I shake my head.
“Cecilia,” I say, holding her gaze, “we’ve talked about this. You’re not taking me from anyone, and you’re not taking anything from me. I’m choosing you.Us. We’re choosing each other.”
“Spend Christmas with your family. Come spend New Year’s Eve with me, if you want. Don’t worry about me.” She replies gently.
For a brief moment, I picture all of us in Pisa, her children enjoying Christmas at my family’s villa. I know they would loveit. But it’s too soon. I haven’t even met them yet. Some things require time.
I hold her gaze, then kiss her forehead. The bridge of her nose. I take my time kissing her lips.
“I’m pulling dinner out of the oven,” I whisper, my mouth on hers.
As Cecilia sets the table and I cut the meat, I realize I’m already making plans for what comes next.
When the elevator chimes and the doors slide open, I wait, just long enough to question myself. Then I step out anyway. If only knowing it’s the right thing to do would make this easier. Releasing a breath, I walk toward the elevator on the other side of the empty hall.
The floors tick by. When the doors open on his floor, I force my instincts into check. There’s no room for emotion right now, only rationality.I need to keep my mind clear.
I stop in front of his door and knock twice. It takes a few seconds before it opens.
“What are you doing here?” he asks, his tone biting.
Think of Cecilia. Stay calm.
“I think we should talk, Montgomery,” I say evenly. “If I were in your position, I’d want the man who’s about to enter my children’s lives to have the decency to speak to me openly.”
His jaw tightens. After a brief hesitation, he steps aside and lets me pass. I don’t bother taking in his place, keeping my focus on him.
When he gestures toward one of the armchairs, I choose the one directly facing him on the couch and get straight to the point.
“I don’t like you,” I say calmly. “But I’ll respect your role as the father of Cecilia’s children. For the woman I love, I’ll learn to do so.”
His stare hardens. His hands grip the couch hard enough that the leather strains beneath his fingers.
“Does Ceci know you’re here?” he asks through clenched teeth. “Is that what this is? You came to gloat?”
My jaw tightens at the intimacy in his voice as he says her name.
“Yes. She knows. I don’t hide anything from her,” I reply evenly. “I came to do what any decent man would—speak to you before stepping into your children’s lives. I’m having dinner at Cecilia’s tonight, and I’ll be meeting Alicia and Ethan properly. As I know she’s already told you.”
I pause, allowing the words to sink in.
“I also want to make one thing clear,” I continue. “Your children are safe with me. I’ll be there for them, the same way their mother knows she can rely on me foreverything. But I’m not trying to take your place. And I’m not here to boast.”
That makes him laugh.
“So you’re with my wife, now you’re having some cozy little dinner with my kids, and you’re telling me you don’t want my place,” he says, a vein standing out at his temple. “Spare me the Good Samaritan act, Santoro. From the first time I saw you, I knew—you wanted Ceci.”
My hand tightens into a fist against the armrest as I stand. He rises too, straightening, trying to gain height where he lacks ground.
“Ex-wife,” I say calmly. “The ink on the divorce papers has been dry for a long time.”
I meet his stare without flinching. “And whatever I may have felt, I never crossed a line. I respect the vows other people make.”
The words land exactly where they’re meant to. He falters. I see it in the brief flash of guilt in his eyes as his own hands curl into fists.
“I’ve said what I came here to say. Your children are safe with me. I will respect your place as their father, regardless of what I think of you as a man.”
My voice never goes up. I give him a quick nod and start for the door, turning back at the last second.
