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‘Of course I remember’

‘I’d never I’d never seen you like that before You’d never had more than a head cold the whole time I’d known you Even when the rest of us came doith chickenpox that year when I was about ten, you stayed immune’

‘I’d already had it as a toddler,’ Maria recalled ‘So I was free to just laugh at your and Noemi’s spots’

‘Yeah, well Seeing you like that—sick and weak and euess I hated that it was my fault you felt that way, and hated evenI could do to make you feel better’

Maria looked at hinancy sickness, Seb Millions of woh it every day—many of them a lot worse than I did’

‘I know But none of those other millions of women were my wife’

She couldn’t help herself She reached over and took his gloved hand in hers, holding it on her lap ‘So that’s why you stopped involvingsick?’

‘Partly,’ Seb said, and sighed ‘I suppose I felt like I had toto bother you ork stuff when you were feeling so lousy But afterwards I just wanted you to enjoy the pregnancy and then having Frankie I didn’t want to bother you with the business or my worries’

‘But you’re my husband, Seb Your worries should have been our worries’ That hat he’d never understood She wanted a partnership He wanted a wife and heir to trot out at business social events ‘And it’s not like beco a mother rotted my brain I was still the same person I’d always been—I still cared about the business, too’

‘I know that now,’ Seb replied ‘But back thenit felt like Frankie was your whole world, and my job was just to make sure that you and he were safe and secure and wanted for nothing—like my papà had always done for my mother’

I wanted ht I wanted your love But she didn’t say it However cosy this roht be, she wasn’t ready to admit that yet That she wanted them to be a team, a partnership—sure, that hat they’d proreed to their fathers’ plans for their e

They’d never promised love, not really

Yes, there were those pesky wedding vows—to love, honour and cherish But that was just so they’d had to say Besides, there were many kinds of love And she’d never doubted that Seb loved her as an old treasured family friend One hom he shared a fantastic sexual chemistry, but that was just sex She’d had his affection, his friendship, his passion, and even his son

She’d always known it hadn’t gone any deeper He hadn’t loved her with his whole heart, in that aching, all-consu way she’d loved him

If he had, he could never have let her leave at all

‘I just wanted ays promised each other,’ she said instead ‘I wanted us to be a team I wanted to feel part of it all’

All those lonely days with Frankie and then nothing to talk about when Seb ca the baby had napped, or howin her life beyond nappies and sleepsuits

She’d loved her baby, loved being amore, too

‘I didn’t realise’ Seb shook his head a little sadly ‘I thought I thought you wanted the sort of e my parents had—your parents, too, I suppose’

Maria laughed, a little bitterly, thinking of her parents’ silent, grudgingI wanted’

Seb squeezed Maria’s hand tightly through two pairs of gloves ‘I’m sorry’ He’d been an idiot as usual Maria hadn’t just felt neglected; she’d felt sidelined Like her opinion hadn’t mattered

He’d knoell enough froht to be there beyond just being the son and heir, how painful that could be Every time he’d heard someone whisper behind his back that he wouldn’t have a job if he wasn’t Salvo’s son, or caught a coain He’d earned the right to be there in the end, but it had taken time

So he didn’t have with Maria

Okay So he couldn’t fix the past But he could try to change the future And if all she wanted was for theive her that

‘I wish I’d kno you felt,’ he said ‘But now that I dowe can fix this, right? If you want more of a say in the business, that’s easy I’d love to have your help and advice again’