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‘Let’s go for a walk on the beach before having lunch, give Ai strapped into her seat for so long’ Mattia glanced in the rear-viewat all’

‘She never complains when she’s in a car I think theher feet in the water will have her s even more’

Mattia slipped into a parking space right at the beginning of the ay down to the beach ‘Perfect’

‘How lucky can you get?’

‘Who says luck had anything to do with it?’ He grinned and got out

Watching Mattia unbuckling Ai her on his hip with such aplo in Elene’s throat Of course he was used to doing the same for his niece and nephew, but this was different This was fatherhood His hands were gentle as he settled his daughter just right, his eyes observant as he closed the car door and pinged the locks Mattia was a natural dad No denying he already loved Aimee

‘You co?’ he called over his shoulder

Givelike sand between my toes’ The s in her backpack

Mattia took Ai her sandals into his pockets before standing her in front of his long legs She clung to hi her Her rin ‘Ma-ma-ma-ma’

Elene stood watching hiaze He was a sight That th and not so covert confidence—the perfect picture A picture dreaed this hunk was Mattia Ricco, a ht her for Aimee

But the dream didn’t fade, instead re as he held Ai and covering his shorts in salt water He was bonding with his daughter And that was as sexy an ie as any Elene had noted about him

Sinking down on the sand, she pulled her knees up to her chin, wrapped her ar fun She couldn’t find it in herself to be jealous or worried It was the perfect picture It was how this trip was meant to unfold

Aiht as she kicked more water in the air

Yes, Elene thought, Aimee’s meant to be with thispositive and taking each day as it cah his role in all this and giving her point of view in return So she’d try for relaxed and enjoying the moment

Reaching into the backpack, she tugged a s to need this,’ she called to Mattia, earing an enor the top of the water

‘What I need is a pair of earplugs,’ he said with a laugh

When Aihly wet clothes, then they headed across the road to a lunch restaurant where the staff had no qual them This was Italy

The Margherita pizza they shared was fragrant and delicious ‘You can’t beat this’ Elene licked up a strand of mozzarella

Strolling along the road afterwards, Elene ducked into a shop to buy Aimee a cute sunhat, then herself an irresistible blouse at another

When Mattia said, ‘Let et that,’ she scowled at him

‘No, thank you’ Then she re for argu’

He saw through her ‘It was genuine: a present, not a test’ A hint of guilt was mixed with the honesty in his voice