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Maybe if he’d had a big brother all along, rather than discovering him at the age of thirty-two, things would have been different. But he hadn’t.
‘Do you ever feel like your whole life is unravelling in front of you, and you can’t move fast enough to piece it back together?’ His voice didn’t even sound like his, Seb realised. Too low, too raw. Too desperate.
But Leo just laughed, a darkly amused sound Seb hadn’t heard from him before.
‘What do you think?’ Leo asked. ‘I spent my whole life thinking that no one wanted me, that my own parents had thrown me away, only to discover one day that they’d been searching for me almost my whole life. And then, when I was ready to meet them, they died before I got the chance.’
‘And you got stuck with me and Noemi instead.’ Yeah, that must have been a pretty big let-down.
‘Actually, I kind of think of the two of you as an unexpected bonus. A silver lining maybe,’ Leo said, and Seb looked up, surprised.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, I thought I’d lost any chance of ever having a family. Then I came here and met you two, and then Anissa...and now there’s Max and Maria and Frankie, plus Noemi’s babies. Suddenly I have more family than I know what to do with.’
‘Maria and Frankie aren’t staying.’ Seb’s mood dropped again at the reminder.
‘Ah.’
‘Yeah.’
Leo stretched his legs out in front of him, leaning back against the bench. Almost unconsciously, Sebastian followed suit. Leo’s legs were longer than his, he realised, even though they were more or less the same height. Yeah, being the little brother really was going to take some getting used to.
‘Do you remember what you told me when I called you from New York?’ Leo asked, after a long moment of silence.
Seb tipped his head back and tried to remember. It had only been a handful of weeks ago now, but somehow it felt longer. Like his whole world had shifted again since then, with everyone coming home to Mont Coeur.
Leo had been in New York with Anissa, wooing her, or whatever it was that smooth, American-raised secret older brothers did. But he’d screwed it up—Seb had to admit that slight sign of fallibility had made it easier to warm to Leo—and Anissa had run when Leo had asked her to stay with him.
‘I told you to wait,’ he said finally.
‘You said that if I loved her, I had to give her space and respect her decision,’ Leo corrected. ‘That I had to let love decide what happened next. And that I should let Anissa come back to me—if she wanted to.’
‘And she did, of course.’ And now they were blissfully happy. Good for them.
‘So did Maria,’ Leo pointed out. ‘I mean, she’s here for Christmas, isn’t she?’
‘Only because I called and asked her to come.’ Okay, begged. It wasn’t a moment his pride felt particularly good about. ‘And like I said, she’s not staying.’
He’d given her space. He’d respected her choices. And it hadn’t made one bit of difference.
Leo sighed, and Seb couldn’t help but feel he wasn’t getting whatever point his older brother was trying to make.
‘What I’m saying is...you gave me some good advice, and I’m glad I followed it. But I can’t help but think you’ve been following your own advice a little too long.’
‘Too long?’ Seb frowned.
‘Maria’s been gone for, what? A year?’ Leo asked.
‘About that.’ Sebastian couldn’t bring himself to admit that he knew it was, in fact, twelve months and fifteen days.
‘Well, waiting on love is all very well and good. But maybe sometimes love needs a bit of a push. A bit of effort.’
Love. He loved Maria—of course he did. She’d always been a part of his life, part of the family, and he loved her as much as he loved Noemi or his parents. But theirs had never been a romance as such.
Maybe that was what had been missing. Something to think about at least.
Leo cleared his throat, obviously a little uncomfortable about the very personal turn the conversation had taken. They didn’t really know each other well enough to be baring their souls, Sebastian thought. He’d been astonished when Leo had called him from New York to ask what he should do about Anissa—until he’d realised that his brother simply didn’t have anyone else to talk to about such things.
And neither, it seemed, did he. Noemi would be firmly on Maria’s side, as always. His parents were gone, and his other friends, business acquaintances...he’d never even told them Maria had left in the first place. He’d had to keep up the facade of the perfect businessman and family man after all, even if everything about his life, family and business was crumbling around him. If anyone had asked, he’d just told them Maria and Frankie were visiting her parents for a few weeks. Making sure Frankie’s grandparents didn’t miss out on watching him grow up.
The way his own papà had.
‘Actually, I didn’t track you down out here to talk about your love life,’ Leo said.
‘I appreciate you not adding the word “dismal” in there,’ Seb joked, making Leo smile. ‘So, what did you want to talk to me about?’ Whatever it was had to be better than the unending panic and echoing sorrow about the state of his family.
Leo took a long breath. Then he said, ‘The business.’
CHAPTER THREE (#u8a69bd25-8d4b-5cd4-bdb9-242d27cc18bb)
WITH A SIGH, Noemi settled onto the bed beside her, and Maria smiled gratefully as her sister-in-law wrapped an elegant arm around her shoulder.
‘So, are we finally going to talk about why you left?’ Noemi asked. ‘I mean, apart from the fact that my brother is an idiot.’
Maria felt a stab of guilt. It wasn’t just Sebastian she’d left behind when she’d run—it had been her best friend, her whole family. She’d always felt closer to the Cattaneos than her own parents, and not having any siblings of her own, Noemi and Sebastian had filled that gap.
Yet every time Noemi had tried to talk to her about Sebastian over the last year, Maria had changed the subject. She just hadn’t been ready to admit how stupid she’d been over the whole thing.
Who expected a marriage of convenience to blossom into true love, outside the movies and romance novels, anyway?
‘Why do you think I left?’ Maria stalled, knowing it was cowardly even as she did it.
‘Why do I think you left? Or why does Sebastian think you left?’ Noemi always had been too perceptive for her own good.
‘Both, I guess.’ Maria couldn’t deny a certain curiosity as to Sebastian’s reaction to her departure. And heaven knew he’d never talk to her about it.
When he’d found her packing, the day after that awful argument, he’d asked her to stay. And when she’d refused, told him he’d never understand, he’d stood aside and watched her go. But she knew he’d been thinking she’d come back soon enough and he just had to wait her out.
Well, he’d been wrong, hadn’t he? And then he’d been too proud to ask her to come back. Until now.
Noemi tilted her head to the side as she studied her, then nodded, as if satisfied by what she saw. Maria didn’t dare ask exactly what that was.
‘I think he thought that you were feeling neglected,’ Noemi said. ‘I mean, the moment you came back from your honeymoon he threw himself into the expansion, folding your family’s business into Cattaneo Jewels. Even I noticed that he was working all hours—more than he had before, ever—and that didn’t change when you had Frankie.’
‘No. It didn’t.’ The memory of those lonely days was too close to the surface for her not to feel it all over again. The aching loneliness that came from being with a baby, all day long, with no support. Seb had suggested they hire a nanny, of course, so she’d have some help—it wasn’t as though they couldn’t afford it. But since Seb had stopped involving her in any of his business dealings or conversations the minute she’d fallen pregnant—claiming he didn’t want her suffering any stress at all—she hadn’t seen the point. She loved looking after Frankie, even when it was hard and lonely.
Next, he’d suggested baby groups, which she’d tried but had never really felt she’d fitted in with. Besides, all the other mums and babies in the world had been unable to give her what she’d really wanted. Needed, even.
Sebastian’s support.
Sebastian’s love.
Unfortunately, it seemed that Sebastian was incapable of giving her that.
At least until then he’d made her feel part of his family. They’d sat up talking for hours, about the business, of course, but about so many other things, too. The world around them, places they’d like to travel to, things they’d like to do.
She’d imagined them doing them all together once they were married. But for Sebastian it seemed they were only daydreams.
‘As for me...’ Noemi trailed off, watching Maria with a sad look on her face. ‘I didn’t think you wanted to go at all.’
Far, far too perceptive.
‘I didn’t,’ Maria admitted with a sigh. ‘But at the same time... I knew I had to, and I’m glad now that I did. It was the right decision for me, and for Frankie.’
‘You definitely seem more...certain, if that makes sense,’ Noemi said. ‘Like you know what you want your life to be now.’
‘Maybe I do.’ It was just a shame she couldn’t see any way to make sure she got it. But even if a happy-ever-after with Sebastian was off the table, that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a full and happy life without him. ‘I’ve been learning a lot about myself since I’ve been away. I mean, Seb and I got married when I was so young... I’d never really been alone before. And this time I was alone with Frankie, taking care of him every day, learning what he needed—and what I needed. It’s definitely been...educational.’
And hard and lonely and difficult—but also fulfilling, rewarding and so full of love that some days Maria just cried because of how lucky she was, instead of for everything she’d lost.
But she didn’t tell Noemi that part.
‘Maybe that’s what seems so different about you,’ Noemi said reflectively. ‘You seem grown up. Not that you weren’t before, of course, but it’s different now. Like you’re the adult in the room. The mother, I suppose.’
‘Not the only one for long,’ Maria said, with a soft smile. ‘Did I tell you how incredibly happy I am for you? And for Max, of course.’
Noemi’s face lit up at the mention of her fiancé and their babies. ‘You did. But I’m always happy to hear it again!’
Impulsively, Maria threw her arms around her sister-in-law’s shoulders and held her tight. ‘I’m so happy for you. You give me hope.’
‘Hope?’ Noemi asked, frowning as she pulled away. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, if everything can work out so perfectly for you, maybe I can still find that sort of happiness one day.’
‘Just not with Sebastian?’ Noemi said sadly. ‘Maria... I know he’s a pig-headed idiot a lot of the time, but Sebastian... He means well, I think. And this last year, without you...he’s just been so sad. And annoying and irritable, of course, but mostly sad.’
Maria looked down at her hands. Annoyed or angry, she’d expected. She hadn’t expected sad. In fact, she’d imagined he’d have been frustrated for a few days and crash around the place in a black mood, then he’d get distracted by some work crisis or another and forget he’d ever had a wife or child until it was all over.
That was what he’d done when she’d been there, after all.
‘Yeah, well. I was sad when I was with him, but he didn’t notice that. He didn’t notice anything, really. It was as if...the moment we were married I became invisible to him. Another item ticked off his “must do before thirty” list, or something. Even Frankie... I know he loves him, but sometimes I think he sees him more as an heir than a son.’
She knew why, of course, as well as Noemi did. That was how Salvo had always treated Seb—the same way Maria’s father had always treated her, as an asset, to marry off as he saw best, to further his own business endeavours. That was one of the things they’d had in common as teenagers—the knowledge that their function was more important than who they were as a person.
The only difference was that Seb’s parents had adored and loved him—even as they’d pushed him to greater heights and bigger achievements. For Maria’s father, marrying Seb was the best she could ever hope for—her entire self-worth wrapped up in someone else’s abilities.
‘Maria...you know what it was like for Seb growing up. Our parents were wonderful, loving people—especially to me. But for Seb...our father was different with him. Seb was in training from the moment he could see over the counter in Cattaneo Jewels HQ. He had so much to learn, you see, and it was so important to Papà that Seb know everything he needed to take over the business one day—’
‘And then they left the controlling share to the son they’d not seen since the day he was born,’ Maria finished, surprised at the anger she felt on Seb’s behalf.
It seemed however hard she tried to leave her marriage behind, the emotions it brought up in her still remained.
Noemi pulled a face. ‘Yeah, that’s all...messy. But I’m hoping we can find a way to work it all out. I mean, we’re a family, right?’ The look she gave Maria made it very clear that she was including her sister-in-law in that statement.
A messed-up, separated, bizarre family with history and baggage. But a family.
‘Yes, we are,’ Maria agreed with a sigh. The Cattaneos had been her family long before she’d married Seb. They’d given her a place that had felt like home when her own had felt cold and empty, when her parents had gone away on trips without her, or been too busy with the business to pay her any attention. Despite Salvo’s focus on training Seb, he’d always made sure they’d had time as a family, too. It was just a shame that seemed to be the one thing he hadn’t taught his son.
Salvo and Nicole might be gone, but their children remained—and from the look in Noemi’s eye, Maria knew her friend wouldn’t let them all drift apart without their parents there. And because of Frankie, Maria would always be tied to them, whatever happened between her and her husband.
Noemi beamed, her radiant glow almost too bright to look at. ‘I’m sorry. I just want everyone I love to be as happy as I am.’
‘Trust me, I want that, too,’ Maria replied. ‘But right now I’d settle for just getting through this Christmas without having my heart broken.’ Again.
Taking her arm, Noemi pulled Maria up from the bed. ‘Come on. We’re going to go downstairs and find your gorgeous little boy, pour you a glass of wine, and just enjoy all being together for Christmas. Okay?’
‘Okay.’ Resigned to making the most of her visit, Maria smiled and followed her sister-in-law back down the stairs.
And really, when Noemi put it like that, Christmas at the chalet sounded pretty good. She could enjoy this Christmas. Frankie could get to know his papà again, and maybe they could find middle ground between the past year and the one before it. One that gave them all what they needed to feel content at least, if not the incandescent happiness Noemi had found.
Maria could get back to the new life she’d forged for herself, and even if it never felt totally complete without Seb, perhaps he could still be enough a part of their lives to satisfy him and give Frankie the father he deserved.
It wouldn’t be everything. But maybe it would be enough.
It would have to be.
* * *
Seb felt an icy chill that had nothing to do with the Mont Coeur snow sneak up his spine at his brother’s words. ‘The business?’ he echoed.
This was it. This was when Leo told him that he wanted more than just a controlling share of Cattaneo Jewels—this was where his big brother took it over completely. Pushed him out and made the company his own.
And then what would he have left?
It made sense, in a way. Leo was the hotshot businessman—and he’d made it by himself. All his successes, wealth, everything were down to Leo. He hadn’t had Salvo Cattaneo guiding his every move, telling him when he was about to screw up and helping him fix it. Leo hadn’t had anyone. Not their parents, not his useless-sounding adoptive family. All he’d been able to rely on—and put his success down to—was his own hard work and natural talent.
Sebastian, on the other hand... His father had spent years drilling him in exactly what was expected from the heir to the family business, and Seb had worked like hell to prove himself. But it hadn’t been enough, had it? Salvo had still left the controlling share of the business to Leo, not Seb.
No wonder Leo wanted to shake things up. He’d have his own ways of doing things, new ideas and exciting possibilities.
And, sure, Seb had kept things afloat in the meantime, kept the profits ticking over nicely, thank you. But he had just been building on what was already there, not creating anything new. Even Noemi, as the face of Cattaneo Jewels, had had more influence on the shape of the company, from the outside, anyway. She’d been pushing for more, too, and as much as Seb had known she was capable of it, he’d been holding back on letting her in.
This was his responsibility, Salvo had always told him. It was up to Seb to make the company a success, to look after his sister and his mother if anything happened to him.
How badly must he have failed for things to have come to this?
But then Leo spoke again, and Seb’s understanding of the world shifted once more.
