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Pain lanced my heart. “Nonna.”

She rounded on me, wiping her hands on her apron. “I don’t say it to hurt you, ragazza mia. But you need to do what is best for your family.”

The ghost of the ring pulsed on my empty finger. “I know, I know! But it’s only been a year. I can’t—”

My voice broke.

The thought of dating felt wrong. At this point, it would be a job interview. The romance would be second place to finding someone to fill the missing hole in our little family.

“Don’t cry,” Nonna chided gently. “You’re not alone anymore.”

My lip wobbled. “Thank you for taking us in.”

She nodded with a determined smile. “Retirement was getting boring. I’m glad you’ll bring life to this place. But that doesn’t change the fact that those boys need a man around.”

They did. They were going to be a handful for a broken-hearted mother who was exhausted all the freaking time, and a grandmother who made the best food in the world but had already done her part raising nine babies of her own.

“I’ll get them, wash your hands and sit down,” she commanded, nodding to the table.

For tonight, I let her be in charge. I could parent tomorrow. One good night of sleep, and I would wake up refreshed and ready to take on this new chapter of our life.

Chapter 2 – Lucian

The front door cracked, and a sharp hiss broke the still of the night. “Pst! Lucian!”

I paused, shovel in hand. A fondness spread through my chest as I looked toward the front porch where the spitfire shuffled out the front door, closing it softly behind her. Signora Finnocchiaro was wrapped in a thickly knitted blanket.

“You should be in bed, old woman.”

Signora Finocchiaro laughed roughly. “I was.”

I scooped the row of snow, flinging it high so it went deep into the yard. This wasn’t as bad as the snow we’d had earlier in the week, but there was still a good layer to be cleared again tonight. Setting the shovel down on the bank, I went to climb the steps and join her on the porch. When my own grandma died, she entrusted the care of her oldest, dearest friend to me. I would have looked after Uliva without being told, but in the last five years we’d bonded in a deeper way. It was like we adopted one another without formally establishing the relationship.

“I need you to do something for me,” Uliva stated, cutting straight to the chase.

I appreciated her direct attitude. Tugging the ski mask off my face, I nodded.

“As you know, my granddaughter and her children moved in with me last week.”

While the official story was that they were here for the Christmas season, their late November arrival and length of stay meant they’d been displaced. Uliva was determined to make San Pietro Cove their home.

“She needs a miracle, and I’m determined to make this Christmas magical for her,” Uliva continued. The mischievous smile on her face should have been a warning. “I want you to help me.”

I groaned inwardly. If Christmas was joy, then I was the antithesis of the holiday spirit. The only reason Raven Manor had Christmas trees was because my scatter-brained sister insisted on making the place look like something out of a social media post. It wasn’t decorated or homey; our house was curated.

“I need you to sneak inside every night and be my mystery helper,” the old lady declared.

“You want me to break into your house?” I gazed at her skeptically.

Signora Finocchiaro rolled her eyes. I had to brace myself not to shuffle backward. The last thing I wanted was that weathered hand to box my ear. I might be the boss of the local famiglia, but she would do it. It didn’t matter who or what I was, no one disrespected this old bird.

“It’s not breaking in if I give you the key,” she said flatly.

I wasn’t about to tell her I already had one. For emergencies only, so I rarely used it. Plus, she might shoot me if she found out I was able to get into her house without her permission. I’d seen her Smith & Wesson. And there were several old timers down at the café who had scars from holes she’d once poked through them.

Yeah, I’m never telling her.

So instead, I asked, “Won’t your granddaughter be uncomfortable with a strange man sneaking around?”