Page 44 of Christmas Treasures

“I want you to take Bianca, should anything happen to Rosella,” Lucia said.

He stared down at her. “Me? But I don’t know anything about how to care for a child.”

“You know how to love with your whole heart, Max. That’s all she needs.”

“What if I’m in America?” Max asked. “Would you want me to bring her there?”

“Wherever you are is where she should be.”

“But how? Legally, it’s complicated, isn’t it?”

“I’ve had a lawyer draw up the paperwork,” Lucia said. “If Rosella dies, Bianca goes to you. You have to agree, of course.”

Max gazed down at the pale curve of her wrist, the way the light hit the delicate blue veins beneath her skin.

“What if I’m not equipped to be a father?”

“You’ve been her father. All these months since I’ve been sick. You’re bonded.”

It was true.

“I know you’re ready to go home. You should be where your heart leads you. And Rosella begged me to give my blessing. She wants her. But if anything happens to her, I need to know she can go to you. I don’t care where you are, as long as you’ll welcome her into your life.” Lucia let out a slow, rattling breath. “I want her to be loved. If I know that, I can die with peace.”

How could he refuse her? “I’ll bring her to me if Rosella passes. Don’t worry any longer. I’ll make sure they have enough money to live on, and I’ll be there should Rosella need me.”

Lucia closed her eyes and exhaled as if she’d been holding her breath for weeks. “God sent you to me. Do you see that? How he knew just what we needed? I can rest easy now. You are a man who always keeps his promises.”

He sat there long after she’d fallen to sleep, praying silently that her suffering would end soon. Two nights later, she drifted away, off to heaven. And now, here he was, welcoming Bianca into his home and family. The bondbetween them was still there. He could feel it when she slipped her hand into his. Lucia had been right. Bianca belonged with him. Even if it meant he had to change his whole lifestyle, he would keep his promise.

Now, Max hung up their coats and Bianca went off to the bathroom, leaving him alone with Charlie and the sad little tree.

“It must have been excruciating for her mother,” Charlie said softly. “Leaving her. Knowing she would not be here to watch her grow up. To protect her.”

“Yes, she agonized over it. But I promised her I’d take care of her, and that gave her peace.”

“Oh, Max, that must have been so hard. Watching her fade away.” Her eyes filled, and she reached for him.

He pulled her to him, crushing her in an embrace, and suddenly they were kissing.

The world narrowed to the soft pressure of her lips against his. Charlie’s fingers threaded through his hair, pressing herself against him. The kiss deepened into something more than simply attraction. It was grief and hope and longing all tangled together. Max felt himself falling, tumbling into a feeling he’d kept locked away for too long.

When they finally broke apart, they gazed into each other’s eyes, both seeming unsure of what to do about the deepening feelings of connection between them.

Charlie’s fingers traced the line of his jaw with delicate precision. “What will I do with you?”

“Is there anything to be done?”Fall in love with me, Charlie Keene. That’s what to do.

The sound of running water from the bathroom stopped. Bianca would return soon. Max reluctantly stepped back, his hands sliding from her waist with obvious reluctance.

Charlie straightened her sweater just as Bianca’s footsteps padded back down the hallway.

Max struggled to compose himself, knowing his face must betray everything he was feeling.

Bianca skipped back into the room. She stopped abruptly, looking between Max and Charlie with their flushed faces and slightly disheveled appearance. A knowing smile spread across her face as she placed her small hands on her hips.

“La nonna dice che quando due persone si baciano, significa che presto ci sarà una festa,” she announced solemnly, then giggled behind her hand.

Charlie’s eyes widened, and she burst out laughing, her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of pink.

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