Chapter 9 - The Question
Two weeks later, Federal Hill was bathed in the warm, golden light of late spring. The apple trees in the Romano courtyard were in full blossom, shedding soft white petals over the green lawns.
In the private garden behind the house, Emma was running through the grass, playing fetch with a young Golden Retriever puppy Allessandro had bought for her seventh birthday. Her bright, joyful laughter filled the sunny afternoon air.
Maria sat at a wrought-iron table on the terrace, sketching a design for a new children's library she was planning to build in the lower district of the city, funded entirely by the Romano Charitable Trust.
Allessandro walked out from his office, dressed in a casual white linen shirt and dark trousers. He walked over to the table and stood behind Maria, leaning down to press a soft kiss against the top of her head.
"You look busy, my love," he murmured.
Maria smiled, leaning her head back against his chest. "I'm finalizing the blueprint for the community center. Emma says we need more books about dragons."
"Then we shall order a thousand dragon books," Allessandro said with a low chuckle.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet-lined box. He laid it gently on the blueprint paper in front of her.
Maria paused, her hand holding the pencil going completely still. She looked down at the dark velvet box, her breath catching in her throat.
"Allessandro...?" she whispered.
Allessandro stepped around the table and dropped down to one knee beside her chair — the exact same spot where he had knelt to Emma six months ago.
He opened the velvet box.
Inside sat a stunning, antique emerald ring, surrounded by a halo of brilliant diamonds — an heirloom that had belonged to his mother, the very ring his father had used to declare his lifelong devotion.
"Maria," Allessandro said, his voice steady, deep, and overflowing with devotion. "When you first came to this house, you were a woman carrying the heavy burden of the world on your shoulders. Today, you are the woman who holds my heart in your hands. I do not want to be just your protector, Maria. I want to be your husband. I want to build a life with you, grow old with you, and give Emma the father she deserves."
Tears of pure, overwhelming joy spilled over Maria’s lashes. She looked from the brilliant green stone to the eyes of the man who had transformed her life from a cold nightmare into a paradise.
"Yes," Maria choked out, her voice breaking with emotion. "Yes, Allessandro! A thousand times yes!"
Allessandro smiled — a broad, radiant smile that transformed his entire face — and slid the emerald ring onto her finger. He stood up, pulling her into his arms, lifting her off her feet as he kissed her deeply under the warm afternoon sun.
From the lawn below, Emma came running up the terrace steps, the puppy bouncing happily at her heels.
"Did Mom say yes?!" Emma squealed, her wide dark eyes dancing with excitement.
Allessandro lowered Maria back to her feet, keeping his arm wrapped securely around her waist. He looked down at the little girl who had changed his destiny.
"She said yes, Emma," Allessandro said warmly.
Emma jumped up and down, clapping her hands. "Does that mean you're my real dad now?!"
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Allessandro dropped down to one knee, wrapping his broad arms around Emma, pulling her close against his chest alongside Maria.
"I have been your dad in my heart since the moment you saved me, little one," Allessandro whispered into her hair. "And no one will ever take that away from us."
