“Having just lived through that scenario—in reverse—I’ve realized that as scary as risks can be, strong people aren’t freaked out by them. They do what has to be done to support and protect the one they lo . . . they care about. I’d put you in the strong camp.”

“I’m liking the sound of this.”

“Good.” He took a deep breath—and took the plunge. “I know we only met three weeks ago . . . and my previous relationship notwithstanding, I’m not usually the impulsive type . . . but from the day our paths crossed, I felt a spark with you that I’ve never felt with anyone else. Unless I’m misreading your signals, you feel it too. So I’d like to propose that we spend the next few weeks . . . or months . . . seeing where that spark leads. What do you say?”

“Sign me up. Starting now.” She urged him close again.

This time he didn’t balk.

Except as he leaned down, the door to her room opened and a nurse entered.

He rested his forehead against hers and groaned.

“Talk about rotten timing.” Eve muttered the comment close to his ear.

“I have to check your dressings.” The woman looked at the two of them, and her eyes began to twinkle. “But I’ll work fast.”

Brent eased his hand out of Eve’s and stood. “I’ll wait in the hall.”

“Don’t go far.” She touched her lips with her fingertips and blew a kiss his direction, sending a jolt of testosterone hurtling through him.

“Never.”

And as he left the room and took up a position in the hall across from her door, that was a promise he intended to keep not just today, but every single day for the rest of his life.

Epilogue

CAN YOU BELIEVE this view is real? Don’t you feel like you’ve stepped into a fairy tale?” From their perch on top of a vineyard-covered Tuscan hill, Eve straddled the frame of her bike and rested her hands on the grips.

Brent gave the scene a sweep. The newly green grapevines, silvery olive groves, fields of vibrant red poppies, and—clinging to a distant hillside—a cobblestone-paved village were, indeed, charming.

But no more charming than the woman sharing this journey with him.

He smiled at his bride beside him. “I feel like that every day.”

She turned toward him, the sun glinting in her copper-colored hair as she removed her helmet. “I was talking about this idyllic place. It’s like a storybook.”

“The place is only the backdrop for the book. You’re the star of my story.”

And what an amazing story it was.