The Italian

He rolls his eyes. “We’ll have the engagement party in two weeks.”

“Two weeks,” I squeak. “Are you mad?”

“It will be easy to plan. My mother will do it all. This is her thing.”

I get a vision of her taking over the entire day. “No, that’s okay,” I tell him. “I want to handle this.”

He pulls me closer and inhales with a sleepy smile. “I am happy, my love.”

I kiss his broad chest. “Me too, baby.”

* * *

“Hi, Liv. How are you, lovely girl?”

“Hi, Mum.”

“How w

as the weekend in Rome?”

“Perfect.” I glance over to Enrico who is lying on the lounge listening, and I scrunch my face up. “Guess what happened?”

“What?”

“Enrico proposed.”

There’s silence for a while, until she eventually whispers, “What?”

“I’m getting married, Mum.”

“Liv, you hardly know this man.”

“I know him. He’s the one. He got down on one knee and proposed to me in The Pantheon. Mum, I’m so happy.”

Enrico’s eyes twinkle with a certain something as he watches me.

“Honey,” she sighs.

“Can’t you just be happy for us?” I ask. “We know what we’re doing. We’re not kids, Mum. I’m twenty-nine. I’m pretty sure I know what I’m doing.”

“I just worry.”

“You don’t need to worry. I’ve got this.”

She stays silent for a moment before she speaks again. “What’s your ring like?”

“Gorgeous.” I smile. “It’s a simple gold band with a stunning two-carat diamond.”

“Wow!” She gasps.

I laugh at her reaction. “Will you come over for a holiday so we can pick my wedding dress?” I ask hopefully.

“Darling, yes, of course. I’ll have to save for a while though. My car needed major repairs that cleaned out my bank account.”

“Okay.” I smile knowing she’s coming around. This is really happening. “I can show you around Italy. It’s so beautiful here. You’ll love it.”

“Olivia, I can’t believe this. I’m so shocked.”