Call Me Crazy (Bellamy Creek #3) - Melanie Harlow Page 0,20
getting married at City Hall doesn’t mean he can’t bless your marriage.”
Enzo and I exchanged a frantic glance.
“That’s a wonderful idea, Marisol,” my mother agreed.
Under the table, Enzo nudged my foot.
“We don’t really want anything too, um, involved,” I said, glancing at him. “Do we, babe?”
He shook his head. “Definitely not.”
“You really don’t want a big wedding?” Pietro’s wife Lynne looked at me with surprise. “We had like three hundred people at ours. It was super fun.”
“We really don’t.” I smiled at her and tipped my head onto Enzo’s shoulder. “We just want to be married.”
“Isn’t that sweet?” My mother’s eyes misted over. “They’re so in love, they just want to be husband and wife as soon as possible.”
“Why the rush?” asked my brother JJ. “You knocked up or something?”
“John Patrick DeRossi, what is the matter with you?” My mother was outraged.
“I’m not pregnant,” I assured everyone at the table.
“But you want children, right?” Mrs. Moretti nodded at me, as if to encourage an affirmative answer.
“Yes. We do.”
Both our mothers looked so elated I thought they might rocket right out of their chairs.
“I think I’m going to cry. It’s like all my prayers are being answered in the space of ten minutes.” Mrs. Moretti fanned her face and turned her eyes to the ceiling. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Anyway, Ma, we really don’t want a priest. I’m already in touch with Judge Reinhart—we did a kitchen reno for him and his wife last year—and I’m just waiting for him to get back to me with a date.”
“James Reinhart?” Mr. Moretti nodded. “I’ll call him tomorrow. We gave him a great deal on that home renovation, and he said if I ever needed anything to give him a call.”
Enzo spoke up. “Pop, we’ve got this. You don’t need to—”
“Consider it done,” Mr. Moretti spoke with finality. “I’ll get that wedding date for you by the end of the week.”
Enzo and I looked at each other—a completely unrehearsed look of oh shit, this just got real.
I recovered first, flashing Enzo’s father a grin. “Thanks, Mr. Moretti. We’d appreciate that.”
“So Enzo, how did you propose?” asked his sister Eve.
We were prepared for this question, and I had the first line.
“It was very romantic,” I said, trying not to laugh as I recalled his drunk ass showing me the ring engraved for someone else. “He even got down on one knee.”
“Where were you?” asked Cat.
“At my condo,” I answered.
“Were you surprised?” Lynne asked.
“She was shocked.” Enzo sounded pleased with himself as he put his arm around me again. “Shocked and delighted. She couldn’t say yes fast enough. And she cried tears of joy.”
That was not in the script.
Before I could help myself, I gave him an annoyed look, which he responded to by stepping on my foot. I quickly tried to shift my face into an expression of adoration. “It was quite the surprise,” I said through my teeth.
“I’m sure it was,” Talia said, amused. “Whoever thought Enzo would be the type to get down on one knee?”
“Both knees, actually,” I said, adding my own bit of improvised dialogue. “Almost like he was begging me to spend the rest of our lives together. He just kept saying over and over again how much he loved me. How he can’t wait for me to be his wife.”
Enzo dug his fingertips into my shoulder. “You’re just so lovable, mia polpetta,” he said, his jaw tight, staring murderously into my eyes. “Once I got past your prickly surface, I discovered a truly big heart.”
“And once I realized there was more to you than your big fat ego, I couldn’t help falling in love.” I bit back a laugh. “In fact, I find your insufferable arrogance sort of charming now.”
“And I find your know-it-all attitude and general air of imperious self-importance downright entrancing,” he said angrily. He was gripping my shoulder hard enough to leave a bruise. “I am so bewitched by you, sweetheart, I can hardly see straight.”
To my left, Ellie cleared her throat. “Wow. Clearly you were meant to be.”
“Clearly,” I said, and then I couldn’t resist planting a kiss smack on Enzo’s lips. His mouth was warm and firm and felt nice against mine, so nice I dragged out the kiss for a few seconds longer than planned. A warmth blossomed deep in my belly and spread through my limbs. When I pulled away, Enzo’s expression told me how stunned he was. Frankly, I was kind of stunned too—my body had reacted as if the kiss