Chapter 12 – TERESA MORETTI BROUGHT A FOLDER

The grand opening was a blur of joy, flour, and ringing cash registers.

We sold out of cinnamon rolls in the first hour.

By noon, the pastry cases were completely empty.

Caroline was laughing behind the counter, chatting with old friends from high school.

Teresa sat at a small corner table, sipping espresso and holding court with the neighborhood ladies.

Everything was perfect.

At 2:00 PM, I flipped the sign back to ‘CLOSED’ and locked the door.

The bakery was quiet again, smelling of sugar and success.

I untied my apron and leaned against the counter, exhausted but happier than I had ever been in my entire life.

The bell above the door jingled as Luca unlocked it from the outside and stepped in.

He was wearing a casual black sweater, his hair slightly messy from the wind.

He locked the door behind him and walked slowly toward me.

“I heard you sold out,” he said, a warm smile in his eyes.

“Every last crumb,” I laughed, walking around the counter to meet him.

Luca reached out and took both of my hands in his.

His thumbs gently rubbed across my flour-dusted knuckles.

“Marcus Bellini won’t be bothering you ever again,” Luca said quietly. “He and his sister are on a private plane to Europe. They signed over their assets. They are permanently out of our lives.”

I breathed a massive sigh of relief.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“I promised your mother I would keep you safe,” Luca said, stepping closer. “And I intend to keep that promise for the rest of my life.”

He reached into his pocket.

My breath caught in my throat as he pulled out a small velvet box.

He didn’t drop to one knee.

He didn’t make a grand, theatrical speech.

He just looked at me with a love so deep and grounding that it made my soul ache.

“I want to come home to the smell of cinnamon rolls,” Luca said softly. “I want to wake up next to the strongest woman I know. Will you marry me, Hannah?”

He opened the box.

Inside was a simple, breathtaking diamond ring, flanked by two small silver lions.

Tears spilled down my cheeks.

I thought about the wobbly kitchen table.

The thin blankets.

The years of struggling.

It had all led me here. To this man. To this life.

“Yes,” I cried, throwing my arms around him. “Yes, Luca. Yes.”

He slid the ring onto my finger, a perfect fit.

Then he pulled me in and kissed me, tasting like coffee and a promise of forever.

When he finally pulled back, he reached into his other pocket.

He pulled out a single, perfectly intact white carnation.

He gently pinned it to the lapel of my chef’s coat, right over my heart.

“She’s here, Hannah,” Luca whispered, resting his forehead against mine. “She’s right here.”

I touched the soft white petals.

I looked around the beautiful bakery my mother had bought for me, at the sister I loved, at the incredible man holding me in his arms.

And for the first time in my life, I knew we were finally, truly going to be all right.