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"Can't you keep your hands to yourself," I asked Marco as the plane landed in Rome, Italy.

"How can I," he murmured against my neck, gaining the envious stares of multiple women nearby. "I'm hungry."

"Oh no way mister," I said as I pushed him away. "Everyone heard us in the bathroom. There is no way I'm letting you do that again in a public place."

"Well actually they only heard you. I was too busy with my face pressed against your-"

"Marco," I hissed.

"You know you loved it," he whispered.

"We have now arrived in Rome, Italy. We hope you enjoyed your flight and stay safe out there. Have a great day," the pilot spoke up through the intercom. The signal for the seatbelt restriction sounded and I was on my feet reaching for my bag overhead before anyone else. I was desperate to get away from Marco and his grabby hands that made me feel so good.

"Let me," Marco insisted, gently pushing me to the side so he could grab the bags before they fell on my head. The women around us only glared at me more while wishing they could be those bags.

I left Marco to get the bags as I made my way off the plane, careful not to get in anyone's way or help anyone who needed it. By the time Marco had gotten off the plane I was already admiring the beautiful city beyond the large windows.

I spotted him rush out of the terminal, his eyes searching everywhere for me. Before they rested on me someone pulled a stunned Marco into their arms, shouting gleeful Italian words. From my time with the Stavros's I could tell that the man who looked all too similar to Marco was calling him his cousin.

Marco dropped his bags and wrapped his strong arms around the other man, offering the same happy words. Two more people joined in, a man and a woman who seemed to be attached to the hip.

I stood by the window, not willing to move and interrupt their time. I had no idea that Marco told his family that we were coming. I was kind of hoping that I would get Marco all to myself, which was after all the point of this trip.

Minutes passed by as each person greeted Marco with a long conversation and a bear hug. He kept looking around for me but I seemed to be camouflaged against the window and behind a group of a travelling High School group.

Eventually though he pulled away from the woman who I could tell was his cousin seeing as how similar she looked to the man before. He spun in a circle, his eyes frantic and worried. "Eliza? Eliza," he shouted.

His cousins looked at him confused, their eyes followed Marco's around as they asked him what he was doing.

Hurt lit up like a candle in my heart once I realized that Marco didn't tell them I was coming. I looked down at the ring on my left hand and wondered what it was supposed to mean now. We were engaged now but why didn't Marco tell his family about me?

"Eliza," I heard him shout with less panic and more relief.

I looked up right before he wrapped his arms around me and sunk his face into my neck. His cousins were in the same place as before, their eyes confused and wide as they looked at us.

"I'm so sorry babe," he murmured. "I only told Rocco I was coming but I told him not to tell anyone else. Of course he didn't listen."

"Who's Rocco," I asked him once he pulled away. It sounded like a dog or something.

"I'm Rocco," someone spoke up.

I turned around to see the first man to hug Marco standing in front of me with a cocky grin and an expensive outfit on.

"Who is this Marco," the woman came up to say. Her hand was attached to the hand of the other man who was shorter than her, probably shorter than me too but he was obviously around the same age as the woman.

"This is Eliza Safar," Marco said with a wide grin. With the way he stepped away from me and gestured to me with his hand I couldn't help but feel like I was a trophy he was showing off.

"Eliza," the woman squealed before pulling me into a tight hug. "I have been dying to meet you," she said as she rocked us back and forth in excitement.

"Whoa there," her man said before pulling her back to him. His worried eyes instantly went to her protruding stomach along with his gentle hands.

The woman rolled her eyes with a smile. "This is my husband Antonio and this is our little baby," she said as she covered her husband's hand with her own. "I'm Victoria and that pervert is my twin brother Rocco." She looked behind me where Rocco was currently standing with his zeroed in on my behind.

Marco instantly pulled me to his side and I took comfort in his safe embrace.

"She's obviously taken brother," Victoria said.

Rocco smirked and said, "I don't see a ring on-." His smile dropped as his eyes landed on the engagement ring on my left hand.

"Are you blind or are you just stupid," Marco asked, "because if you don't stop looking at my fiancés chest than I'm going to give a black eye."

"He's just stupid," Victoria stated while glaring at her brother. "Keep your hands to yourself Rocco."

Rocco rolled his eyes before turning around and strutting away from us.

"Be careful of him," Victoria said while grabbing my elbow and leading me in the direction of her brother. "Rocco is used to getting any girl he wants and if he can't then he makes a game out of it."

"But I'm with his cousin," I stated scared.

"Exactly," she told me. "But don't worry. I've heard all about you so I know your history with Marco is stronger than my idiot brother."

"You've heard of me? How much do you know," I asked urgently. She couldn't know about me and Xander. Marco's entire family would think I'm a slut and hate me forever.

Victoria gave me a confused look before telling me, "You're practically my aunt's daughter. They took you in after your mother died. I'm sorry by the way to hear about that tragedy."

"It's okay," I shrugged my shoulders. "It was a long time ago."

"No amount of time could make the death of a loved one okay," she told me seriously. "It will always hurt, you just have to learn how to deal with the hurt and not let it consume you."

I walked in silence next Victoria as we walked through the airport. With Marco and Antonio behind us carrying our bags I was busy thinking about Victoria's words. I didn't deal with the hurt by myself, Marco was there every step of the way.

...

"You look radiant darling."

I looked up to see Maria standing behind me in the mirror of my new bathroom. My hair was in a perfect braid thanks to her, the same way my mom would wear it every single day.

"Maria," I asked her cautiously.

"Yes," she said hopeful. I haven't been speaking much the past couple days and when I do it's only to Marco.

"Is Marco coming?"

Disappointment seeped into her eyes but she struggled not to let it show. With a fake smile she said, "Of course he is. He's waiting down stairs for us right now."

"Can I go see him?"

Maria reluctantly nodded her head. I was up and out of my seat in seconds. A minute later I nearly rammed into Marco in the foyer. He was wearing a suit in tie of which I've never seen him wear before. His hair was gelled back and he gave me a sad smile.

"Hey polo," he said cheerfully.

"Hi Marco," I said back with not as much enthusiasm I would normally would.

"You look pretty."

I looked down at my black attire, unconsciously I smoothed out the wrinkles of my dress. "Why do people have to wear black to funerals," I asked him, my voice beginning to crack with emotions I couldn't contain.

He didn't respond for a bit causing me to look up at him. I noticed Leo and Xander standing by the front door, looking at me sadly and Maria coming down the stairs, ready to pull me in for a hug. Marco got to me first though, catching all of us by surprise.

"You know how dark colors attract heat? Well ghosts are attracted to dark colors too so people wear black when someone they love dies so then their ghosts can find them easily and hold on while they say their final goodbyes," he said softly.

I sniffled against his shoulder, willing myself not to cry. "I don't want to say goodbye to her. I want my Mom back."

"Goodbye doesn't always mean forever, it only means for now. You'll see her again sometime, just not now."

"How long do I have to wait to see her again," I asked.

"Only when you're old and wrinkly and have a smile on your face and all of your children and grandchildren are in the same room as you. They'll say goodbye to you too but only for a bit before they're in the same position."

"Will you be there?" I lifted my head to look up at him, trying to gauge his reaction.

"I'll be lying right next to you holding your hand," he grabbed my hand and squeezed. "I'm not ever going to leave your side Eliza."

...

Marco made that promise to me when we were ten but he's tried his best to keep it all this time, although I messed up his plans. Now however, I want nothing more than his promise to be true all the way till the end. The way I want to leave this world is if Marco is beside me, living another day because I couldn't possibly live a single day on this earth without him on it as well.

I looked back over my shoulder the same time we walked outside. Marco easily opened the door for himself although he had two bags in his arms and he kept it open with a smile for a family of tourists as well.

He caught me staring once they passed through so he sent me a grin which made my insides shift inside of me.

We arrived at the car which was close by. Antonio grabbed the driver's seat while Victoria grabbed the passenger seat. I was stuck in the back between Marco and Rocco who was sitting dangerously close.

I leaned in towards Marco, hoping my objective wasn't too obvious. Marco looked down at me with a small smile, completely oblivious to the uncomfortable feeling I had around his cousin.

I would normally never be this uncomfortable with someone who was doing such harmless things but it was the fact that he was a male relative of Marco and my history with those that stirred my nerves up. It wasn't that I didn't trust Rocco or myself, I just didn't trust us together.

I didn't want to admit this to anyone but I was deathly afraid of history repeating itself and losing Marco for good.

We were ten minutes in to the drive when Rocco spoke up.

"Eliza was it?"

"Yes," I responded quietly.

"You'll love the Manor, have you ever been," he asked.

"The Manor," I asked confused.

"She hasn't even been to Italy before Rocco. I don't think we'll spend a lot of our time at the Manor, I'm sorry," Marco spoke up.

"Understandable," Victoria said from the front seat. "You want to show your girl our beautiful country. You just have to stay a night or two before and after you show her or else my Mamma will slaughter you."

"I wouldn't expect anything else from Aunt Sofia," Marco said laughing.

"What's the Manor Marco," I asked him quietly.

"It was my Grandparents villa. It's been passed down to my Aunt Sofia and her husband who are Rocco and Victoria's parents. You'll love it," he assured. 

"It's a paradise," Rocco leaned in to tell me.

"Is that why you're still living there," Victoria asked, twisting in her seat to face him.

"Oh shut up," Rocco snarled. "I have an apartment in Venice."

Before the siblings can start fighting in the car Marco speaks up. "Do you know the sex of the baby Victoria?"

Her frown was instantly replaced with a smile. "Not yet. We find out next week. We don't really care what it will be, we're only hoping it will be the same as Xander's so it will have a friend. I remember how hard it was to be friends with Rocco growing up," she sneered at her twin brother.

"Wait what," I asked confused.

Victoria shot me a confused look, hesitantly saying, "Me and Rocco are twins. I thought I told you that?"

"No she knows that," Marco says, clearly as confused as me. "What did you say about Xander?"

A smile brightens her face immediately. "Oh his child of course! Aunt Maria called my Mamma this morning the good news and she told us instantly."

"Xander is having a baby," I asked shocked.

"Marco didn't tell you," Victoria asked me. "His fiancé and him found out yesterday."

"You knew about this," I asked Marco, angry and surprised. Xander is going to be a dad? He's engaged to that girl he spoke about? This couldn't actually be happening. I remember Xander swearing to me when he was little that he would never settle down, let alone get married or fall in love.

"No I didn't," he tells me, looking just as shocked. "I had no clue about any of it."

"How could you not know," Rocco asked. "You're his brother. I would've thought that you would be the first one to know."

"Yeah well," Marco growled, "we aren't speaking anymore."

"What," Victoria asked stunned, "why? You're best friends!"

"No we're not," he said and pulled me tighter against him for comfort.

"What could have possibly-"

"Let it go guys alright? I'm not telling you, even if you torture me," he said then looked down to me, giving me an understanding look, letting me know that our secret would be safe.