12

Luca’s sorrow transformed to steely determination. The way he saw things, he possessed just one means by which to keep Ashley from leaving, and that was the presentation of a counter offer. If Windermere had the right to enhance its offer, then so did he. He refused to lose her without a mighty and epic fight.

The time had come to follow his heart.

The next morning, he sent Ashley a text: I hope you’ll do one thing for me. Visit the Piazzale Michelangelo. Remember my advice? About going there at quarter of twelve? Meet me there today, won’t you?

He clicked SEND, and waited.

I’ll be there.

Only then did Luca allow himself to breathe. Her answer was simple, and direct, but her acceptance was all he wanted, for he firmly believed God hadn’t quite finished with this story. Not yet, anyhow.

He left the gallery at eleven and arrived at the Piazzale shortly thereafter. The weather was cold, but an ice-blue sky stretched above, uninterrupted by the threat of clouds and snow. Hearty tourists meandered through the wide open expanse, taking in its incomparable view of Florence laid out in a rolling valley of terracotta, gold, and brown. With Christmas on the horizon, stall keepers hawked a variety of goods. One merchant in particular captured Luca’s attention. A woman, protected by the awning of a portable tent, sat beneath its cover, crafting exquisite pieces of jewelry.

At her display table, he found an item that captured the leap he was about to take. Smiling—praying in earnest—he purchased the piece with a handful of Euros and his heartfelt thanks. As he took custody of his purchase, he saw Ashley walking the incline of a hill that led to the main viewing area. His heart thundered and skipped.

~*~

The instant she saw Luca, Ashley nearly swiped her phone from its resting spot in her purse and cancelled everything—her flight home, the e-mail she had prepared accepting her teaching position. She had promised herself she’d finalize everything once she was off Italian soil and better able to think without her blasted heart getting in the way and mucking up her determination.

Luca approached then wrapped her in a hug that sent warmth and contentment flowing through troubled joints. Leaving him, Ashley decided, was the very definition of hell, but necessary she reminded herself. Necessary.

“Thank you for coming.”

She stilled her quivering nerves and smiled at him. “Like I could refuse your request.”

He gave her time to settle, which she appreciated. Luca led her past the massive, breathtaking statue of David that held sentinel over the gathering spot. Sunlight burnished the bronze form to brilliance and Ashley experienced a fresh pang at the idea of leaving this historical and art-driven city.

“Remember when I told you, the night of the exhibit, that you had stumbled onto God’s plan?”

Drawn from a rush of melancholy, Ashley focused on Luca and nodded, too troubled to speak.

“What I failed to grasp at that point is fact that I had stumbled onto His plan as well. If we can both find the faith to embrace the reality of His gift, we’ll be OK. We’ll find what we want…and what we need.”

Tears glittered in her eyes; if only reality were that simple, she thought.

“Look at your life as though it were the gift of the Magi. Your life is yours, but it belongs to God. Open the treasures that are your gifts. When you did, it led you here. Present them in honor of the One you serve. When you did, it led you here. Give your gifts to God and everything else will fall into place, including your family, and the roadmap of your future, your security—and most importantly the pathway of your heart.”

“Your advice is wonderful, but would you be willing to do the same? Can you let go of perceptions and fears of loss and realize you and I are a gift meant to be given to one another as well? That we deserve a chance to be together no matter what other people want to say or think? I can’t stay if you aren’t, Luca. Are you ready? I don’t care about age. I don’t care one bit about what you do or don’t do, with regard to my career in art. Furthermore, I adore Vince. And right now, I don’t care about anything but finding a life with you. I can’t do that, though. I can’t take that step without knowing you’d be there with me. If our future was in the States, would you be willing to give up everything you’ve worked for here? Just to be with me? Because that’s what you’re asking me to do. I need to know that you’d be willing to embrace the future and the life God gives you as well, no matter where that leads.”

“You’re afraid I wouldn’t move forward with you at my side?”

“That’s the main reason I’ve considered the renewed offer. It’s flattering; it gives me a great chance from a professional prospective. Personally, it would leave me empty. But you and me? We’re so new we can hardly be called ‘we’. To stay would mean me giving up everything I’ve known as well as a concrete future. And for what? A maybe future.”

“Then consider this my vow.” He took hold of her hands, squeezed them tight. “You represent everything I long to recapture. Joy. Love. Connection. That's why I couldn’t keep my distance or remain strictly professional when it came to my relationship with you. That’s why I can’t tolerate the idea of you leaving. We can be happy here, Ashley. Give me—give us—the chance. We can build a beautiful life together.”

“I’ve never wanted anything more, Luca, but I’m scared. I admit it, I’m afraid, and I know that might demonstrate a lack of trust and faith, but I also know God understands that uncertainty and fear. I know He’ll help me work through it, and—”

“Then let that process begin here, and now.” Luca drew her in tight, held her steady. “I’m grateful for the time I took away from the gallery and everything else in my life that day I walked through town, across the Arno, straight to where I found you sketching on a ledge of the Ponte Vecchio. I’m grateful I paused long enough to breathe, to watch you, and admire your work. Since then, you’ve come alive as eloquently as one of your sketches—you’re a woman of pure passion. You’re as gifted and sweet as you are beautiful. How could I doubt God’s provision when He led me to that moment?”

He shifted his feet, struggling, she realized.

“Ashley, I’ve loved two women in my life. Madelyn was taken from me at the height of everything I hoped for. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express how that wrecked me. Pain like that isn’t something you can move away from very easily. Loss like that makes it so hard to believe that it can’t, or won’t happen again, because life offers no guarantees. I’m starting to realize now that the pain and loss doesn’t matter as much as the chance God is giving me to discover love again. With you.”

Luca set a guiding hand against her back and led the way to a railing that overlooked the rooftops, bell towers and church steeples of Florence. The hour of noon neared as he removed his leather gloves, stuffed them into one of his coat pockets. From the other, he extracted an item he dangled from his fingertips in presentation and offering.

Tiny beads of glass formed a glittery, multi-colored mosaic in the shape of a heart. The piece was based in silver and strung on a black leather chord Luca secured around her neck.

“You might call this the representation of my heart, Ashley. It belongs to you now. Stay with me. Build a future with me. This Christmas, and always, let’s create a life full of love. Don’t leave. Please, don’t leave.”

Ashley wavered between all that she had planned and all that Luca offered. The future that called her back to the States would be easier. It would be stability and safety nets, but it wouldn’t give her what she now knew she craved the most—the love of a remarkable man.

Slowly, like the build of a perfect crescendo, bell chimes began to sound, building, filling the air, vibrating with loving hope and promise.

“Luca…are you sure?”

“Without a question or a doubt.”

Across the valley that stretched below them, through the streets that curved, the buildings that had stood for centuries, sounding against mountain ranges that rose against the horizon, church bells continued to sound, striking noon in time to the music of God’s own melody.

This was her answer. This was her future. This was her heart—and his—coming together for life’s ultimate adventure.

“You’re a gift I intend to revere. I love you,” he murmured against her trembling, waiting lips.

“I love you, too,” she whispered in turn, shifting her plans all over again in deference to the gift of love God had delivered to her this Christmas.

A kiss flowed from his soul to hers and back again, accompanied by the ongoing melody of a bell-chime serenade.