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“That afternoon, when you brought him here, all I could think was that I’d lost you. And to the Santoros. I couldn’t see any future where you and he could be happy—I saw him only as one of them.” She shook her head. “I wanted to protect you. To force you to choose us. I didn’t realise…I didn’t trust…that you were capable of making the decision that was right for you. It was the worst mistake of my life. I thought you would come to your senses, that you would miss me as much as I was missing you, and it would force you to wake up and realise you didn’t want to lose us, for him.”

She sobbed then. “I didn’t want to lose anybody.”

“You shouldn’t have had to. I was blind that afternoon. Blinded by surprise and concern, by my fears and what I thought your life should be. The day Leo and Max told me he’d gone to them, to beg them to give him a chance, that he loved you as much as we could ever have hoped your partner to.”

Emilia nodded. “Yes.”

“I tried to reach out to you, but you wouldn’t take my calls. You wouldn’t see me.”

“I was dying inside. I couldn’t bear to see anyone, let alone…”

“The people who’d caused your misery,” her mother murmured. “I’m so sorry.”

Emilia blinked quickly. She didn’t want to fight with her mother. She didn’t want to fight with anyone. And strangely, it was Gianni Santoro who came to her in that moment, Salvatore’s father, with hisFamiglia é tuttoidiom, that he said so often.

“We were wrong about him. He might be a Santoro, but he is still one of the best men I’ve ever met. And he worships you. I could not have asked for a better husband for my beautiful daughter. The same could not be said for her mother,” she finished, bowing her head then on a sob.

“Oh, mama,” Emilia cried, shaking her head and reaching out, wrapping her crying mother into her arms and drawing her to her chest. “Stop, stop. It’s done. It’s in the past. I hate what you all did, I hated being apart from our family, but it’s over. Seeing you and dad with Salvatore today—it’s meant a lot to me. Thank you.”

“You shouldn’t have to thank us for this. We should have?—,”

“No,” Emilia interrupted, pulling back so she could look sternly into her mother’s face. “No more apologies, no more regrets. We’re here. We’re family.” And then, in a split second decision, she told her mother something she hadn’t even told Salvatore yet. Something she’d been saving for after the openingof their foundation. “And in about eight months, you’re going to be a nonna again…”

The launchof their foundation was monumental for many reasons, not least because for the first time in generations, every single Santoro and Valentino were in the same location, and no threats were issued, no blood was spilled. Even Raf was there, though he had a scotch glass in hand and a brooding expression on his face. He was still there, and that was more than they’d come to be able to rely on, lately.

Everyone was on their very best behaviour.

It helped that both families had faced the reality of what their meddling had caused. They’d seen the damage their reaction had done to two people they adored, and would never risk causing harm to either Emilia or Salvatore again. Leandro was particularly contrite, when he and Max found a moment to speak to Salvatore, away from anyone else.

“You don’t know me,” he said, eyes glinting as they met Salvatore’s. “My world has been shaken, in the past couple of years. I’m sure Emme’s told you about my adoption.”

Salvatore tipped his head once in silent confirmation of that.

“And then, I met Andie. Has Emme mentioned what happened with her and Harps?”

Salvatore frowned, shaking his head slightly.

Leandro looked at Max, then back to Salvatore. “She’d come out of a bad relationship. It was dangerous. I thought I’d lose her, and Harper.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I guess it made me hyper-vigilant. Overnight, my sole purpose in life became protecting the people I loved, and I wastoo stupid to see that Emilia really didn’t need protecting from you.”

Salvatore didn’t visibly react, even as inside something was thawing.

“The way you were, in the stairwell. Looking back, it was so obvious. You didn’t just protect her, you encouraged her to speak for herself, to be her own advocate. You had her back, but only if she needed it.” He shook his head once. “You understood my own sister far better than I ever did.” Leo closed his eyes then, on a wave of obvious regret. “But you’re a Santoro, so I’ll never really like you, obviously,” he finished, with a flick of a grin.

Salvatore arched a brow as he held out his hand. Leandro put his own in it immediately and said, “I’m sorry. I was a dick.”

“Yeah,” Salvatore nodded once. “But as I said to Emilia at the time, I would have reacted in the same way, if it was my sister.”

Max cleared his throat. “This is all very touching, but she’s about to start speaking.”

Salvatore dropped Leo’s hand and turned to Max as the oldest Valentino extended his own. “Don’t hurt her,” he said, simply.

Salvatore’s eyes narrowed as he extended his hand to Max. “I could say the same to you.” Then, he was cutting through the crowd, to the side of the stage, where his beautiful wife was standing and addressing the crowd, all sparkly eyes and enthusiasm for the first charitable initiatives their foundation would be working on.

He listened in awe, captivated by her enthusiasm, intelligence and passion. Captivated utterly and completely, by her.

He was not alone. It was as if Emilia, in speaking, was casting a spell. The entire room was transfixed by her. When Salvatore could bring himself to tear his eyes away, and look out over thecrowd, he easily picked his own family, staring back at her with proud smiles, and then, her own family, equally puffed up and beaming.

His heart clanked heavily in his chest. Never, in a million years, had he thought this was possible, but she had. She’d fought for this all along. And even without their families, she’d always said: he was enough. She’d been right. Together, they were unstoppable, and always would be.

THE END