Michael stepped up to the raised podium. Her heart tripped. Every cell in her body screamed for the right to smooth back his hair, touch his hard cheek, and revel in this moment with him. Dressed in an elegant charcoal suit with a purple tie, he took up the entire stage with his presence and immediately quieted the crowd. His dark good looks and sexy brooding stare made the women around her giggle and chatter. Maggie fought the primitive instinct to tell them to back off. Instead, she remained silent.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said into the mic, “I’m pleased to be with you to finally reveal the culmination of a family dream. My family built their first bakery in Bergamo, Italy, with pastries cooked out of my mama’s kitchen. With a lot of hard work, the Contes opened stores throughout Milan, and always dreamed of coming to America to share our recipes. That dream is finally here, and I thank all of you for sharing it with us.”
People clapped and roared. He went on to thank Nick and Dreamscape Enterprises, his business partners, and a variety of other members who helped along the way. Then he paused. Looked out into the crowd. And stabbed her with his gaze.
Maggie caught her breath.
His eyes seethed with emotion. He spoke as if they were alone, each word drilling into her mind and her heart with a deliberate intimacy that made shivers run down her spine. “Family is very important to me. This is something I believe in. The name of La Dolce Famiglia is a sign of my beliefs and my pride in what I hold dear. In what I love above nothing else.”
Her palms grew damp as she stood rooted to the ground, transfixed by his voice and his eyes and his presence.
“I have now discovered a new type of family. I have fallen in love with an incredible woman, one who made me believe in happily ever after. One who cracked my world open and made me whole. But, alas, she does not believe me. Words are not enough to convince her that I need her in my life. That she makes me whole. Therefore, I am proud to reveal my new bakery, and a new chain to open in America, where I have met the woman I want to be my wife.”
With a nod, the ropes tugged, then released.
The elaborate scrolling sign with bold letters proudly displayed the name.
La Dolce Maggie.
The blood pumped through her veins, and the world blurred, tilted, and held. She blinked and turned her head toward Alexa, who fiercely held her arms and gave her a tiny shake.
“Don’t you understand, Maggie?” she asked with tears shining in her bright blue eyes. “He loves you. It was always you—but you have to be brave enough to reach for it. You have to believe you’re worth it. That’s what you told me the day Nick confessed his love for me, remember? If you love someone, you fight for them, again and again. My best friend is not a coward. You deserve this. You deserve love.”
Like a vampire coming back to life after a deep sleep, suddenly she saw every color and shape slide into sharp focus. Her senses exploded, and she began walking through the crowds, making her way to the stage, where Michael waited for her.
He met her halfway. She studied his beautiful face, the full curve of his lip, the shadowed stubble over his chin, the crooked nose, the seething heat in his onyx eyes. He cupped her face between large, hard hands and pressed his forehead against hers. His breath rushed warm over her mouth.
“My Maggie, mia amore, I love you. I want to live with you, grow old, and have bambinos with you. You wrecked me. Completely. I could never settle for another woman because I’d be bored out of my mind. Don’t you understand? I don’t want the typical wife you think would make me happy, because you were meant for me, all of you. Your sarcasm, and wit, and sexiness, and honesty. You belong with me, and I won’t give up until I finally convince you. Capisce?”
She choked back a sob and reached for him.
His lips came down on hers and he kissed her deeply, as the roar of approval from the crowds echoed in her ears. Her heart expanded in her chest and settled. A sense of peace and homecoming flooded through her, and she finally believed.
“I love you, Michael Conte,” she whispered fiercely when his lips released hers. “And I want it all. With you, your family, your bakeries, everything. I’ve always loved you, but I was too afraid to take it.”
He kissed her again. Michael grabbed her and lifted her high, laughing in joy. She stood wrapped up in the tight circle of his arms, finally complete.
With her own home and happy ending.
Epilogue
“Maggie, hurry up! The movers are here!”
She grumbled under her breath and looked once more upon the empty rooms of her condo, making sure she hadn’t missed anything. Moving into a mansion wasn’t easy. Hell, they’d already fought over placement of things and room arrangements. She licked her lips when she thought of all the lovely ways they had made up, also. Many rooms had been christened.
Fortunately, there were many more to go.
“Coming!” she screamed.
With one last glance at the bare mattress still lying on her bed, she paused as a memory took hold. Maggie walked over to the bed and stuck her hand underneath the mattress.
The list.
The love spell.
She gazed at the white ledger paper and unfolded it to look at her list. Thank God, Michael hadn’t seen it; she would’ve died of humiliation. Shaking her head at the ridiculousness of her actions, she glanced down at the list of items she had requested Earth Mother provide her in her husband. The qualities blurred together as her gaze slid over the paper.
A man with a sense of loyalty.
A man with a sense of family.
A man who is a good lover.
A man who can be my friend.
A man who can challenge me.
A man I can confess my secrets to.
A man I can trust.
A man with confidence.
A man with an open heart.
A man who will fight for me.
A man who can love me exactly as I am.
Maggie caught her breath. She reread the list, an odd sense of foreboding washing over her. Drunk, defenses down, and lonely; the qualities on this list would never have been composed in her rational mind. No, every item cried out for someone who could complete her.
Michael. Earth Mother had sent her Michael Conte.
The diamond ring shot icy glimmers of light as she carefully folded up the paper and crumbled it in her hand. Ridiculous. She was getting herself spooked. There was no such thing as Earth Mother. The perfect man and love spells didn’t exist.
Right?
Warily, she decided to throw out the book of spells. Where had she put that purple book?
Carina.
When they’d returned home from the waterfront the evening of their reconciliation, Maggie was shocked to find Carina on Michael’s doorstep. The best part was the massive ball of black fur she held against her chest.
As soon as Dante spotted Maggie, he’d jumped out of Carina’s arms and into hers like he belonged there. Carina confessed that once she’d told Dante she wanted to take him to see Maggie, he walked right into the cat carrier like he understood. And maybe he had.
Her family complete, Maggie realized what it meant to fully belong to others and swore she’d never forget it. Still, she didn’t like the idea of her new sister holding on to a book of spells that may actually work.