Keep Me At Christmas (Romano Family Book 4)

by Lucinda Whitney

  “Jack? Are you all right?” Mom asked.

  He turned to them, the cap in his hand.”Yeah.” He breathed out slowly. “Yeah, I’m all right. Excuse me, I gotta make some calls.” He crossed the room to the staircase.

  Mom met him at the bottom of the stairs. “Why? Are you going somewhere?”

  Jack turned and nodded slowly, the warmth of a smile spreading from him. “I think I am.”

  Mom laced her fingers and smiled, then exchanged a look with Nonna, who’d paused her knitting to look at him. They grinned at each other, and Nonna said, “Alleluia.”

  His mother nodded. “It’s about time.”

  It was about time. It had just taken him a while to figure it out. “I have to give it a try,” he said to them.

  “We know you do,” Mom said.

  “What about you two? And the café?” They’d been the focus of his life for so long.

  “We be fine, Giacomo.” Nonna called him by his childhood name. “The café be fine too. Your Mamma and I have a good plan. You need to worry about new things now.”

  “Go make your calls and we’ll tell you more about it,” Mom added.

  “What if it doesn’t work out?” He finally voiced his fears, and relief followed.

  His mother sighed. “Jack, we love you, but we can’t tell you how to live your life.” She gestured to her mother. “Your Nonna and I agree with you; you have to give it a try. We support your decision.”

  Jack looked between them. “That’s it then?” It couldn’t be as simple as they made it sound, could it?

  Nonna resumed her knitting, then glanced up at him without breaking her rhythm. “Ragazzo mio. More do. Less talk.”

  Mom kept smiling and Jack chuckled. He walked over to where Nonna sat and kissed her head. “Always right, Nonna. Always right.”

  He repeated the kiss for mom. “Wish me luck.”

  He was half-way up to this bedroom when he heard Nonna’s yell. “Buona fortuna.”

  The corner of his mouth rose in a half smile. His life had changed too much in less than a month. The kind of change he hadn’t even gone looking for.

  Two years ago, the woman he thought he loved had left with the first snow on what should have been the happiest day of his life. This time, a snow storm had brought a woman he could easily love. A woman from Portugal he already loved.

  How could he hide behind the excuse of three thousand miles?

  * * *

  Monday, January 15th

  Luciana looked out the window. It had been raining all weekend, and she’d used the weather as an excuse to stay in and start a new knitting project.

  After helping Catarina and Afonso move into their townhouse, Luciana’s family had asked her to come to Porto for a few days, but Luciana had effectively put them off, citing preparations for the new job at the Costume Museum, which didn’t actually start for another week. A small detail she hadn’t shared.

  If she went to Porto, every one would be expecting a report of her time in America, and what would she say? That she’d fallen in love with a man who might still be stuck in the past? It was easier to hide behind the pretense of being as busy and as happy as she’d always been.

  She puttered around the apartment all day in her pajamas, looked at the Facebook page of the local animal shelter, and organized her knitting room. It only made sense to make her home office space more effective, especially if she was getting a turtle.

  A message from Jack popped up on her phone. She closed her eyes and settled a hand over her chest. Deep breaths. Sometimes she didn’t reply to him right away. Not to be rude, but to force herself not to call him.

  How do I wash the cap you knitted for me?

  She frowned. That was unexpected. You need to wash it already?

  Yeah, but there’s no instructions. Nonna said there should be a tag with washing instructions, but I can’t find anything.

  Luciana’s heart sank. Something must have happened to the custom tag she’d stitched to the inside of the cap. No wonder he hadn’t mentioned it. She’d put so much thought into it.

  Cold water, mild soap, lay flat to dry, she typed back.

  That’s a bit too vague, came Jack’s reply. Are you home right now?

  Yes, I’m home.

  Can we talk about it?

  Talk about what? she asked him.

  The washing instructions.

  Luciana paused. As much as she wanted to talk to Jack, it would only hurt more in the long run. It’s pretty easy. I’ll send you a YouTube link.

  I’d rather see you do it.

  She didn’t reply. What could she say to that?

  The apartment bell rang and Luciana jumped. It was almost dinner time and she wasn’t expecting anyone.

  She put the phone down and walked to the intercom. “Quem é?”

  When a soft knock sounded at the door, she stilled. Deep breath. She was off center after Jack’s message, and just needed to calm down. After a quick check on the mirror in the entry, she passed a hand through her hair, then flattened her palms on the door to look through the peephole.

  A man in a dark blue cap.

  Her heart tripped, and she stepped back with a hand over her chest.

  No. How could it be?

  Luciana unlocked the door and opened it. “Jack?”

  He gave her a small smile. “Luciana.”

  That voice. Those eyes.

  Her cheeks flamed and her heart raced at the sight of Jack standing in front of her. She held on to the side of the door to keep her hands from shaking.

  “Come in.” She stepped aside to let him in.

  Jack raised a hand to his head and slipped off the cap, holding it in his fingers. “I talked to Lily Kerrison at the yarn store,” he said.

  “The Knotty Knitters,” Luciana added.

  He nodded. “I asked her about the washing instructions and she said, to be safe, I should ask the person who knitted it.”

  “You came all this way to ask me how to wash the cap?” She had so many questions. “What about the café? Your Mom and Nonna? How long are you staying?”

  “Momma and Nonna are fine, and the cousins agreed to take more hours. The café is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays now, which helps keep the operations down until I get everything in place the way we need. For the time being, I hired an accountant to run the business part of things. He’s someone I trust, an old friend from accounting school. I’m still looking for a full-time baker, but I’m confident someone will turn up to fill the position. Until then, I got a part-time baker filling in.” His voice was confident, but his eyes held a hint of hesitancy.

  “Why didn’t you just call?”Her mind turned with everything she wanted to ask him.

  He shrugged. “If I’d told you I was coming, maybe you’d tell me not to bother.”

  Would she have told him not to come? How many times had she thought of Jack coming to see her? Too many to count. And every time, she’d brought herself down from that wishful thinking, knowing it wouldn’t work.

  “I figured I had a better chance in person,” he added.

  “A better chance of what?”

  “A better chance to know if you meant what you wrote on this tag.” He turned the cap in his hands until the ribbon inside was exposed.

  Luciana gasped. The tag was still there and he’d seen it. Jack had read her message.

  Jack stepped forward and took her hand, running a light caress over the back of it.

  Her skin turned into gooseflesh and Luciana closed her eyes for a moment. “I meant it.” She nodded slowly. Of course she meant it. “But—but I also have questions,” she said with a sigh. She didn’t want to question everything. “What about your mother and Nonna? You said you wouldn’t leave them.”

  He frowned. “When did I say that?”

  “When you told me about Madison. You said she knew you wouldn’t leave your family.” She remembered the words well.

  “I wasn’t ready to do that for her. But it’s dif
ferent now. You’re not her, and I’m a different person too.” Jack searched her eyes. “I don’t have answers to all the questions, Luciana. I’m hoping you’ll be willing to get those answers with me.”

  Luciana watched Jack closely. He lifted his free hand to touch her cheek, not breaking the eye contact.

  Nervousness and vulnerability were there in his eyes. But so were the hope and determination.

  And maybe something more.

  Luciana shortened the distance between them, and Jack’s hand dropped to her waist, pulling her closer. She lifted her free hand and touched the side of his face. When his lips met hers, Luciana closed her eyes, and clung to him.

  All that she’d been missing since leaving Hudson Springs was restored to her.

  She gave herself to the moment and didn’t hold back.

  Jack was here—holding her, kissing her—and she finally felt complete. Nothing felt more right than this.

  “I missed you so much,” she said when they parted at last.

  Jack touched her lips again. “I love you so much,” he said in one breath.

  Her eyes misted with unshed tears. “I love you too.”

  Jack’s expression bloomed into a smile and this time she leaned in, kissing him again.

  Luciana sighed and pressed closer to Jack. “How are we going to make this work?”

  “Together.” He tightened his hold on her. “We can do it together.”

  Epilogue

  Three months later

  Luciana stood on the steps of the small church next to Catarina and Afonso, who held a busy Carlota in his arms.

  The day was sunny and unseasonably warm, lending a late-June ambiance to what should have been a cool April day. Definitely better for a wedding.

  When the church peals echoed from the tower, the smiling, happy couple exited through the front door. The family waiting for Jacinta and Knox on the steps erupted in loud cheers and clapping, some of them blowing bubbles from tiny white dispensers.

  Jacinta wore a simple A-line dress and a lace veil that had been worn by her mother at her own wedding. Knox cut a dashing figure in a dark blue suit, his red hair contrasting next to his bride’s dark brown. They stopped and waved at everyone, then he took her in his arms and kissed her soundly. The woots grew even louder. The photographer quickly assembled everyone for the group photos with the newlyweds.

  “They look so happy,” Catarina said.

  Luciana nodded. “Two down, one to go.” Matias and Vanessa’s wedding was scheduled for mid-June.

  “Two down, two to go,” Catarina corrected with a knowing look.

  Luciana shook her head. “If you mean me, that’s not happening any time soon.”

  Catarina winked. “You never know what Jack has planned.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Shh, smile at the camera.” Catarina looped her arm through Afonso’s and held on to Carlota’s hand.

  Luciana turned to the front, but her mind raced. What did her cousin mean about Jack’s plans? Did Catarina know something?

  Jack and Luciana had been making the long-distance relationship work for the last three months while he settled the café with a new manager and new baker. She’d gone to visit Hudson Springs for a long weekend, and Jack had come to Lisbon once, but it had been almost three weeks since the last time she’d seen him in person. Video calls didn’t make up for it. She hid a wistful sigh. No use getting mopey at Jacinta and Knox’s wedding. They certainly deserved a happy day.

  The couple kissed again before entering a black car decorated with white ribbons, and the rest of the family made their way to their own vehicles. The wedding guests would follow the bride and groom’s car to the reception venue, honking the horns along the way, as it was tradition.

  Filipe approached Luciana. “Hey, little sis, do you need a ride?”

  Their parents and younger brothers had already left. “Yes, thank you.”

  Catarina turned around. “I think I left Carlota’s diaper bag inside the church.”

  Afonso had left to bring the car around and Catarina’s arms were full with the baby.

  “I’ll get it,” Luciana offered.

  The sound of her heels echoed inside the now-empty church. The sun streamed through a high window, casting rainbow light on the stone floor. For a moment, she almost wished she had the time to sit and think. The peaceful feeling called to her.

  Luciana looked in the pew where they’d sat, but the bag wasn’t there. After five minutes of looking and asking about it at the lost and found, Luciana exited the church to tell Catarina.

  Everyone was gone. Catarina and Afonso’s car had left, and so had Filipe’s. They’d left her behind. She hadn’t been gone that long, had she?

  Luciana pulled out her phone to call for a taxi to take her to the venue. As she looked for the phone number, a black car with tinted windows pulled up to the sidewalk and stopped in front of her. Had someone sent a car for her after all?

  The passenger side window rolled down. “I heard you need a ride,” said a familiar voice.

  “Jack?” She grinned. “When did you arrive?”

  Before she had the time to open the door, he came around the car and Luciana wound her arms around his neck.

  Jack pulled her close and kissed her for a long minute. “Hmm. Feels like you missed me as much as I missed you,” he said with a slow smile.

  “You know I did,” she whispered in his ear.

  He tightened his embrace.

  A passing car honked at them and Luciana stepped back. Jack wore a dark gray suit and a light blue tie, one that precisely matched the color of the chiffon dress she wore. At the sight of him, her heart skipped a beat.

  “If I’d known you’d look this good in a suit, I’d have asked you to wear one before,” she said with another kiss.

  “I couldn’t show up to your cousin’s wedding in chef’s white, could I?” He gave her a crooked smile. “Sorry I missed the ceremony.”

  “We can still make it to the reception. They all left already. I was about to call a taxi—” Luciana stopped at the look in Jack’s eyes. “They left me on purpose, didn’t they?”

  Jack opened the passenger side door and held it for her. “Come on, we better get going and join your family.”

  Luciana slid inside and he closed the door behind her. Once he entered the car and sat behind the wheel, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m so glad you came. How long can you stay?”

  Jack kissed her back, started the car and merged into traffic. After a minute, he glanced at her. “Patience,” he replied enigmatically.

  Luciana nodded at Jack, making an effort to smile at him, and keep her expression pleasant.

  They had an agreement between them—no matter how long or short one of them could stay for visits, the other would not complain or exude pressure.

  But Luciana worried their future would be long coming, with him in New York and she in Lisbon. That he’d been able to come see her in Porto for Jacinta and Knox’s wedding was a surprise, a very good one. She wouldn’t say anything. Just having him here was enough. For now.

  Still, the questions swirled in her mind. What did he want to talk about? Was this his last visit? Maybe it was time for her to think seriously about moving to the state of New York. She would miss her family, but she would miss Jack more if she could never see him again, and losing him was too high a price to pay. The prospect terrified her.

  As deep as she was in her thoughts, she’d hardly noticed where Jack was going, and was surprised to see they’d arrived at the hotel’s parking lot. The restaurant was located on the second floor with a patio overlooking the river Douro and the Dom Luís Bridge, a place of significance for the bride and groom from a comment Jacinta had made before.

  In the atrium, a poster in elegant script announced the Romano-Campbell wedding in the Bridge Room. Luciana stepped toward the staircase, but Jack tugged at her hand.

  “I thought I could wait to do this later,
but I can’t.” A frown marred his forehead, and his eyes focused on a spot behind her.

  Luciana’s heart lurched. “Are you sure we can’t wait? Everybody’s upstairs and—”

  He took hold of both her hands, and shook his head. “It won’t take long. I really need to do this now.”

  He looked both ways, then led her through a short hallway and opened a door to the outside, almost as if he’d been there before. They walked toward a small courtyard with a pergola covered in green foliage and purple blossoms, the heady perfume carried in the air by a light breeze. Jack indicated the iron bench tucked under, and Luciana sat down, relieved to see they were the only ones around. The momentary privacy was welcome.

  “Jack, what’s going on?” she asked.

  Jack turned to her, tugging at the knot of his tie. He took a series of deep breaths, and rolled his shoulders, as if trying to gather courage for the task.

  Her chest squeezed at seeing him so nervous.

  “I renewed my accounting license before it expired,” he said. “Do you know accountants can work from anywhere? They only need a laptop and a good internet connection.”

  “Does that mean you can stay for a while?” she asked, hopeful.

  “In a way.” He inhaled quickly, then took both of her hands, and went down on one knee. “Luciana, will you marry me?”

  A laugh bubbled out, even as big, fat tears rolled down her cheeks. “Yes. Of course I’ll marry you.” The happiness inside her threatened to burst, and she was anxious to show it. She moved her hands to Jack’s shoulders and pulled him forward, landing her lips on his. He kissed her back.

  Jack drew a ring from the right pocket of his suit jacket and slid it onto her finger. Rose gold, a small multi-faceted diamond in the center. Luciana didn’t know anything about engagement rings, but this one looked vintage. “It’s so beautiful,” she whispered.

  “It was Nonna’s ring,” Jack said.

  He stood and took her in his arms and she clasped her hands behind his neck.