring onto my finger.

“Sarina, I want to make you my wife. But I want to give you a proper wedding first. I was thinking maybe in a month, we can do that. Of course, it would just be a small wedding, but I still want you to get married the proper way in church and all. We can go back to Taormina or even Messina and get married there. As I’m sure you realize, we cannot sleep in the same room without people gossiping that we are sinning. I told Michele, my friend in Lipari, who gave me the job at his hotel, that we had eloped here in Vulcano. Besides people talking, I was also afraid that Michele would not have felt comfortable having us share a room. His hotel, the Villa Athena, is one of the most popular hotels in Lipari and is almost always fully booked, sometimes even in the less popular winter months. I wouldn’t feel right taking an additional room away from him when a guest could be paying for it. So we will have to pretend that we are already married. While we must play this charade, please know that I absolutely do intend to and will make you my wife as soon as we have become more settled in Lipari. That is, if you’ll agree to be my wife.”

I can feel Carlo’s hand shaking while he holds mine. I close my own over his. Tears fill my eyes.

“I can’t believe you want to marry me. I would be honored to become your wife. But . . .”

Carlo’s face registers surprise as he frowns. “But what?”

“I feel I’m still too young to marry. And so much is still unsettled in our lives. Can we have a long engagement?”

Carlo kisses my hand.

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