Page 72 of His to Destroy

Real, solid hope, for the first time in years.

I sit there quietly, my heart lodged somewhere high in my throat, watching the two of them interact.

Gaspare, this man who once terrified me, crouched low with his hand on my son's tiny shoulder, speaking in soft promises.

And Luca, who’s already looking up at him with a kind of wide-eyed belief children reserve only for their greatest heroes.

For so long, it had just been me and Luca against the world.

Every scraped knee.

Every night terror.

Every broken car engine on a rainy road.

Every thought of the next town or place that we could call home.

I carried it all alone.

Because there was no one else.

Because I thought trusting someone again would kill me faster than heartbreak ever could.

But now…

Watching Gaspare — seeing the way he smiles at Luca, how he reassures him without a hint of impatience or detachment — I realize something startling.

Maybe I don’t have to carry it all anymore.

Maybe, for the first time since I was a terrified nineteen-year-old girl running into the unknown, I’m not alone.

Maybe I have someone strong enough to share the weight with me.

Even after Stark is found. Even after the past is laid to rest.

Even after the wars end.

Gaspare will be here.

With me.

With us.

Always.

Gaspare rises from his crouch and scoops Luca into his arms effortlessly, lifting him high enough that Luca squeals in surprise before giggling.

The sound cracks my chest open even wider.

Gaspare carries him over to me.

“She’s okay,” he tells Luca again, setting him gently down at my side. “She’s just tired. And you, little warrior, should be sleeping too.”

Luca nods solemnly, then looks up at me with those earnest brown eyes.

“Are you really okay, Mama?”

I brush his hair back and smile.

---