She squeezed his hand. “I’m so proud of you for working through that trauma, Tony.”
“I’m not sure I’d have been able to without you.”
“Nonsense. You found a good counselor and were well on your way to sorting it all out before we got serious. I’m certain you would have, but thanks for saying I helped in some way.”
“Yes, but I felt safe with you. Safe enough to show my vulnerability, as you put it. I was trying so hard to be strong in front of everyone that I didn’t realize sometimes you have to let down your guard. It’s not a weakness. Anyway, I’m comfortable doing that with you, Carmella.”
They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment before he continued. “What I feel for you today, Carmella, is so much stronger than anything I’ve felt before—and a million times weaker than what I’ll feel for you in the years to come.”
Carmella’s eyes welled up again, but he meant every word.
“I love you, Carmella. I always will.”
“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to your impulsiveness, though, because I’m a planner by nature.”
“You sure about that? Who invited me to join her on the spur of the moment in the Caribbean?”
She quirked her mouth.
“And decided to pull together a last-minute fundraiser to help me reach my goal so much faster?”
“Oh, that took lots of planning. I was in my element then.”
“Well, I guess that just seemed spur-of-the-moment to me, because I had no clue what you were up to. But that auction only cemented my feelings for you, Carmella.” He took a deep breath, not sure if he should admit the rest of this, but if he was going to be totally honest with her, he needed to be open.
“I might have proposed sooner, but one of the things holding me back was whether you’d be able to handle life as a firefighter’s wife. But the way you rolled up your sleeves and went to work to find a solution—not to mention how you handled my nightmare—showed me you understand the challenges we’ll face in my career.” He bit the inside of his lower lip. “I had a talk with Mama about you.”
Her eyes opened wide. “She knows about us?”
“Well, I didn’t name you specifically at first, but she noticed the way we were looking at each other on the night of the gala.”
She smiled. “Mamas always know, don’t they? Although mine hasn’t said a word to me yet, if she noticed us or not that night. They left soon after the gala to visit friends in Lombardy but are on a cruise ship now. I’ll wait and tell them in person when they fly home at the end of the month.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Why don’t you join me at Mama’s for Thanksgiving dinner? We can share with my family then.”
She hadn’t even gotten used to the idea of being engaged, but she supposed the family needed to know sooner rather than later that they were a couple. “I’ll need to check with Sandro. That’ll be a busy weekend.”
“Talk with him. You can still help out before or after dinner. I work the next morning but would love to have you stay overnight if he doesn’t need you here.”
“Let’s play it by ear. I have to figure out when to tell Sandro about this too.” She raised her hand with the ring facing Tony.
“Congratulations!” They looked up as the maître d’ brought over a tray with a bottle of champagne and two flutes. “On the house for our soon-to-be newlyweds.”
They thanked him profusely and watched as he popped the cork and poured two glasses for them. His soon-to-be got Carmella thinking. When they were alone again, she asked, “How long do you think we’ll need to plan the wedding?”
“At least another day or two. I don’t want to wait another minute to make you mine.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Always so impetuous.” Carm laughed. Would she ever get used to that? Most definitely. She lived a very regimented existence at work and loved the excitement and unpredictability Tony brought into her life. “Seriously, though, when were you thinking?”
“Hey, I’m totally serious here. Unless you have your heart set on a big wedding, I’m ready to take our vows any time. But I know the ceremony and reception mean more to the bride than to the groom usually. You decide when, where, and how.”
She was silent a moment, then said, “I don’t want us to settle for what others expect or want us to do. Our big day should be what we want, first and foremost.”
“Agreed.” His thumb stroked the knuckles of her hand. “Carmella, no matter where or how, I promise you that the day you say I do to me will be the most important day of my life so far.”
“I’m loving this sentimental side of you, Tony.”
“Don’t be sharing that around the station. I have a reputation to uphold.”
She grinned while shaking her head. “I am sure they’ve already figured you out, but I will try to keep your secret when I’m around them.” She sobered at the talk of the station. No way would she ever want him to leave the Aspen Corners Fire Department while he was working so hard to put the new water-rescue squad together. Nor could she walk away from her job at the family resort.
“We need to figure out where we want to live after we get married. Aspen and Aspen Corners would be a killer commute for one of us.”
Tony bit the inside of his lip, and she waited to see what suggestions he might have. When he smiled, she relaxed a bit. “We both have strong commitments that we can’t shirk. What would you think about finding a place somewhere in between? Eagle or Wolcott would be perfect.”
“To be fair and equal distance, Wolcott’s our best bet.”
“Agreed. If I can’t make it home due to weather or something, I
