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Her father, she thought with a sht now Well, she’d irl Tonight, she decided with a flutter of anticipation, she was going to sneak into the bedroom on the other side of her parents’ house to seduce her fiancé

The butcher was her first stop, and she was barely in the door when Antonio exclaiht Mary had been afraid that people would be wary of her--after all, she’d left without a backward glance thirteen years ago, and it had taken her mother’s illness for her to finally return But with each stop shethe next hours, she felt as if the years she’d been gone were slipping away one by one

Froetable stand to the florist and then the cheese shop, none of the proprietors would let her pay for what she needed A half-dozen invitations caet to hold her friends’ new babies and admire their beautiful older children, as well By the time she turned to head back to the house, her heart was as full as the bags of food and flowers she carried

Jack was playing scopa, a ga room when she returned, and her heart hitched in her chest at what a beautiful picture they made, the two men she loved most in the world

Jack quickly put his cards down to take the bags fro them into the kitchen Once she’d taken off her coat, he took her hands in his and pulled her close

"You look happy"

"I am And tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to everyone in town I told theeous, brilliant American fiancé They can’t wait to meet you"

His o to slip his around her waist, she slid her fingers into his soft, dark hair and pulled him even closer She’d never kissed a boy in her parents’ kitchen before, and when she heard her father’s footsteps--uess what she and her fiancé were up to--she drew back with a laugh

"I hope your jet lag isn’t too bad," she said to Jack in a low voice, "because I don’t kno ht"

His eyes darkened with so much desire--and the love she felt from him in every moment--that she lost her breath as he whispered, "Your roo up separate bedrooms for the unmarried couple "Yours"

Her father came into the room, and for the next hour Mary cooked and translated the conversation back and forth frolish Her mother had made this sickbed meal for her several times when she was a child This was the very first time Mary had ever made it for herplates in front of Jack and her father, Mary made up a tray with a full bowl of soup and a warm cup of tea Herin bed waiting for Mary to co Lucia sit up comfortably with a few thick pillows behind her, at her ry, Mary said, "You need to eat a few bites to build your strength up"

Her mother took a small sip of the soup "It tastes just like mine Maybe," Lucia said as she took another sip fro how such a small compliment could mean so much "I learned from the best"

Her ize for"

Mary was nearly bursting with the things she wanted to say to her mother and that she wanted to know--but not only had she learned unconditional love from Jack, she’d learned patience, as well

"I do, too," Mary said in a soft voice, "but tonight all you should be doing is eating and resting In the h now to tell you how much I’veenough now to tell you how much we both love you and that if I could rewind the clock back to that day when you were nineteen, I would do it better this tih, and Mary handed her theof tea "Mama, I can’t tell you how s, but I promise you, I kno much you love me, because I love you just as much I don’t want you to wear yourself out We have time to talk about all of this later, once you’re well"

"We’ve wasted enough time," Lucia insisted, and Mary had to smile at the stubborn expression so similar to her own "I will talk, and you will listen"

"Okay, Mama"

"Before I met your father, I had drea for s Mary had thought herthat they’d shared similar dreams had not been anywhere on the list of possibilities Lucia had always huarden, and Mary had found her parents waltzing together in the arden more than once as a child, but she’d never realized that perforain, they were more alike than she’d ever realized

"What happened? Why didn’t you follow your dreams?"

Her mother lifted her hand to Mary’s cheek "I found a new drea than any stage had ever been, that he swept me off my feet And then you careatest achieveest joy I saw those saer with every year Your beauty was so stunning that the other mothers would ers passing through toould often stop on the street to take your picture?"