His deepest love

~~ARIA~~The cold air whips around me, even as I lie in the camp bed at Mom's home. If I thought that being back in England would allow me to feel much freer and less stressed about the whole situation... well, I was wrong. Very wrong. I feel as miserable as ever and freezing cold too. With my eyes closed, I try to block the whole world out. I finally cave in to my imagination and allow him to come into my heart."I miss you," I think I hear Stefano whispering into my ear, as if he's here beside me, snuggling up to me in the bed. "I wish you were back in Italy with me. You didn't even give me a chance to say goodbye. Why didn't you want to say goodbye?"I might be drifting in and out of sleep and imagining things, but as I turn to my side to face him, Stefano is really there, holding on to me like I belong to him. God I love this sensation, I adore being in his arms, being held and caressed."I was too scared to say goodbye," I confess as I run my

Beyond Space

~~STEFANO~~I can't imagine Aria here. England doesn't seem to suit her. As I walk through the streets of London, under the deep gray skies, I imagine Aria doing the same thing. But I just can't. London doesn't suit her, not like Italy. I wonder if Aria knows that and feels happier in Italy. She has to, right? I just can't imagine her loving it here.Unfortunately, I don't know where she lives. I didn't get that information from Isla and Liam and for a good reason. I don't want to creep her out by turning up if she doesn't want me in her home. What if she thinks she's escaped and never wants to see my face again? I didn't come here expecting Aria to fall at my feet. I know she might turn me away. I've decided, however, that this is a risk I'm willing to take.I do know the firm that Aria works for, and that's how I'm going to reach out to her. I'm going to give her the chance to make a choice whether or not she wants to see me. That's the best way for us t

Void within

~~ARIA~~I keep darting my eyes to Stefano; I can't really believe that he's here. I've been dreaming about him so much since I got home to England that I can't quite tell if this is real or only in my imagination again. But he is real. I can actually reach out and touch him, which is way more intense than just dreaming. I can run my hand down his arm and feel the warmth of his skin. I have truly missed the sensation of him beside me. I have missed this man more than I even thought. My feelings are more powerful than ever. I'm addicted to these sensations."I can't stop looking at you," Stefano chuckles, showing that he feels the same way. "You really are beautiful, Aria. I need you to know how much I love you."I've dreamt about him saying this, but I never imagined how good it would feel to have those words in my ears. To know that he really feels them and can't wait for me to know how much he adores me."I love you too," I murmur back, stroking

Meetings Greetings

~~STEFANO~~I knew I liked Aria's mother the moment I saw her at Liam and Isla's party. There was a sass to her, an awesome attitude which drew me to her. I'm so glad she's here today as I'm meeting Leo for the very first time. I know I saw him at the party, but I didn't meet him.Not like this… I have to admit, I'm incredibly anxious about it. But with Aria by my side, and her mother in the room as well, I'm pretty sure it'll be fine. Especially as I can feel their welcoming energy burning off them in waves."Right, well Leo is just about to wake up from his nap," Aria tells me with a sweet smile. "I'll just go and get him; then we can go to the park or something."I nod and watch as Aria heads up the stairs, my heart racing at what's about to come. Her mother reaches out and rests her hand on my shoulder."Hey, you're a good man, Stefano. This is going to be fine. You're all going to be fine."She's giving me the much-needed re

Back Again

~~ARIA~~Eight months later…God, I love being back here. Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking, leaving Italy behind. I had such a good time… well, before all the scary drama happened with Stefano. It's like this place is in my blood and it's where I want to be forever. I didn't hesitate to move back as soon as the opportunity arose. Not just because of work, of course, but because it's where Stefano is.Mom and Leo came with me, and we moved into a rental near Isla's home… for a little while, anyway. But the better things got with Stefano, the more we wanted to move in together so we could take our relationship to the next level. Now, we all live in Stefano's mansion. Mom has her own wing so she can continue to spend more time with Leo. It's actually turned out to be the most incredible decision I've ever made in my whole life."Don't you just love the Italian beaches?" Isla asks with a giggle as she kicks her legs in the white sand. "I cou

THE HAPPY LIFE AFTER

~~STEPHANO~~One year later…"What do you think?" I ask my brothers as I turn to show them my sleek charcoal suit. "Do you think this looks good for the day?""Hmm, I don't know," Domenic teases, acting like he's really thinking about his answer. "I'm not sure you're slick enough to marry such a beauty."I give him a light, playful punch on the arm. "I know Aria is way too good for me. You don't need to remind me all the time. But seriously, do I look okay?"Giovanni jumps in, "Yeah, you look great, Stefano. Ignore this idiot."We all laugh, but I can't disguise the nerves coming through my chuckle. I might have been looking forward to this day ever since I proposed to Aria, but now that the time is here, I can't turn off the intense edginess that's threatening to overcome me. I just want this day to be perfect for Aria. That woman absolutely deserves the world, and I would love nothing more than to give it to her. So I went a little over the top with the décor in this beautiful old I