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Chiara watched them for a moment before she turned back to me. She lowered her voice so they couldn’t overhear us. “You did a great job tonight. The food was wonderful. You’re an excellent cook.”
“Thank you.”
“And you’ll be an excellent mother.”
That compliment meant a lot more. “Thank you.”
She held my gaze with the same intensity her oldest son sometimes showed. “My son loves you, Siena. Very much.” She patted my hand on the table. “I’m very happy he has such good taste. I’m not oblivious to all the things my son does in his private life. But I’m relieved he didn’t want that to continue for the rest of his life. When he found a good woman, he recognized it.”
I’d always heard getting the approval of a man’s mother was no easy task. Especially with Chiara, I’d thought she would be more protective because all she had were her sons. But earning her approval was a million times easier than earning Cato’s. “I love him with all my heart.” I wasn’t ashamed to say those words out loud, not when my feelings were written across the surface of my eyes. I told Cato how I felt often, regardless of his silence.
His mother smiled. “I already knew that. I can tell just by looking at you. My son told me on several occasions that he doesn’t love you, that there’s no future here. I’m glad he was wrong.”
“Well…he hasn’t actually told me he loves me.”
“Really?” she asked, the disappointment filling her gaze. “But you know he does, right?”
“Yes.” My hand rested on my stomach. “I do. He’s just not ready to say it. And that’s fine…because I’ve got all the time in the world.”
She rubbed my arm gently. “He’s worth the wait, I promise you. Cato may have a rough exterior, but he’s got such a big heart underneath all that macho bullshit. The second he had some money in his wallet, he came to my job and forced me to quit that day. I was still in the cannery at the time. He told me he never wanted me to work again.”
Emotion flooded my veins when I listened to the story. Cato was loyal and loving.
“I know he hates his father for abandoning me, for forcing me to provide for two boys when I’d never worked a day in my life. He wanted to take his father’s place as the man of the house. I’ve always known he was trying to prove something to himself, that he’s not like his father.”
“He’s a good man…and he’s nothing like that coward.”
“I could go on and on about my son’s many qualities…but I’m sure you already know he’s amazing. You never have to worry about a thing with him. He’ll always take care of you, in every way you can imagine.”
We said goodbye at the door.
To my astonishment, Bates actually gave me a compliment. “Dinner was great. Thanks for doing that.” He held up his container of leftovers. “I’ll eat this later tonight.”
I couldn’t wipe off the smirk on my face. “Are you just being nice because it’s Christmas? Because if so, I wish it were Christmas every day.”
“No,” he said with a chuckle. “Cato showed me the paperwork you signed…so I guess you aren’t a gold digger like I thought you were.”
“No. I love your brother for who he is…even when’s being an asshole.”
“Which is pretty often,” he jabbed. “Well, goodnight.” He said goodbye to his brother and stepped out into the cold.
Chiara hugged me. “Thank you again. Hope to see both of you soon.” She kissed me on the cheek then embrace Cato. “I love you.”
He held her close. “Love you too.”
“Life is so short.” She pulled away and gave him a smile. “You should always tell the people you love that you love them…because you might miss your chance.” After giving him a knowing look, she walked out.
Landon said goodbye next. “Thanks for having me over. This is the nicest Christmas I’ve had since Mom died. Was she the one who taught you how to cook?”
“Yes, actually.”
“Good. It felt like she was here tonight.” He hugged me then kissed me on the forehead. “I’ll see you later.” He moved to Cato next and shook his hand. “Thanks for having me over. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas.” Cato watched him walk out before he shut the door behind him. The cold breeze disappeared, and the warmth surrounded us once more.
“Your brother was actually nice to me. Christmas miracles do exist.”
“I think anytime food is involved, Bates is generally more tolerable.”
“Then I need to have food out at all times.”
“Not a bad idea.” He walked with me back to the dining room, and we cleaned off the table together and rinsed the remaining glasses. The dishwasher was full, so we decided to leave the rest in the sink. When Giovanni returned tomorrow, he could take care of it.
