Hey guys! Thanks for reading, I really love hearing from new readers and continuing readers. This chapter had too many pictures so I split it into two parts.
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Summer was finally here! I was spending the break at Nonna and Nonno’s house. There really wasn’t a reason for me to go home since Momma was working full time, Sophia was spending the summer with Pete at his family’s summer house in Florida, and Sean and his dad were visiting his mom in Spain. She had a new project and was flying them out for the summer months to be with her. Nonna had invited me to stay with her for the summer, and I didn’t see any reason not to, so I packed my things and headed to New York.

Nonna had once again set up a guest bedroom for me, and as I unpacked, I wondered what the summer had in store from me, so far away from my friends.



I spent most of my time on my computer, and reading. Nonno and Nonna were gone a lot, and I found myself alone most of the time.





I talked to Sean whenever I could. We could only talk a few times a month since he was overseas. He told me all about Spain and the places they visited. We had already made plans for him to visit me the day he got back in two months.



Really, the only person I knew here was Emilio. He still came over to help my grandparents. The first week I was here, my grandparents got him to show me around town. He’s a good guy and we have a lot to talk about, especially school. He had a little sister that came over to play in our pool a lot. I was becoming friends with both of them, but I missed Kelli and Sean.

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One morning over breakfast, Nonna told me that she and Nonno had to leave town for a few weeks. Nonno’s brother was very sick and the doctors had only given him 2 weeks to live. My grandparents needed to be with him and help the family make arrangements for when he passed away. I had never met the man, and they needed someone to stay here, so I was given the place to myself. Of course, they reminded me that Emilio would be around if I needed anything.

Kelli came up to keep me company for 2 weeks. Our favorite thing to do was lounge by the pool. Emilio was cleaning the pool one day while we were lounging and Kelli was gawking at him.



“Kat, who’s the hottie with the body?” she asked, practically drooling.

“Oh, that’s Emilio, our neighbor,” I answered. We continued sunbathing in silence. I was relaxing in the warm sun with my eyes closed when I heard Kelli let out a little gasp, and felt her nudge my arm.

I couldn’t help it. My eyes were glued to him as he climbed out of the pool, water dripping down his physique.



“I’m done for the day, is there anything else you want me to do?” Emilio asked, walking over to my chair.

“Oh, no thanks, we’re okay,” I replied.

“Okay, but give me a call if you two ladies get scared… or just lonely,” he winked at us and walked inside.



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“Okay, Kat, what is up with the hottie neighbor?” Kelli asked mischievously as we got ready for bed that night.

“Emilio? He’s a family friend I guess. He helps my grandparents around the house. It’s nice,” I told her.

“Yeah… you’re telling me you aren’t the least bit attracted to him?” she pried.

“No! I don’t think about guys like that, I love Sean,” I protested.

“Come on, not even a little? Obviously, the guy adores you. He was watching you all day. Oh come on, Kat, let’s give him a call,” she begged. “We can say we heard a noise and thought it was the boogie man!”



I chose not to believe her claim. Emilio was never anything but friendly towards me. Besides, I had a boyfriend.

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Sean was finally home from Spain and came to see me as soon as his plane landed. His flight landed in New York and his dad got a hotel room in town. I’d insisted that he go home and get some rest; he could always come to visit next week, but he couldn’t wait. He sounded nervous on the phone, but I credited it to him being jetlagged and excited to be home.

He picked me up and took me to a restaurant that looked very familiar. It was the same place we went on our first date. Well, not the SAME place, but a different location of the same restaurant.



Okay, women generally pick up on little hints. Sean and I had been dating for over 2 years, and while we were young, that’s a long time in the dating world. Not to mention, Sean was acting weird, and had made a point of recreating our first date. Oh, and was that a bulge in his pocket? I found myself fearing the one question that most women wait their whole lives for. I wasn’t ready to get married! I got so nervous that I found myself shoving food into my mouth without thinking.



“Whoa, slow down honey. I don’t want you choking,” Sean said, half laughing at me. I set down my fork and took a deep breath.

“That’s better,” he smiled, touching my cheek. “Kat, I want to tell you something. I love you so much, and all I’ve ever wanted is to make you happy.”



Sean reached into his pocket and withdrew a small black box.
“Katarina, I would be honored to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”



I didn’t know what emotion was on my face. I was partly terrified, although I had to admit, a little excited also.



I picked up the ring box and peeked inside.

“Oh Sean, how did you afford this? It’s beautiful!” I gasped.



“You like it?” he said, clearly relieved. It must be a tough job for a guy to pick out a diamond for his girlfriend hoping it’s the right one for her.



“Sean, this is too overwhelming, I can’t think right now,” I said, avoiding eye contact. Sean looked at me, puzzled.



“I just need a little more time. I love you. I do Sean, with all of my heart. But can I please have some time to think about this?” I pleaded. “This is a major step.”



“Oh,” he sighed, clearly disappointed. “I guess a little more time couldn’t hurt.”



I started to hand the ring back to him, but he stopped me.

“No, Kat, it’s yours. I want you to wear it,” he insisted.

I slipped the diamond ring on my finger and gazed at it.



The ring had a mesmerizing quality - the more I looked at it the more I wanted to say yes. But I couldn’t say yes to a ring. I had to do what my heart was telling me, and it was telling me that I wasn't ready.

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Next: The aftermath. Where will Kat's heart take her?