Ceo's Marriage Miracle. Sophie Pembroke

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ

      He studied her face for a moment to make sure she was telling him the truth. And then he put his hands on her shoulders, like he remembered their father doing. ‘Then I am happy for you, too. Congratulations.’

      He pulled her into his arms and gave her a tight hug—something he wasn’t sure he’d done since they’d learned of their parents’ deaths. His relationship with Noemi hadn’t always been without tension or frustration but he did love her, even if he didn’t always understand her, or what she wanted from him.

      When Sebastian released her and backed away, Leo stepped up to her, and Seb watched to see how the new brother would deal with the news. ‘You do know that I have no idea about children or how to be a cool uncle, right?’

      She smiled and nodded. ‘I think you’ll figure it out. In fact, I’ll insist.’

      She reached out and hugged him, too, which seemed to take Leo by surprise.

      When they pulled apart, Noemi moved to Max’s side. She placed her hand in his, lacing her fingers with his. ‘Do you want to tell the rest?’

      ‘You’re doing fine,’ Max replied, sounding laid-back about the whole twin situation. Really, at this point, what more news could there be?

      ‘First, I should probably introduce Max by his proper name,’ Noemi said. Sebastian frowned. ‘I’d like you to meet Crown Prince Maximilian Steiner-Wolf. He is the heir to the throne of the European principality of Ostania.’

      A prince? His baby sister was pregnant by a prince? Seb knew he’d been distracted lately, but how had he missed this much?

      Noemi drew in a deep breath and then slowly expelled it. ‘And he has asked me to marry him.’

      Well, that was something, otherwise Max and he would have had to have words.

      Then Maria said, ‘You’ll be a princess,’ and the reality of the situation set in fully. His wife always saw to the heart of a matter first.

      ‘Wow,’ Anissa said in awe, which pretty much covered Seb’s thoughts on the subject.

      ‘Yes, she will.’ Max spoke up. ‘She will be the most beautiful and compassionate princess. And I couldn’t be luckier. I promise you that I will do my best to make her happy.’

      Sebastian looked between Noemi and Max. ‘So you’re moving to Ostania?’ He wasn’t sure how he felt about her being so far away. On the one hand, maybe they’d argue less. On the other, without Maria, and with his parents gone, and no commitment from Leo to hang around past Christmas, Seb would be on his own. Completely alone, for the first time ever.

      His head spun at the thought.

      ‘I’m afraid that my duties are increasing and after Christmas I will need to spend the bulk of my time in Ostania,’ Max explained. ‘I’m sorry to take your sister away from you all, but you will always be welcome at our home.’

      ‘Don’t you mean your palace?’ Maria asked.

      Max nodded. ‘Yes. And it has a lot of guest rooms.’

      ‘Guest rooms that I expect all of you to use regularly,’ Noemi said firmly. ‘Wait until you see this place. It’s beautiful. And they have great skiing. But I wanted you all to know that we will be here for Christmas. It’ll be a family Christmas just like Mamma and Papà would have wanted.’

      With all them together—including Maria and Frankie. Even if it might be the last time it ever happened.

      No. He wouldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t.

      He had to fix things. And without his papà there to guide him, he was going to have to figure it out on his own.

      ‘Now you all know everything, we can concentrate on celebrating,’ Noemi said, clapping her hands together. ‘Max, I haven’t even properly introduced you to Sebastian’s wife. This is Maria.’

      ‘Mrs Cattaneo,’ Max said, with princely suaveness as he took her hand.

      ‘Not Cattaneo,’ Maria said, too fast. ‘I’m going by Rossi again now.’ Wait. She’d given up his name now, too? They weren’t divorced; legally she was still a Cattaneo. But the fact that she’d chosen her maiden name over his stung. Even worse was the way she’d said it so matter-of-factly, as if it were obvious.

      Sebastian shot her a look. ‘Did we get divorced without me noticing?’

      He saw Maria’s temper flare in her eyes. Good. He shouldn’t be the only one angry here. ‘Given everything else that happened in our marriage without you noticing, it wouldn’t surprise me,’ she said caustically.

      ‘And now it definitely feels like a proper family Christmas.’ Noemi rolled her eyes. ‘Come on, Maria. Let’s go show Frankie the master suite. I’ve had them set up the second bedroom there for the two of you.’

      The second bedroom? Something primal rose up in Sebastian’s chest at the idea. Maria was his wife, and he wanted her back where she belonged, in his bed. In his arms.

      Was that so much to ask?

      His objections must have shown on his face because Noemi arched her perfect eyebrows at him in amusement.

      ‘What?’ Noemi asked her brother. ‘You didn’t really think she was going to just move back into your room, did you?’

      Yes, of course he had, when he’d let himself think about it all. Which hadn’t been often. He hadn’t truly believed Maria would come home until he’d opened the door to find her standing there with Frankie.

      But he’d hoped. And when he’d hoped, this hadn’t at all been the homecoming he’d imagined.

      ‘Frankie can stay here with me,’ he said softly. Another wish he’d had dashed this evening—a joyous reunion with his son.

      He hadn’t thought it possible to miss such a little human as much as he had. But now it seemed that Frankie barely even knew who he was.

      ‘Frankie wants to see his room,’ Noemi said, sweeping aside his suggestion. ‘Don’t you, Frankie? Come on. You come with Auntie Noemi and Uncle Max and leave Papà to sulk here alone.’ She put one arm around Maria’s waist, guiding Frankie forward with her other hand until he stumbled. Maria swooped down to pick up the little boy, laughing and kissing him as she did so.

      None of them looked back at Sebastian.

      And then they were gone, his whole family disappearing through the door in a whirl of excitement and leaving him behind.

      Leaving him alone.

      Again.

       CHAPTER TWO

      MARIA KNEW SEBASTIAN probably better than anyone in the world, even—or perhaps especially—his sister. And she was almost certain that slipping back neatly into his life, into his bed, was exactly what СКАЧАТЬ