Strong (Book 2 in the No Control series)

Chapter 12

On day two of our Venice trip, we start off at the Piazza San Marco for coffee. Then we do some shopping nearby. They have some very fancy shops with beautiful items. I however only have eyes for Liam.

Next we shop in the Lido district. Liam continually offers to buy me things. I put my hand on his chest, looking in his eyes. "I have everything I need."

He smiles, leaning down to kiss me. "Let's go to the beach."

We take a long walk on the nearby beach. Taking off our shoes and getting our feet wet in the Adriatic Sea.

For lunch I have a surprise planned for Liam. "I arranged for us to take an Italian cooking class."

He smiles, squeezing my hand. "That sounds great, Babe."

The class turns out to be quite fun. Although I think Liam is more interested in me, than learning how to cook. He keeps sneaking kisses, and wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. Distracting me from cooking. I'm certainly not complaining.

The American couple at the next cooking station over keep watching us. After class, while we eat, they start up a conversation with us. "You two are just so adorable together. I see you are engaged. When are you getting married?" The woman asks.

"In the spring." I say.

"Oh that's great. Where at?"

"Here in Italy actually." I reply.

"That's amazing."

We have a nice visit over lunch. On the way out she asks the instructor to take a picture of the four of us. "We want to remember the sweet couple we met in Venice." She says.

That evening we have an amazing dinner at an old fashioned traditional Italian restaurant. After dinner, Liam suggests we take a walk. We stroll together hand in hand for awhile before Liam leads me to a gondola. "Shall we?" He asks with a sweet smile.

"I'd love to." I reply.

The gondola ride is so romantic. Liam has his arm tightly around me. I alternate between laying my head on his shoulder, and looking up into his eyes. My hand is resting on his thigh. The gondolier is quietly serenading us in Italian. He pauses long enough to let us know we are approaching the Ponte des Sospiri, the Bridge of Sighs. I look up at Liam excited. He grins. Obviously he chose this route on purpose.

The gondolier tells us the story of how the bridge got it's name. It was used to lead prisoners to their cells in the Prigioni, a prison. Apparently the name came from the fact that prisoners who crossed it on the way to their cells, would sigh as they caught their last glimpses of Venice. As we get closer to the bridge he tells of a local legend that says lovers will be granted eternal love and bliss if they kiss on a gondola at sunset, under the bridge, as the bells of St. Mark's Campanile toll.

This gondolier is good because I swear at that exact moment I hear the church bells begin. Liam and I both look to the sunset, then turn to face each other. We look up at the bridge, and as we go under Liam and I kiss. A long, sweet, perfect kiss. You can literally feel the romance of this beautiful, historic area. We have long passed the bridge when Liam and I stop kissing. We look into each other's eyes, knowing we've just shared yet another magical moment in Italy.

The gondolier speaks up. "Now that was quite a kiss. You two will surely have eternal love. Amore eterno."

Liam takes my hand, squeezing it. "I love you, Beautiful."

My heart races as I look into his perfect, dark eyes. "I love you more, Handsome."

The gondolier starts to sing again in Italian, this time a bit louder. Liam kisses me. As he gazes into my eyes, he begins to sing along with the gondolier. I'm a bit surprised at first, obviously they had this planned. I manage to catch a few words in the song, but it doesn't really matter if I don't understand every word. As I squeeze his hand, looking into his eyes as he serenades me, I know that Liam loves me with all of his heart. And I love him with all of my heart. The very heart that he has so perfectly healed.