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She began rinsing plates and looking through the large s to the expansive vegetable gardens beyond ‘Who looks after the gardens? They’re wonderful’ The rows stretched as far as she could see, with every vegetable i

‘Mostly I do the vegetables They’reable to eat what I produce is rewarding’ There was pride in Maria’s voice

‘My father always grows far too etables because he doesn’t knohere to stop, and the local charities are the winners, especially since he retired As for the rest, it’s hit and miss who mows the lawns or weeds the flowerbeds’

‘I can understand that I’ else’

Mattia arrived between them with an armful of dirty plates ‘These’ll keep you quiet for a while’ He nudged Elene

‘I could hand over to you,’ she retorted ‘I know your ht you how to clean up I’ve been in your kitchen, remember?’

His ain in place It was getting a little tiring

‘Is there sohtly

The woht Now’s as good a time as any What do you want from my son?’

Like son, likeother than to reeable to the three of us’

‘Why didn’t you phone to tell Mattia about his daughter instead of arriving unannounced?’ Maria glanced at her son ‘Yes, we presume that’s what happened even if you didn’t say so’ Those sharp eyes returned to Elene ‘You wanted to shock him? Show him how you could look after Aimee for him?’

‘Mamma’

‘No, Mattia We need to know you’re not being taken for a ride’

The woood nora Ricco, I a Ai towith her wish She had her reasons, but I agree there were also better alternatives’

‘So why not take one of them?’

‘I don’t break prolance at Mattia showed how invested in this conversation he’d beco to break the ice about starting the process of planning the future? It hat she needed to happen They all did The hoas irrelevant if it got theo amiss ‘Danielle and I were best friends fro We clicked i we couldn’t tell each other, and nothing either of us wouldn’t do to help the other’ Hopefully, Mattia heard and truly understood everything ‘I didn’t approve of Mattia as her lover I thought he was using her Danielle finally toldanyone it was her She enjoyed Mattia’s company and the fact he didn’t want commitment’ Which had hurt because she’d have wanted all of that with him when she’d admitted her lust for him

The silence stretched out, Maria waiting not so patiently for her to continue Mattia handed her a glass of water

After taking a sip, she put it aside ‘When Danielle learned she had cancer while pregnant there wasn’t much I wouldn’t have done for her’ As his mother opened her et this finished before her voice cracked up couardian I couldn’t say no Every child needs people in their lives to cherish and fight for thehter, and I’d do anything for my friend’s child’ The last words were choked out over another lump that blocked her throat ‘She insisted I tell Mattia only after she was gone’

‘Why didn’t this Danielle tell Mattia hers

elf?’ Maria glared at her as if it was her fault

‘She was afraid he’d come and take over with Aimee, and she wanted every moment she had left with her baby’ A tear escaped, followed by another Swiping at thelass She needed help here