“Who cares what they think? Jaime deserves to have a family again. Having us together at her wedding and reception will be the best gift we could ever give her.”
Tony held Joy’s hand as they walked. “You’re right. Who cares what people think. We’re a family again, and that’s all that matters.”
At the restaurant inside the St. Regis hotel, Joy stared at Tony as he talked about his plans to head to Rome and conduct business before flying back to New York. As he talked, she couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was. His strong jaw and chiseled features along with his light eyes and tan complexion made her heart race. She couldn’t believe he wanted to be with her again.
“So I’ll be back in New York the week before the wedding. We’ll all get some dinner and talk things over.” He sipped some wine and called the waitress over to take their order.
“We’ll start with the carpaccio, Italian garden salads, bruschetta, and more wine, of course.”
“Very good, signore,” the waitress, a young, attractive woman, said with a sexy smile, turning on her heel.
Joy furrowed her brow as she watched the woman walk off but decided to ignore it. Instead she thought it might be best to have the talk with Tony before ordering their main entree.
“Sounds delicious.” Joy smiled.
“I think so too. I read a review of this restaurant and reviewers suggested what I ordered, so I think we’re safe.” He chuckled.
Their table faced a wall of windows that overlooked the patio, illumined by lights draped across the patio. Patrons trickled into the space. In the distance, speedboats and gondolas passed along the busy Grand Canal.
“It’s a lovely venue. So romantic and relaxing.” Joy stared at her wine glass, summoning the courage to tell Tony how she felt.
“You okay?” He leaned his elbows on the table. “You look like you have something on your mind.”
“Yes. I just need to tell you something that I’ve been thinking about.” After a sip of wine, she had the courage to begin.
“Sure. What’s up?”
“You remember my stepdad, Weston, right?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, yeah. I sure do.” He grimaced.
“Well, after he and Mom got married, I asked her if she loved him, and she told me that when a woman is older and has teenaged children, she doesn’t marry for romance.”
Tony crinkled his brow. “Wow. She said that?”
“Yeah. She explained that she married Weston for security and not romantic love.” Joy exhaled.
“How did that make you feel?”
“At the time, a little sad. But now that I’m older and have been through a divorce . . .”
Tony leaned back.
“I sort of see what she was doing. She was putting our needs over her heart. She was thinking about us and making sure we had what we needed. She made sure we’d be set for life, you know? Mom felt that was more important.” Joy sighed. “Tony, when we first married, it was about romantic love, wasn’t it?”
He smiled and reached for her hand. “Yes, it was.”
“All I wanted was to be a wife and create a home for you, my husband. And then when Jaime came along,” Joy continued, “my life goals became all about her and meeting her needs.”
Tony nodded.
“But I think in doing that, I somehow lost myself along the way.” Joy looked up at him. “I forgot what I wanted from life. I forgot what my goals in life were. And I think that made me boring.”
He squinted.
“I became a bore to you. I mean—”
“Joy, hang on.” He raised his hand to stop her.
“Let me finish, please.” Right as Joy spoke, the appetizers came.
“Buon appetito,” the waitress said with another smile at Tony.
“We will, grazie.” He returned her smile with his own, then fluffed his napkin and placed it on his lap. “Let’s enjoy the food and then discuss what you said, all right?”
“All right.” Joy picked at her salad. The fact that she said what she needed to say eased her mind, and her shoulders relaxed.
After eating in silence for a few minutes, Joy set down her fork. “Tony, I don’t want to be that woman again.”
“Joy, what woman are you talking about? You’ve always been loving and kind. You made us a beautiful home. I was the one who messed it all up,” he said as he ate.
“I just need you to know that my time in Rome changed me.” Flashbacks of her conversations with Millie came to her mind. “I realized that life is too short to not do the things that are important to me.”
“I understand. I really do, and I think that’s great.” Tony smiled between bites of his salad.
She rested her folded hands on the table. “So when I return to New York, I’m going to look into making my dreams come true.”
“That’s great, Joy.” He continued eating his salad.
