Harlequin Romance March 2021 Box Set Cara Colter (the mitten read aloud TXT) 📖

been able to make it after all when Lucia added casually, ‘He was looking for you—oh, there he is, over there with my aunt. It’s lovely to see them talking so warmly. The rift between them has always upset the family. She made some mistakes when she was younger, we all know that, and poor Matteo did pay the price. But she loves him very much, and his siblings have always been desperate to get to know their big brother better. Maybe this is a new start for them—for Matteo. It would be lovely if you visited more often and we could get to know each other properly.’

Matteo? Here? Charlie stared at Lucia in surprise, her whole body frozen.

‘Where was he during the gala; his seat was empty?’ she asked as calmly as she could, as if this news wasn’t a huge surprise to her.

‘In that corner over there. They arrived a little bit late, typical Matteo, and of course he had brought a larger group than expected so they had to have some extra seats at the back. But they didn’t mind; they said how much they enjoyed it.’

Charlie was aware that her legs shook and her whole body ached with anticipation as she made her way over to the part of the famous botanical gardens Lucia had indicated. She stopped when she saw a small group of people, drinks in hand, chattering animatedly in a little palm-tree-lined glade. She instantly recognised Matteo’s tall lines and the woman next to him must surely be his mother. She had the same profile, the same haughty cheekbones and determined nose and chin. But was that Matteo’s father next to her—what was he doing here? And his grandfather? She’d never expected to see the four of them in the same place, especially on seemingly cordial if not intimate terms.

Her gaze travelled further, to the edges of the group. She gave a little gasp. ‘Gran? Phoebe? What on earth are you doing here?’

* * *

Matteo turned at the sound of Charlie’s voice and saw her face light up, surprise and happiness mingling in her joyful expression. He felt himself relax just a little. It had all been worth it, all the corralling and coaxing, and using every bit of his charm to try and persuade everybody to be here for the gala. Getting his father and his grandfather onto the same plane had been an adventure by itself, even the luxurious private jet too small to house the pair of them. Luckily, Phoebe and Charlie’s grandmother’s presence had diluted the toxic atmosphere, and Charlie’s grandmother had chatted animatedly throughout the short flight, keeping the topics light-hearted and ensuring there was no chance for his grandfather to start muttering about bribery or his father to get defensive.

It had been a lot easier getting his mother to attend; she’d said yes before he’d even finished asking the question, her joy at hearing his invitation both warming and shaming. He’d asked her to use her usual rooms at the villa, but she’d elected instead to stay with Lucia, saying that he and Charlie needed some time alone. Lucia had agreed, organising hotel rooms for his father and grandfather, Phoebe and Charlie’s grandmother, a miracle at such short notice during the busy summer season.

Two other very important guests were due to arrive in the morning, flight times and work commitments meaning they couldn’t make the twenty-hour turnaround needed to get to Ravello in time for the gala. But tomorrow was the important day, if Charlie would just say yes.

Matteo inhaled. He was putting everything on the line here—his hopes, his dreams and his pride—and this time his pride was the least important thing of all.

‘Matteo phoned and insisted we came over. He can be stubborn, can’t he? But how could we turn down chauffeurs, private jets and posh hotel suites? By the way, private jets are everything, Charlie. I can’t believe you even tried to claim they weren’t.’ Phoebe rushed over to give her cousin a hug. ‘You’re looking well,’ she added, and Charlie beamed, enfolding her cousin in a close hug before doing the same to her grandmother.

Matteo’s heart lifted at the unadulterated happiness on her face. ‘How?’ she asked, looking around the group in bewilderment.

‘I decided to be a little bit impulsive,’ Matteo said with a grin and she smiled up at him, her heart in her eyes.

‘You’re a good pupil,’ she said, and he dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

‘I had a good teacher,’ he murmured in her ear as he introduced her to his mother, who immediately embraced her warmly.

‘I’ve been dying to meet you. I’m so happy this day has come,’ his mother said.

‘Me too,’ Charlie told her.

There was a lot to talk about and Matteo stood back, watching Charlie make the rounds of their blended families, Lucia and her husband and children joining them. Charlie made an effort to single out his grandfather who, although he’d given her elegantly styled purple-tipped hair a suspicious glance, surely had to approve of her vintage blue calf-length ballgown teamed with a silk wrap. She looked elegant, cool, like some kind of fifties film star gracing the gala with her presence, and he noted people looking over at her, clearly asking each other who she was, pride filling him. That’s my wife, he wanted to shout.

Matteo himself was doing his best to charm Charlie’s grandmother and Phoebe, both of whom he knew still regarded him with some suspicion, but the glamour of the evening mixed with Charlie’s evident happiness thawed them somewhat. But all he wanted was Charlie to himself. It seemed an age before he could take her arm and discreetly steer her away from the rest of the group, walking through the gardens until they reached the railings at the top of the cliff and pausing there, looking out over the view beyond. It was dark now but they could see the Amalfi coast lit up below, and the lights