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Jess offered her nonno an appreciative glance and he offered her a kind-hearted one back. ‘Hey, sweetie,’ she said to Chiara, choking up.
‘What’s wrong, Mum?’ Chiara asked, her brows furrowing in concern.
‘We need to talk.’ Jess sunk down next to her.
Chiara’s eyes widened in alarm. ‘Did I do something bad?’
‘No, sweetie, you didn’t do anything wrong,’ she said, putting her arm around her. Nonno’s hand touched hers on the back of the couch, silently supporting her. She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts, and her courage. ‘There’s something I need to tell you, and it’s going to be hard to hear.’
Chiara’s eyes widened even further, and her bottom lip began to quiver. ‘What is it?’
‘I did a special test, and it turns out that Salvatore isn’t your real father,’ she said as calmly as she could.
‘What do you mean?’ Chiara asked, her voice trembling.
‘I was with another man, before Salvatore, and …’ Jess’s heart broke at the look of confusion on Chiara’s face. ‘His name is Morgan,’ she added softly.
‘The Morgan you were staying with in Australia?’ Chiara’s eyes welled up with tears. ‘But I don’t even know him.’
‘I know, sweetie, and I’m sorry. But he’s a good man, and I bet, when I tell him the wonderful news, that he’ll want to get to know you,’ she said, trying to keep her own tears at bay.
Chiara shook her head, her tears spilling over. ‘Now I understand why Salvatore has always treated me like he has, because I wasn’t his little girl.’
Mortified at seeing Chiara so torn, Jess cupped her cheeks. ‘Oh, sweetheart, he didn’t know, I’ve only just told him about it.’ She sniffed and wiped Chiara’s tears. ‘Salvatore is not a very nice man, and that’s not your fault.’
Chiara nodded, her tears starting to subside. ‘What happens now?’
‘I don’t know yet, sweetie. But I promise you, we’ll figure it out together,’ Jess said, pulling her daughter in nice and close.
Nonno joined the circle of love by wrapping his arms around the pair of them. ‘Vi amo entrambi, così tanto.’
‘Oh, Nonno.’ Jess smiled through her tears at the man who’d shown her and Chiara nothing but unconditional love. ‘We both love you very much, too.’
For a few long moments, the three of them sat there in silence, wrapped in each other’s arms. Jess knew this was just the beginning of a long and difficult road, but she was determined to do whatever it took to help Chiara get through it. Together, they would face this truth, and whatever else came their way. She just needed to put the final piece of the puzzle together. Morgan needed to know. Hedeservedto know. And she hoped, prayed, wished upon every single star in the sky, that once she explained everything, he would find it within his big beautiful heart to understand and, hopefully, to forgive her. What happened between them afterwards was in his hands – and fate’s. All she cared about right now was her darling Chiara getting to know him.
As the three of them untangled, she looked to her nonno with tears in her eyes, overwhelmed by the emotions that were coursing through her. ‘Thank you, Nonno, for everything you do for us,’ she said, her voice thick with emotion. ‘I don’t know what we’d do without you.’
‘I’ll always be here for you both.’ He smiled kindly at her and his eyes crinkled at the corners. ‘I know this hasn’t been easy for you, but I’m proud of you for facing it.’
Jess nodded, unable to speak anymore. She knew that there were still challenges ahead, but for now she was content with the knowledge that Morgan Savage was her darling daughter’s dad.
CHAPTER
22
Morgan knew he was laying his heart on the line. But Jessica Sabatini was worth the risk. A burst of adrenaline and fear raced through his veins as he punched his credit-card details into the keyboard of his laptop. The processing wheel spun in circles, then twenty seconds later, his very last hope for a future with Jess stared back at him. He pressed print, and the airline ticket was in his hand. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. He was flying all the way to Italy to tell Jess he wasn’t letting her go. That he was going to fight until his very last breath for her. Because he loved her, and he believed their kind of love was enough to conquer all obstacles in their way.
It was a crazy move, but he had to take the chance. He had to try. This time she wasn’t getting away from him that easily. This time he’d step up to the plate, walk the line, whatever he had to do to be the man he truly was, and chase her all the way to the other side of the world. Hell, he’d have swum if he’d had to.
Two hours later, his text tone chimed.
I’m out the front, bro.
Thank goodness for Roberto and Shanti offering to stay there and take care of Teeny and the farm, or he wouldn’t be able to pull this off.
Coming now, he texted back.
Grabbing his Akubra from the desk, he tugged it on, grabbed his duffle bag from the floor, gave Teeny a loving goodbye head ruffle, then strode out of the homestead. In a little under thirty-four hours, he’d be staring into the eyes of the one and only woman he’d ever loved with every single piece of his heart. He just prayed Shanti was right, that it was all going to be worth it and they’d work things out.
