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“I’ve checked most of those.”
“Most…” he pushed the boxes aside to reveal one right at the back, too far back for someone of Alessia’s height to properly see. “But not all.” He reached forward, his fingertips wrapping around the edges as he brought it forward. Sure enough, her elegant cursive script on the side read, Decorations and Lights.
“Ah huh!” He pulled the box off the top shelf in the same motion he stepped down, his eyes lifting to hers as he opened the top. He’d thought she would be happy, but instead, there was a sudden wariness in her features, a sadness trapped in the depths of her eyes. “Not what you wanted?”
She shook her head and reached out, taking the box from him. “It is. Thank you.”
He didn’t relinquish his hold on the box. “Alessia? What is it?”
She grimaced. “Just…memories.” She blinked rapidly and turned away from him, but that did little to ease the feeling in his chest. Guilt. Sorrow. Responsibility. Their first marriage had been a mistake. She’d been miserable. He wouldn’t let that happen again.
“Do you have a tree?”
“I’ll go to the markets tomorrow.”
“They’re still selling them around the corner,” he surprised them both by saying. “Why don’t we walk around and choose one.”
“Oh,” panic flared in her eyes. “Don’t be silly. I didn’t mean to involve you in this.”
“In putting up a tree?”
She nodded quickly. “It was just an idea that came to me earlier today. I thought it would be quick and easy but then I couldn’t find the ornaments and…”
“You don’t have a tree.”
“I’ll get one tomorrow.”
His eyes narrowed. “Is there a reason you don’t want to go with me now?”
She bit down on her lip, considering that. Was there? It felt too intimate, and it was all fake.
“Come on,” he said gently, lifting a hand and curling his hand over her cheek. “It’s not a big deal.”
It wasn’t a big deal – none of this was. He’d gone through the motions during their first marriage, being polite, civil, taking her to Villa Fortune for their family dinners, including her as needed, but none of it had meant anything to him. It had never been a ‘big deal’. This was no different to that.
Why couldn’t they find a way to be friends, at least? For the sake of their baby. She didn’t intend to raise her child in a warzone, nor did she particularly want to live in a frosty, cold relationship with Massimo. They had to be able to chart a middle ground. Perhaps this was the start of that?
She just had to be very, very careful to remember that it was all a façade. None of it was real, even when it felt real, and even if one day she found herself desperately wanting it to be real.
Chapter Ten
“I DON’T REMEMBER ANY of these.” He palmed one of the delicate glass baubles, handing it to her. Her smile was wistful as she looked at it.
“I’m not surprised.” She placed the ornament on a branch, the fragrance of pine needles tickling her nose. She didn’t catch his frown. It was gone by the time she turned back to take another ornament. He paused, midway through lifting it from the box.
“I don’t put up a tree. Usually.”
“I gathered.” She fixed the ornament in place, catching his quizzical expression. “Why is that?”
“We always have Christmas at Villa Fortune.” He lifted his broad shoulders in a shrug. “I never saw the point of making a mess here.”
Alessia shook her head a little wistfully. “It is messy.” She reached for another ornament at the same time he did. Their fingers brushed and warmth spread through her slowly but completely, impossible to ignore. She swallowed, taking a different ornament and moving to the other side of the tree to hang it.
“My mom loved Christmas.” She was surprised by the admission; surprised because she rarely spoke about her mother with anyone. “Towards the end, when she couldn’t leave the bed, dad and I set up a tree in her room.” A film of tears threatened. She tried to resist them, but something about the act of hanging decorations brought emotions dangerously close to the surface.
Max’s eyes caught hers, showing sympathy and understanding. “She was sick for a long time.”
“A long time,” Alessia agreed.
