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And for Leo to do it in front of Frankie

But suddenly a deep, war back fro snowballs for Frankie to lob back at ‘Uncle Leo’

‘Wow,’ Noemi said ‘I didn’t expect that’

‘Neither did I,’ Maria said, faintly, watching as Anissa came and joined Seb and Frankie’s side, all three of the up to pelt Leo with snow ‘Not ever’

Maybe Seb was right Maybe he really had been changed by the recent turmoil in his life

Seb hoisted Frankie up onto his shoulders to give hiamely took more snowballs to the chest from Leo as Anissa supplied Frankie with his own ahed and shouted and joked, and even from a distance Maria could see the joy on her son’s face

This hat she’d wanted for him This hy she’d come back

For faht have been since she’d lares and mumbled complaints And she knew from her own childhood that their house could never provide the loving family relationship she wanted for Frankie

She’d do her best alone, of course, and that could be enough But why should he have to settle for just her when he could have all this?

As Seb turned and grinned at her, his cheeks pink and his eyes bright, for the first time Maria believed that maybe this could really work

Because the Seb she’d left would never have had a snowball fight with a two-year-old Would never have let hi about his reputation

The Seb she’d left would have been stuck in his office and never even made it outside in the first place

‘Maybe he really has changed,’ she ht settled in her mind at last

‘Maybe he has,’ Noe every bit as astonished as Maria felt ‘Who knew? Christmas miracles really do happen’

The minute the first snowball hit hi unexpected or unwelcoive whoever had attacked hilare until he or she went away Then Frankie had giggled, and he’d realised that his usual instincts hat had got him into this mess in the first place

Seb turned and saw his new brother and his girlfriend waiting for his reaction It also didn’t escape his notice that Leo had another snowball packed down in his hand, ready to attack

This ar, then

‘Throw one back, Papà! Throw another snowball!’ Frankie cried, and Seb laughed—sudden and true and deep Pure instinct and happiness

When had he last laughed like that? Had he ever?

He couldn’t remember Which probably said more than it didn’t

So Seb bent down and made snowballs for his son to throw at his uncle, and wondered how it had taken him thirty-two years to find this kind of contentment

Wondered how he could keep it now that he had

The afternoon fell into a flurry of snow attacks and laughter, Anissa abandoning Leo to assist Seb and Frankie in their fight Seb hoisted his son onto his shoulders, barely even feeling the snowballs Leo tossed at him—obviously, Uncle Leo would never throw theame

So snowballs Seb turned towards the chalet and saw Maria and Noe And then all he saas Maria’s eyes, and the hope that flared in them

He was doing so flash like sunlight on ice, it wasn’t going to be enough

He could oal she set hih

Because he didn’t want a business partnership He wanted a e, a family A connection

And even he knew that took ned contract

But how did he convince Maria of that?