My mouth twists. “Well… no.”
“Then maybe he feels the same as you but doesn’t know how to say it.”
I consider her words. Perhaps she's right. But if she’s wrong… if I tell Enzo how I feel, and he turns me down? I couldn’t live with that.
I can’t ruin what we have, no matter how hard it is to resist him. Last night was a blip. He said it himself: it can’t happen again. He doesn’t want more.
"How do you know Enzo?" I ask, steering the conversation off of me.
She smiles, a little wistful. "I met him when I was living in Italy and—"
"You knew him in Italy?" I cut in. I know how I know her. She's the one I saw him with five years ago when I found him, ready to spill my heart out.
"Yeah, he helped me when I was in a tricky situation."
"Did you date?" I ask, not very subtly.
Carina mocks throwing up. "Ew. God no. He's like a brotherto me."
That's reassuring.
Massimo turns up a few hours later. He cries when he sees Tess. It’s strange, seeing someone so feared brought to his knees by his daughter. It’s refreshing.
We eat copious amounts of food. Tess cooks a traditional English Christmas dinner—roast turkey, cauliflower cheese, various green and root vegetables, stuffing, little sausages wrapped in bacon which she calls ‘pigs in blankets’, crispy roast potatoes, thick brown gravy—it isn’t that dissimilar to what we have in Italy. Everything is cooked to perfection.
Only once it’s evening, and we’re all sleepy from food, do we finally open presents.
It’s Kai’s birthday, so he goes first. Tess bought him some running shorts and labels—not sure what the significance is, but he seems pleased. Apparently, they only met just over six months ago, which is crazy given she’s five months pregnant already.
Nate hands him a t-shirt that says‘Ctrl+Alt+Dad’,which has everyone crying with laughter.
Carina gives him a bag with the slogan‘Your Friendly Neighbourhood Cleanup Crew’.That one has Kai scowling at Tess who feigns an innocent expression.
I’m not sure what the inside jokes are, but everyone else seems to.
Enzo holds up his hands when they look at him. “All your presents are on their way to England.”
After Kai’s birthday presents, they start exchanging Christmas ones. I just sit back and watch, content to enjoy this relaxed side of Enzo that he only seems to show around me and his family.
Massimo cries again when Tess presents him with a t-shirt that reads‘Gangsta Grandpa’. He’s so in love with her it’s laughable.
By the time everyone is ready for bed I’m barely keeping my eyes open. I crawl into Enzo’s bed, sleep beckoning me, but before I succumb, he walks in, holding a small gift bag.
“What’s that?” I murmur with a yawn.
“Your present,” he tells me, sitting on theedge of the bed and handing it to me.
My brow furrows. “You already got me a present.”
We exchanged gifts earlier. I got him a bottle of Italian wine from our hometown, and a set of cufflinks for his suits, while he got me a cashmere sweater and luxury skincare set, telling me that I deserved nice things after everything I’ve been through.
“I know, but I got you this too.”
Curious, I push tissue paper out the way, revealing a small jewelry box nestled in the bottom. My breath catches as I open it, finding an infinity collier necklace, with tiny blue and green diamonds.
Tears prick my eyes.
“Tesoro,” I whisper, blinking blurrily as I look up at him.
