Page 98 of The Mad Don
I pick up my bag. “Giovanni! Where are you?”
I get nothing, and my heart begins to pound. Then I hear footsteps in the dark. It’s more than one person. People are walking into the room, making sure to keep in the shadows. My heart slams against my ribs, and my finger settles alongside the trigger, and I’m thinking,of course, of course it couldn’t stay this quiet forever; I knew it, I knew!
The lights come on, and the faces are Annika’s, Kirill’s, Christov’s, and Lucia’s. Little Dimitri waving with both arms over his head.
“Oh — shit —” I whip the gun behind my back as I see him. The staff is all holding balloons. And gold letters strung on a ribbon between them.
WILL YOU MARRY ME?
I stand with my mouth open and a loaded gun hidden against the small of my back.
“Look back,” Annika calls, her hands pressed to her mouth. Lucia is bouncing on her toes, pointing past me. “Look back!”
I turn to see Giovanni, who is on one knee behind me.
The tears come up before I can do anything about them. He opens the box, and the ring inside is enormous, a diamond thatgathers every flame in the room and throws it back, exactly like him.
“Make me the happiest man alive,” he says. “Marry me,Lupa.”
His hands are shaking. I set the gun down on my chair. I wipe my palm on my dress because I am nervous. I hold my hand out to him, and the relief that breaks across his face nearly takes my legs out from under me.
He slides the ring on, and the room erupts, clapping, Annika crying openly now, Lucia shrieking, Kirill nodding in approval, and Christov cheering. Giovanni rises and pulls me into him.
“I love you,” he says.
“I love you more.”
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Christov starts the chant, of all people, and the whole room takes it up.
“Ewww,” Dimitri yells and turns away. Christov claps his hands over Lucia’s eyes. She swats at him again, laughing.
Giovanni kisses me, and I hold onto him, and over his shoulder I see all of them: my brother, his sister, Annika, Kirill, and the little Dimitri.
The room is full, and I truly have a full family. I smile as Giovanni kisses my ears and whispers. “I love you.”
I love him too.
The End?
