page33 (1/2)

‘Because I’ve found my Christmas miracle,’ Seb said simply ‘You came home, and that was all I ever needed’

Maria stretched up on tiptoe to kiss hiht in her heart

‘You’re all I need, too You, Frankie and ether’

‘Always,’ Seb proain

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

ON CHRISTMAS DAY, just as Salvo and Nicole Cattaneo had hoped, all three of their children sat down around the huge dining table at Mont Coeur together, with their families and loved ones, to share a festive feast

Before they tucked in, Sebastian got to his feet, wine glass in hand, and waited for the others to fall silent

‘I just wanted to say a feords before we eat, if that’s okay?’ he said, acutely aware that, really, as the oldest sibling, it was Leo’s place to do so But Leo was so wrapped up in his girlfriend—no, fiancée as of last night, it seemed—that it fell to Seb to say what mattered most

As the others settled in to listen, Seb searched for the right words

‘This year has been a difficult one for all of us,’ he acknowledged, watching as heads nodded around the table ‘We’ve lost our parents—in Leo’s case, before he’d even got to know them We’ve faced crises of confidence, business disasters and relationship issues And there were so iven up on our families, on love, on our own happiness and just walked away’

Leo wrapped an arainst hiain

‘But we didn’t We fought on for everything that ot more than we dreamed was possible as a result, and we’re all here today to share our stories, and our Christmas dinner—just as Mamma and Papà hoped ould be’

At that, Noeainst Max’s shoulder but reached a hand out to take Leo’s The brother they’d never known they had—and Seb already couldn’t iain

‘So today I’d like to thank you all for being part ofwhat I needed when I didn’t For supportingabove and beyond the call of faestMaria walk away from me’

Seb looked down andonce ain He’d made his nes, and he would keep them However hard that was, and whatever happened next

He knehat mattered most now At last

‘But most of all, I’d like to raise a toast to absent friends’ Seb glanced up at the wooden ceiling, and ih, he could see his parents looking down on theether ‘Mamma, Papà, we miss you And I wish you were here today to see how far we’ve all come I think you’d be very proud’

Around the table, everyone raised their glasses ‘To absent friends’

Seb sat doith a thu him

‘Nice toast,’ Maria said, pressing against his side ‘Your parents would be so proud of you, you know’

‘I hope so’ It had been so easy to say but harder to feel the truth of

‘I know so,’ Maria said

‘Oh? And how is that?’

‘Because I am’ Maria leaned across and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth ‘I’m so proud to call you my husband, Sebastian Cattaneo,’ she whispered

‘Not half as proud as I am to have you as my wife,’ he replied

On the other side of the table, Noe around Leo to take Anissa’s left hand and study the ring there

‘It suits you perfectly,’ she said, beaed, you know And Seb’s right—she’d have loved to have us all here at Mont Coeur, together, for Christmas’

‘Not tonext year,’ Maria added, as Max placed a hand over his fiancée’s baby bu future they had ahead of them

Seb ss happy and settled, though he just knew that they could never be as happy as he was to have Maria back in his life

‘Oh!’ Maria ju on’

She dashed off to fetch it, and Seb watched her go Then he spotted so hall and the kitchen