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‘Hope that I can fix this If you’ll let me try’

God, she’d never been able to resist him when he looked like that Not when he focused all his attention on her so completely, determined to do whatever it took to please her

If only he’d looked like that more often, she’d probably never have left

‘Okay,’ she said, the word co out raspy She took a sip of wine to soothe her throat and her nerves It was only until Christ Day she and Frankie would leave, unless so fundaive him until Christmas, couldn’t she? Call it his Christmas present ‘We can try’

CHAPTER FIVE

SEBASTIAN WAS UP early the next er to start a new, even more important project

Project Win Back Wife and Child

Maybe it needed a better na the ater would wake him up a bit He hadn’t slept as well as he nor used to not having Maria in his bed beside hiht back to those first, lonely days after she’d left Rather than sprawling across the bed as he’d taken to doing over the last twelve ht hours reaching for so himself up when he’d realised he’d been alone

Clearly, he needed this project more than ever

Maybe Project Fa that Noemi would approve

He hoped so, anyway, because he was going to need her help to pull it off

By the tin of the door to Maria and Frankie’s roo, but all was quiet

Deciding to let them sleep in, Seb headed downstairs to find his sister

Noe coffee in the kitchen—decaf, in her case, it seeo, too

‘Can I steal a cup of that?’ he asked, settling himself on one of the counter stools to watch her work Now he knew about her pregnancy, it was iht curve of her usually slender body, or the way her clothes skilow of happiness that surrounded her

‘I wasthe pregnancy goddess ie

‘Please? I assure you, y for , he knew, but Noemi was a soft touch sometimes, so if it worked it orth it

‘Plans?’ She poured a cup of the coffee and pushed it towards hiantly arched ‘Are these Maria plans?’

Seb nodded, taking a sip of the stea hot drink ‘That’s the idea’

Noeainst the counter between them, her elbows on the wooden surface ‘Then how can I help?’

Seb grinned ‘I was hoping you would ask that’

‘Because you have no idea hoin a woman over?’ Noemi asked

‘Hey! She married me in the first place, didn’t she?’ Seb pointed out

Noemi rolled her eyes ‘That was a business deal No one ever denied that you were good at those’

Well, it was the closest thing to a coet from his sister these days, so Seb decided to take it

‘It wasn’t just business,’ he argued, almost for the sake of it Everyone knew that if it hadn’t been for Maria’s father’s business troubles, she never would have etting married at all, too busy with the company But business wasn’t all there had ever been between them—especially after the vows had beenlove to his wife But that wasn’t the point ‘We were friends Partners, even And we’re parents That doesn’t count for nothing, you know’

‘Hey, I’s out between you,’ Noe her coffee cup in a ure out exactly why she left, and how you can stop screwing up so badly’

‘I’ ‘And I’ve always knohy she left—she told ht before’