Page 12 of Christmas Treasures

His mother asked if he was hungry, but he said he’d stick with coffee for now. His stomach felt like a mass of nerves, and he wasn’t sure he could keep anything down.

They sat at the kitchen table. Max didn’t bother with small talk.

“I have something to tell you—it’s going to shock you to the core, and I’m sorry for not telling you earlier.”

Grace gripped her coffee mug that said World’s Best Gigi on the side. “You’re scaring me.”

Walter leaned back in his chair. “Is this about a woman?”

Max let out a breath. “Yeah. When I was in Florence for that year before I came home, I fell in love with the woman who owned the restaurant where I worked. Her name was Lucia, and she was an angel. She had a little girl named Bianca who was five at the time. Lucia had been widowed when Bianca was a baby, but her mother-in-law, Rosella, came to live with them after he passed. They quickly became my whole world.”

He told them everything. About how Lucia got sick. About the promises he made before she died. “Lucia was worried about sending Bianca home with Rosella because she was seventy-two at that point. She asked me to take Bianca should anything happen to Rosella. We had the papers drawn up. But somehow, I didn’t think it would cometo be. I’ve sent money every month to make sure they had enough for rent and food. I did it gladly, knowing how Lucia had worried about both of them. The long and the short of it—I was wrong. Rosella died a few days ago. Her best friend, Camilla, called to tell me and to ask if she could bring Bianca here to stay.”

“Max, how is this possible?” His mother shook her head, clearly having trouble comprehending such a sordid tale. “How come you never told us?”

“I’ve been wondering that. I don’t know.” Max looked down at the mug of coffee, the way the cream rose to the top in the shape of a cowboy hat. “It seemed like a different lifetime. Like it happened to another me. Not the one who came back to Vermont and pretended like my heart was not broken.”

“When do they get here?” Dad asked.

Max dropped his chin, scratching the back of his neck. “They’re arriving in three days. Camilla suggested she stay for a week or so to get Bianca acclimated, but she has to get back to her own family in time for Christmas.”

His mother pressed a hand to her heart. “Oh, Max. This is such a big commitment. Your whole life’s about to change. And you don’t even know the child.”

“I did, Mom. But yeah, it’s been three years. Bianca’s eight now. Regardless, I have no idea what to do with a child, whether I know them or not. It’s one thing to be goofy Uncle Max to nieces and nephews. This is something entirely different. I’m going to be solely responsible for her.”

“Yes, all true,” Dad said. “But you’ll rise to the challenge. Most men do when faced with fatherhood, no matter how terrified we are to begin with.”

“You were terrified?” Max asked. He couldn’t imagine his strong, funny, smart father ever being scared of anything.

“Heck yes. I couldn’t believe they actually let me take yourmother and Luke home, as if I could be trusted. They just handed them off to me, and I can remember praying to God to guide me. I’ve never been more afraid in my life.”

“I was too, for that matter,” Mom said. “I had similar thoughts.”

Mom reached across the table and took his hand. “This poor child. Losing her mother and now her grandmother. She will be fragile and scared. But we can help. All of us. Like we did with Lily after her mother left.”

Max’s throat tightened. “My place is so small. It’s not exactly made for a family. But there’s the extra bedroom I use as an office. I can get it cleaned out and put a bed in there. They’re used to small spaces, so hopefully it will be adequate. ”

Dad let out a slow breath. “You’re going to need a house. We can help you. But for now, we’ll make it as cozy as possible for Bianca.”

Mom blinked, tears filling her eyes. “That little girl is going to need so much love. Can you imagine?”

“I can’t,” Max said. “I was lucky to have grown up here, with both my parents and brothers—on a farm and in a town I’d always known. She doesn’t speak much English. And everything’s different here than what she’s used to. I mean, she’s going to have to go to school. How’s that going to work?”

“You don’t have to have it all figured out right away,” Mom said. “You’ll just do your best, and everything will fall into place.”

Max swallowed hard. “I just don’t want to mess her up. Lucia was the most wonderful mother. Rosella too. I won’t know at all what I’m doing.”

“That’s what Abby thought when she found out she was responsible for her cousin’s children,” Mom said. “Not so very long ago. And look at how well they’re all doing.”

“But Abby’s exceptional,” Max said. “I’m not.”

“Untrue.” Dad placed both of his hands on the table. “You have the biggest heart of any of my kids. You take after your mother.”

“And you’re not alone,” Mom said. “We will all be here for you, just like we were when Lily was an infant and Luke was faced with life as a single father.”

“Abby and Laney will help too,” Dad said. “As will the kids. Somehow, we’ll make her feel at home.”

“That’s our superpower as a family,” Mom said. “We’ll do whatever we have to for Bianca.”

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