We saw Ren through the glass doors before she spotted us, talking to Toni as they walked toward the door. She looked stunning in a royal blue dress that fell just below the knee, hugging her curves so beautifully my body heated up just remembering how they’d felt beneath my hands and lips. My body.
Her dark hair was pulled into a loose bun with tendrils flying freely, and her red-painted lips tugged into a grin at somethingthe woman said to her. Like this, unguarded and open, she was the same girl I remembered. The girl I’d always loved.
“There she is, Papa. Let’s go get her!”
“Not yet,” I laughed at his excitement before pulling out my phone to let her know we were waiting. “She has to finish up her work, and then she’ll come out.”
Twenty minutes later, Ren appeared, this time in jeans and a t-shirt that made her look like the grad student I’d fallen for twenty years ago. She stopped at a sleek black SUV, pulling out two large suitcases.
I jumped out of the car and rushed to help her, feeling satisfied when she didn’t argue. Maybe it was progress. Maybe it was exhaustion. “Anything else?”
“I’ll get it,” she said, an amused smirk curling her red lips.
The suitcases took up most of the trunk of the large sedan Luca had bought in cash. I turned and found Ren coming my way with a box and another, smaller suitcase. “Is that all?”
She nodded. “I might need more things later, but this is a good start.”
“Okay. Sounds good.” I shoved them in the back beside Matteo and turned to her. “Ready to meet my son?”
Something flickered in her eyes, but it was gone quickly and she nodded. “Absolutely.”
My smile came a little easier as I rounded the car and pulled open the door. “Come on, buddy. Let me introduce you to Ren.”
Matteo jumped out of the car with a wide smile. He loved meeting new people, and when he spotted her, he gasped. “I know you!”
One dark brow arched. “Do you?”
He nodded. “You showed me how to get to the snacks.”
She laughed. “Did you find them?”
“Yep, but Toni only gave me one tiny fruit candy snack.”
Ren laughed, and the sound was beautiful and melodic. “You’ll appreciate that on your next trip to the dentist.”
His face twisted up in distaste.
“Ren, this is Matteo. He’s seven. Matteo, this is my old friend, Ren.”
He stuck his hand out. “Nice to meet you, Ren.”
“You too, but you can call me Serenity.” She kept her smile in place but she shot me a glare.
He frowned. “But Papa called you Ren.”
She nodded. “Your papa is the only person in the world who calls me that.”
I wished I could decipher that tone, but I didn’t have the right to know her like that anymore.
“I like Ren,” he said with a wide grin. “You can call me Mattie. Everybody but Papa does.”
She took his hand and shook it. “It is very nice to officially meet you, Mattie.”
“You too, Ren.”
Her jaw clenched, but her smile stayed fixed in place. “All right, let’s get this show on the road.”
Matteo frowned. “What show?”
