Page 114 of My Foolish Heart

“Will you marry me?”

There’s a circle around us now, and our song still plays, as I shout, “Yes.” Pulling him up, I repeat it so many times, just to make sure he’s heard me. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”

Cheers erupt as he puts a beautiful ring, perfectly sized, on my finger. As his family claps above us, I realize Chari and I both got engaged in the same spot.

Of course, Tris went one step further with the audience and perfectly timed music. I’m sure he’ll be ribbing his brother about that one.

“I love you,” I say between tears. And here I thought the dayCucinaawarded Leoni’s the Best Restaurant award was one of the best in my life. That pales in comparison to this moment.

“Who could have imagined Gian’s scheme would lead to this?” I say as the crowd begins to disperse, looking at the new ring on my hand.

“Hmm,” Tris says, holding my hand and admiring the ring too. “If we could please not give my baby brother too much credit for this, that would be great. He’s already up there gloating, I’m sure.”

“Well, it was his idea,” I argue.

“I suppose. But there’s zero chance in hell that if you didn’t agree I’d have let it drop at that.”

“Oh really?” I ask, pretending to be surprised.

“Seriously,” he says, looking at me as if no one else exists. “I think I knew that first day when you walked into the reception. It’s why I was so mad, looking back, to find out who you were. I knew there would be no going back, and that things were about to get complicated.”

“And have they?” I tease. “Gotten complicated?”

Tris smiles.

“If by complicated you mean life-changing in a good way, then yes.”

“That’s enough, lovebirds,” Gian yells from four stories up. “We’re getting hungry.”

We both look up simultaneously. Tristano gives his brother a very inappropriate hand gesture that leaves his mother shaking her head and the rest of the family laughing.

I’m not just marrying Tristano, but his family too.

And nothing could make me happier.