Chapter 288

And no icy European winter could match the sudden drop in temperature on the hot maternity ward.

‘Come.’ It was Elmo who broke the appalling silence, but his single word unleashed the dam. His mother sped after him, talking in rapid Italian, and as the baby started crying to be fed, unsettled by her new brother and her uncle who was leaving, so too did Lucia.

So too did Annabella. And her throaty pleas for her brother to just give his mother what she wanted—five minutes of his time—were the ones that finally stalled Elmo. A terse nod and a surly shrug implied that there really wasn’t an issue and that, of course, he had no problem spending time with them. Then another brief nod followed as his mother spoke again.

"We will go for a coffee." Elmo gave his sister a smile. "You feed the baby, we’ll take Lucia, then I’ll come back and say goodbye." He glanced over at Brianna. "Meet me in the car in half an hour."

Which was normal—in the little while she’d been working for him, waiting in r