Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

at Mansueto’s funeral, but we had only exchanged public pleasantries. We hadn’t
really talked once since our fight. They probably held it against me that I asked
Luca to threaten them. That was why I was surprised to see them.
Cassio hovered beside the window, not greeting either of my parents as they
stepped in. He shook hands with Christian, however, which made me smile. My
brother turned to me then and hugged me awkwardly because I cradled Gabriel
in my arms. “Congrats. From Corinna as well. She would have come but she’s
feeling sick often.” His wife was pregnant with their third child.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“Mom and Dad won’t give you any more trouble. I talked to Dad and made it
clear that he needed to get a grip if he didn’t want to lose you and me.”
A wave of gratefulness flooded me. Christian squeezed my shoulder before
he stepped back to make room for Mom and Dad.
Mom crept toward me, her eyes filling with tears. “Oh, Giulia.”
Her joy was earnest and it dulled my resentment. This was a new stage in my
life, and I didn’t want to be weighed down by baggage from the past. I smiled.
She hugged me, careful not to crush Gabriel. She stroked his cheek and took his
tiny fingers into her hand. “God, I forgot how small babies are.”
Dad waited a few steps behind her, looking awkward, but his eyes, too,
brimmed with emotion. I smiled at him and he stepped forward.
“Congratulations.”
“Won’t you hug me?”
Relief crossed his face, and like Mom, he embraced me gently. He didn’t
really know what to do with Gabriel, but he caressed his head once before he
stepped back.
Cassio’s gaze could have frozen over a furnace. “I hope you heed Luca’s
warning.”
“Cassio,” I said softly. “My parents won’t ever mention the matter again.
Right?”
I looked at them expectantly. If they loved me, if they wanted me and their
grandson in their life, they’d forget what Mansueto had told them.
Dad sighed and nodded. “If it’s your wish, we’ll take the secret to our
grave.”
“It is.”
It was settled. We didn’t mention it again, and when Simona and Daniele
joined us later, my parents hugged them and treated them almost as if they were
their grandkids.
This was proof of how much they feared losing me… and Luca’s wrath, but I
focused on the former, not the latter. Life was decidedly more pleasant if you
chose to concentrate on the positive and not the negative. And I had so much to
be grateful for.
A loving husband, a reasonably well-behaved dog, and three wonderful kids.