Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 403 -

*Olivia*

It had been the most glorious honeymoon. I couldn't have imagined a better way to celebrate becoming Giovani's wife, and I never wanted our honeymoon to end. But nothing could last forever, and before I knew it, we were already on our last day in Venice.

Gio had promised me that we would spend the last day hitting all the places that we hadn't gotten to yet, and I was hurrying to get ready for the day while he finalized our dinner reservations.

I ran my comb through my hair, grateful that it was obeying me. I only had about fifteen minutes to finish my hair and makeup. I'd never been a particularly fussy person when it came to my looks, but something about walking through famous Italian art museums really made me want to up my game.

I decided on a romantic-looking messy updo with a few wisps of hair framing my face. It was easy enough to do in a few minutes, and I had a feeling my husband would love it. Every time I thought of Gio as my husband, it sent a little shock of happiness through me.

Once I was satisfied with my hair, I turned to my makeup. My skin had been remarkably clear the entire week, which I attributed to the fact that I felt more happy and relaxed than I had in a long time. It felt like everything in my life was finally coming together. Marrying Giovani had brought me one massive step closer to becoming the person that I knew I was meant to be.

With a few swipes of mascara and a bit of blush, I was ready to go. I straightened my clothes, a cream silk blouse tucked into black linen pants, and left the bathroom to replace the shoes I wanted to wear. Giovani was wearing his usual dark suit and looked so good I wanted to tear it right off of him, but there'd be time for that later.

He had his back turned to me as he looked out the windows. I took the opportunity to stand and admire him while he was distracted by his phone call. The broad strength of his shoulders made me feel so safe, and I loved the way his hair was streaked with gray. I felt-no, I knew-that he'd been made just for me. We fit together so perfectly, I couldn't believe there had ever been a time when I doubted whether or not we should be together.

"Ciao," he said, then hung up his phone and turned to face me. "You look lovely with your hair like that," were the first words he said to me. I smirked; I knew him so well.

"Thank you, baby. Where are we going first?" I couldn't wait to do even more sightseeing.

"I thought we'd start at Doge's Palace and then move on to Ca' Rezzonico after lunch. Does that sound good to you?"

He didn't need to ask. I would be happy with whatever he had chosen. The man had amazing taste, after all.

"Sounds amazing, let's go!" I exclaimed, grabbing his hand and tugging him out the door.

He chuckled behind me but let me lead him out to the canal, where we would catch a gondola to take us to our destination. Riding in the gondolas was just as romantic as I'd always imagined it would be.

Walking into the great council chamber of Doge's Palace overwhelmed me so much that it brought tears to my eyes. Giovani looked down at me with a proud smile on his face; he loved being the one to take me to such amazing places. The ornate golden framing around the intricate paintings that covered the ceiling filled with such beautiful colors was so incredible, I couldn't think of anything I'd seen that matched the majesty of it all. I wanted to lie down on the floor and stare up at the ceiling for hours, but we had a tour to go on. Gio stopped and patiently let me take a million photos of everything so that I could show Dahlia.

Before I knew it, it was time to leave for lunch and Ca' Rezzonico. We were able to walk to a peaceful little cafe where we could have soup and sandwiches. "What are you thinking about?" Gio asked me as I ate my meal.

"I'm just wondering how difficult it would be to paint our own ceiling," I responded, half serious.

He burst out into laughter. "I don't know why I expected you to be thinking about anything other than that. You know I'd let you do whatever you wanted. If that includes painting a mural on the ceiling, so be it. I just have one requirement: I want a nude portrait of you right above our bed."

I laughed and whacked his arm. His request was ridiculous, but I had to admit it would add an interesting bit of spice to bedtime.

We finished our lunch and walked the rest of the way to Ca' Rezzonico. This was one of Giovani's favorite places, so instead of going on an official tour, he took me around and showed me all his favorite pieces. I fell in love all over again as he excitedly dragged me from piece to piece, pointing out what he loved most. The spark in his eye was undeniable and it made me enjoy our time at the museum even more.

When Ca' Rezzonico closed, it was time for our dinner reservation. The restaurant was lit by old-school candlesticks in lovely antique candelabras. It was the perfect way to end our time in Venice. As we ate the four-course meal, we already began making plans for our next visit. Once again, I was amazed that this was my life now. I was someone who could make plans to visit Venice for a second time and actually get to do it.

***

The next morning, we made it back to the compound not long after breakfast. Giovani had to catch up on a lot of work, and I was excited to have some girl time with Dahlia. Before he left for his office, he kissed me deeply and told me he'd miss me, even though we'd only be separated for a few hours. I smiled to know he'd be thinking about me.

Dahlia was in her room reading when I found her. I shut her door behind me so that we could catch each other up on gossip and life happenings without risking anyone overhearing. She squealed with happiness the second I walked into her room and jumped up to give me a huge hug.

"Thank god you're back! The whole place was starting to get a little too testosterone-heavy for my liking!" she exclaimed as she pulled me toward her bed so we could both sit. "So tell me all about the honeymoon! I bet it was so amazing!" "It really was," I said. I pulled my phone out so I could show her all the pictures I had taken as I told her about all the things we'd done.

"You know what? You should show these to Caterina too. I know she'd love them just as much as I do," she said once I was finished talking. I'd introduced her to Caterina and they'd become fast friends, just as I knew they would. But her bringing Caterina up reminded me that there was something else I needed to tell her, and I was nervous about what her reaction might be.

"Dahlia, I need to tell you something, and I want you to let me explain everything before you respond, okay?" I said, trying to prepare her so she wouldn't just blurt out the first thought that popped into her head.

"Yeah, of course. What is it?" She looked concerned, and I felt bad for making it sound like I was about to tell her something terrible, but I also wanted her to understand that I had really thought this through. I took a deep breath and decided to just come out with it. "I'm not going back to the university."

Her jaw dropped. She sat there in stunned silence, and I realized that she was waiting for me to explain like I'd told her I would.

"This has just been all so new, and I've realized that maybe the university isn't the best place for me right now. I want to explore what it means to be Giovani's wife and a part of this family. And I need time to do that. I also want to pursue more of my passions like art and fashion, and although I love our classes, I just don't think they're helping me in the way that I want. And hell, I don't even know if those are my true passions. I feel like I've spent so much time just thinking of myself in one specific way, and now I'm realizing that there are huge parts of me that I don't even really know about."

I could see the wheels turning in her head as she thought about how best to respond. I knew that what I was telling her would worry her, but I hoped that she would realize that I was making the best decision for myself.

Her expression of concern quickly turned to a sly grin. "Would those true passions involve Giovani?" she laughed, "Maybe you guys just need a little more baby-making time."

I felt myself pale slightly at just how right her little joke was. She caught my change in expression, and I felt a blush rising to my cheeks as she looked at me with awe.

"Actually, we are trying," I said quietly, feeling like voicing it out loud to her was somehow sending my desires out into the universe.

"No way, Olive! That's amazing!"

I wasn't sure how I had expected her to react, but her happiness and excitement made me feel so much better.

"You really think so?" I asked.

"I know so! You're going to be the best mom ever! And I'm going to be the best auntie! Oh my gosh, I have to replace out what designers make baby clothes."

"Well, I don't know about that. Babies are kind of known for destroying their clothes, aren't they?" I laughed.

"Only the best for my little niece or nephew!" she declared and immediately whipped out her phone to look up designer baby clothes. She turned the screen so I could see it, and we both cooed over how adorable the tiny outfits were. "I can't believe you're going to be a mom soon!" She reached out and wrapped me up in a tight hug, and all my fears were relieved.

I should have known Dahlia would have my back. And the best part was that her excitement was making my excitement grow. I couldn't wait to become a mother.