She deserves to have a family again. She suffered so much from the divorce, seeing her family torn apart. Jaime needs to have a family at the wedding supporting her.
I had a family. Tony had one. Jaime needs one. As Alex said, family is everything.
Alex.
What about him?
She shook her head.
I cannot deny my feelings for him, and I know he feels something for me. He’s made that clear.
Being with him was . . . special. Unique. Satisfying. He’s such a kind man who makes me feel special when I’m with him.
It’s obvious Tony still misses Tiffany and would take her back if she came to him tonight.
She sighed.
And that’s how it should be. They’re married. They should work things out.
Oh, Lord . . ., she wrote. I honestly don’t know what to do. Should I trust him again? Can I? I don’t know if I have it in me.
But Jaime . . .
Closing the journal, Joy exhaled. Anxiety that weighed her down like a wet blanket had eased off her body.
She set the alarm on her phone, but before she set it down on the nightstand, another text message appeared, this time from Jaime.
Are you okay?
Joy knew Tony had let Jaime know what happened.
I’m great. It was a lovely evening.
Jaime sent a and nothing else.
Had Tony informed her of the night’s events? Joy wondered. That familiar pain of guilt flowed over her body. The guilt a mother has when she could make her child happy but chooses not to.
If Tony and I work things out, Jaime would be ecstatic. It would make her dreams come true—seeing us both at her wedding, happy, in love. Dancing together.
Tears filled Joy’s eyes as she remembered when her own father passed away and her family was forever torn apart.
What I wouldn’t give to have seen Mom and Dad together one more time. But she was powerless to make it happen.
I love you too, Joy texted. Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be all right.
But now she had the power to do it. She could put together her little family again, and for Jaime.
No child should endure the pain of their family being ripped apart when it didn’t have to be.
Love you, Mom!
Those words and that exclamation point relieved Joy of any guilt. Everything’s going to be all right. She grinned, set down her phone, and turned out the light. Staring out the window, the reality came to her. Everything’s going to be all right.
The next morning, as Joy approached the flower shop in the busy piazza, she spotted Alessandro unloading flowers from his cart. He wore a black polo shirt with the DeSantis Farms logo on it, tan slacks, and a bright smile.
“Buongiorno,” he said with smiling eyes.
“Come stai?” Joy asked as she helped him with a box of flowers.
“Bene. And you?”
“Bene.”
“Buongiorno.” Dina approached, rubbing her hands together. “We have a bride coming in today to select flowers. You help?”
“Of course.” Joy entered the shop and placed her purse behind the counter. The floral scent within the shop overwhelmed her and relaxed her tense muscles. The sweetest, most expensive perfume couldn’t work that magic. She remained unsure if Tony would call her that day or not.
“Roses . . . carnations . . . freesia . . . and I forget what else she asked for,” Dina said as she flipped through her notes, her reading glasses perched low on her nose. “Let’s see what I wrote down here.”
“You had a nice time at the farm, yes?” Alessandro asked.
“Assolutamente,” Joy replied with a wide grin.
Dina looked up from her notes.
“Good. My friends are in town for a dance.” Alessandro gestured. “Food, wine, music at their ristorante.”
