The Breakup (27 page)
Marco stood by the door. His face lit up when he saw Aja. She was glad to see he looked better, more at peace. Grief had marked him, but he was going to be fine.
He pulled her close for a quick kiss, then ushered her out the door. “Hey baby. I missed you. Let’s go have some dinner. We need to talk.”
Aja hugged his arm as they walked. They normally would have eaten at Julianna’s place, but he probably wanted to talk in private. They had much to discuss.
After settling at a table and giving their orders, Marco grabbed Aja’s hands across the table. “Where do you want to get married?” he asked.
She was surprised at the question. She’d expected him to ask where she wanted to live. She didn’t realize he’d even been thinking about the wedding.
“I want to marry you and soon,” he said and squeezed her hands.
Tears filled her eyes. “I want to get married in Canada. Would that be okay?”
Marco smiled. “Of course,
cara
.”
Aja’s heart squeezed at the word. It was what Nona had called her. She missed her so much and she’d only known her a short time. She couldn’t imagine what Marco felt.
“Let’s have a big wedding. All your family and friends.”
Aja laughed feeling light for the first time in a month. “I don’t think we have much choice, babe. My family is large. My mother has four siblings, which equates to a
lot
of cousins. And that’s just mother’s side of the family.”
Marco got a wistful look on his face. “I’d love to be part of a big family. I’ve always wanted that, but only had Mamma and Papa until he passed. Do you think your family would adopt me?”
“After they run you through the gauntlet, sure,” she grinned.
“Uh oh.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they take it easy on you.”
“Would you like to live there,
cara
?”
“In Canada? Yes.” It was simple for her. No matter how beautiful Italy was, her home was where her family and best friends were. “But what about Bella?” She didn’t want to tell Marco what Julianna said. It was up to them, as Bella’s parents, to discuss it.
“I hope it’s okay, but I asked her already. She said she wants to move Bella to Canada. She thinks it would be a good place for her to grow up. And she thinks Bella needs to grow up near her father. She’s known of my intentions to go there for some time, so she was prepared.”
“I’m glad. I would love for them to be near.”
“You really don’t mind?”
Aja laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m over my jealousy. Julianna is a darling and Bella has already become like my own child. I would be heartbroken if they stayed here.”
“Good.” Marco leaned forward and kissed her lips. “That’s my girl.” He leaned back in his chair and picked up his wine glass. “To a new life.”
Aja lifted her glass, “To a new, old life.”
Marco laughed and they clinked glasses and took a sip. “I want to start a winery,
cara
.”
“I know,” she gave him an affectionate smile. “And I know just the place.”
“Really? I was thinking of a city called Kelowna. Or Oliver. I did some research and there are many wineries there. It’s a perfect place to grow grapes,” Marco said.
“I’ve toured some of the wineries there. With the knowledge you have, I think you’ll do amazingly well. You’ll knock out the competition.”
“We will,
cara
, we will. Let’s get married and start a new family winery. I want to call it
Bella Terra
.”
Aja thought for a minute. “Beautiful… ground, uh, land. Beautiful land.”
“Very good. Yes. It doesn’t sound as nice in English, but yes.
Bella Terra
. I want to go to Canada and fulfill my father’s dream.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. Believe me, Marco, my family will be thrilled. Carmine is a wonderful farmer, so he’d be happy to lend a hand. You’re going to love my family.” Aja stopped. When was the last time she’d said something like that to someone? Running away had taught her that home wasn’t so bad.
Their food still hadn’t arrived, but Aja was no longer hungry. “Come on, Marco, let’s go call them. We have plans to make.”
Good reviews are important to a novel’s success. If you enjoyed The Breakup, please be kind and leave a review wherever you purchased the book.
Sincerely,
Brenda Grate
About the Author:
Meet Brenda Grate, international bestselling Romance author.
Brenda Grate was born in Santa Rosa, California, and has spent most of her life in Western Canada. She began writing as a teenager, writing mostly poetry and began her first novel in her early twenties while she raised four children.
Supporting other writers is important to Brenda. During her time as the President of the Interior Author's Group in Western Canada, she helped many other writers find their path toward publication.
Brenda is an avid linguistics student. Along with English, she knows Sign Language, speaks Italian, Spanish, some French, and some Greek. She is currently working on increasing her level of Italian.
She lives in Washington State, USA with her husband, best-selling author, Jonas Saul, and their beautiful Siamese cat, Kiki, who they rescued in Italy.
Brenda and her husband travel Europe extensively to research their novels. They have lived for several months in Denmark, Italy, and Greece and have traveled to many other countries, including Hungary, The Netherlands, and Sweden. Brenda has enjoyed exploring many new places which she incorporates as settings in her books.
"I could not put this book down. I began it last night and I have spent the whole day reading it. The writing of the emotional scene was so intense as if the writer has actually lived the life of each character personally. The relationships between the characters rings like real people and the momentum of how one emotional event is the catalyst for the next made the whole book just storm along. It is such a complete book I am not sure how this could have a sequel - but I can hope!" -Reviewer
Contact Brenda Grate
Email:
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Other Titles by Brenda Grate
Love Hurts
No Longer Needed (Coming soon)
PUBLISHED BY:
Imagine Press
The Breakup
Second Edition 2012
First Edition 2011 Lost in Italy by Kate Cornwell
Copyright © 2011 by Brenda Grate
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.