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‘There is that’ His hand splayed across his chest and his srin ‘Before or after the cup of tea?’

Aimee chose that moment to open her eyes and stare up at them Elene felt her heart expand Then she looked at Mattia and saw the love shining out of those dark eyes, and her heart grew to include hiue with herself, whatever—she loved Mattia Probably had begun to since that night back in Wellington He was handling this so well, and he wasn’t as closed to accepting what life tossed at him as she’d believed It made sense for her to ive up and, whiledifficulties, it wouldn’t be all bad

‘Ma-hts

‘Hey, sweetheart Say Papà’

‘Ma-ma-ma-ma’

‘Okay, we’ll get there’ Standing, she stretched up to kiss Mattia ‘Let’s skip the tea’ He was never going to fall in love with her Because of what Sandy had done to hi to fall from around his heart So she’d love hih But for the next week there was nothing stopping her having a good ti to where they needed to be on a wave of optiuessing

She got her tea an hour later, sitting up in Mattia’s bed, her ht If that hat great sex did then she’d beenUntil Mattia Man, oh, ood enough had fled Mattia made her lose her inhibitions, turned her ot

Lying beside her, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling, Mattia took her breath away Then his next words tightened her throat ‘Please don’t take the ti more relaxed than I have since the o, and I want to ask you so to her ‘Is there any possibility that you would move to Sorrento permanently? I think we’ve shoe can make it work’

D-day Make that D-hour She should be getting in a pickle, but she’d already reached the decision, found her answer Deep down she’d accepted what Mattia wanted, and there weren’t enough reasonable argu close by on a daily basis Her job, her cottage, her sports groups? Replaceable Her closest friend was gone, and there weren’t others so much a part of her life she couldn’t move away ‘Yes’

‘That’s it? Yes?’ Hope started rising in his eyes

Hope she understood because she felt it every day For her, the hope was that Mattia wouldn’t fight her over the joint custody issue, that they’d share If that ner in, then getting brave and stepping up had to happen ‘Yes’

‘Thank you’ He sat up and wrapped an arether over the next feeeks Thank goodness for phones, eh?’

She s in and shoved theood as face-to-face though’

‘I want you to be coements we make’

Throwing in soh that would stop soon Mattia didn’t do per round to the idea of trying for perone and fallen in love with theaway at her for days Noas right in front of her eyes, in her heart She was in trouble Warm tea sloshed onto her chest

‘Hey, careful’ He handed her the box of tissues to wipe up ‘What were you thinking about that got you all jumpy?’

You Me Love

‘All the stuff I’ll have to pack and shift over here’ It was the best she could come up with and

not spill her heart

Mattia took her chin between his fingers and turned her head so she had to look at him ‘I’ll let you off this one, but let’s try and stay truthful with each other It’llthat much easier’

Like why you couldn’t make it to breakfast?

Elene sighed She wasn’t getting into an arguic’ She put herMattia to join her If they weren’t going to be this close for ever then she would take what she could while it was available She chuckled Overnight she’d become insatiable, and so far she couldn’t fault it

Sunday htof the storton Her ho, and while this endless sunshine onderful she could almost wish for a small storm Almost

Mattia laughed ‘Are you seriously saying you’d prefer to be back ho across the Cook Strait?’