“I didn’t know Cato Marino could be this romantic.”
He pulled out the chair for me so I could sit down before he took the seat across from me. “I didn’t either.”
“I mean, it took you a year to admit you loved me,” I said with a laugh.
“But that doesn’t mean I haven’t loved you every day since the day I met you.” He held my gaze as he spoke, his sincerity bright like the stars above us. “The love started off small, mixed with lust. It grew slowly, persevering despite your lies. And then it grew so big I couldn’t ignore it anymore. It was out of my control, a separate living entity. Then one day, it looked me in the face until I had no choice but to accept it.”
My eyes softened just like my heart. “Cato…”
“I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner. But I promise I’ll say it every day for the rest of my life.”
This man had been such an asshole when we met, but now he was the sweetest man in the world. He was a wonderful father to our little girl. He was everything I dreamed of in a man—with one exception. If he loved me this much, then maybe he would give up everything to give me the life I wanted. “I know you will.”
A waiter poured us two glasses of champagne and placed an appetizer on our plates.
I laid my napkin across my lap and took a bite of the appetizer, but I felt awkward doing something so normal when Cato had just said something so sweet. His eyes looked even more beautiful in the candlelight. I could see the flames reflected in his eyes. Even in the darkness, they looked more blue, more powerful than ever before. “The stars are incredible.” I looked into the sky as I ate, seeing the endless lights across the sky.
Cato kept eating and sipping his champagne. “It’s beautiful out here. Quiet. Peaceful. Perfect place to raise a family.”
“Yes, it is.”
“A bit of a drive to school, but I can drop them off on my way to work.”
Anytime he mentioned work, I tensed. How dense could he be? Not once did he wonder if he should walk away from the bank? For his safety as well as his family’s?
We finished the appetizer before the main course was brought out. It was a rack of lamb, vegetables, and rice. Just like every night we had dinner together, we ate quietly, looking into each other’s eyes as we dined. It was much easier to cut into the meat when I didn’t have a baby in one arm. “It’s so tender.”
“You want to know something interesting about Giovanni?” Cato asked. “He never went to cooking school.”
“Really? Seems like it.”
“He just has recipes that have been in his family for generations—along with a love of cooking.”
“It shows. I enjoy cooking too, but I’ve always hated doing the dishes.”
“Another reason why I need Giovanni. He could ask for a million euro raise, and I would give it to him.”
I chuckled. “Me too.”
“Speaking of money…” He looked down at his food before he lifted his gaze to look at me again. “I want you to know I changed my trust. If something happened to me, I would leave everything to you.”
I was stunned by his statement, considering he’d asked me to forsake all of that just months ago. “You didn’t need to do that—”
“I wanted to. Before they took me to surgery, I told Bates to make sure you got everything if I died. You’re my family, Siena. Whether you’re my wife or not, you’re everything to me. And I want to take care of you. I want to share everything I have, every single euro of my assets. What’s mine is yours.”
I didn’t know what to say. It was a big gesture—and out of character for someone like him. That was his way of telling me he trusted me completely, that all of his walls were finally gone. “That’s…very sweet.” I appreciated the gesture, even though I actually wanted to leave all of the wealth behind.
The second we finished our meals, the waiter appeared and cleared our plates. Then he placed two brownies with ice cream in front of us.
“Oh my god, that looks delicious,” I blurted. “But we’re supposed to be dieting.”
He shrugged as he picked up a spoon. “It’s just one night. Live a little, right?”
I smiled and scooped a large bite into my mouth. “My belly is gonna look so big when we get back to the room.”
“No, it’s not.” He took a few bites until he stopped.
I didn’t have the self-control to stop. I ate every single bite and left the spoon on the plate. “Don’t judge me.”
He smiled. “Never.”
The waiter came and took the plates away. We were left with the champagne, the candles, and the stars.