Page 48 of Silent Night With Luca

“Uh, yeah,” I say firmly. “You’re mine now, sweetheart.”

She smiles through her tears, the sadness lingering but it seems to be lessening with every passing moment. It’s nice to see her smile. “I think I might be okay with that. I’ve never been one to want to be claimed, but I’ve never felt like this before.”

We lie there, wrapped in each other, and for the first time in what feels like forever, the world feels… right. It’s strange, after everything we’ve been through, to find this peace. But as I hold her close, with the warmth of the fire and the distant hum of Christmas not far off, I know this is where I want to be.

Epilogue

LUCA

The snow falls softly outside the window, dusting Winter Haven in the same blanket of white that greeted us last year. But this time, everything is different. This time it doesn’t just look peaceful. It is.

I glance at Luca, who’s in the driver’s seat, one hand resting on the wheel, the other reaching back to gently adjust the tiny pink hat on our daughter’s head. She’s sound asleep in her car seat, her little chest rising and falling in perfect rhythm, completely unaware of the world around her.

A year ago, I was running from Luca, convinced he was enemy number one. Now, here we are, driving back to Winter Haven as a family of three. It’s surreal.

“Can you believe we’re doing this again?” I ask, my voice soft as I turn to Luca.

He smirks, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. “Only this time, no one’s trying to kill you and you aren’t running from me in five inch heels.”

“Always a plus,” I say with a grin, leaning my head back against the seat. The snow continues to fall, transforming the world outside into a winter wonderland. But inside this car, everything feels warm and perfect.

I glance at our infant, Emilia, and a surge of love fills my chest. I never imagined this is where we’d be a year later—a solid family, stronger than ever. The chaos of last Christmas feels like a lifetime ago, but in some strange way, I’m thankful for it.

“Do you think she’ll like it?” I ask, my eyes lingering on Emilia as she sleeps.

“Like what?” Luca asks.

“Christmas. I mean, she’s too young to know what it is, but still. I want her to know the magic of this season, to never even think about what lurks in the shadows. I want her to be like all the people we saw celebrating and laughing as we drove out to Blackwood Forest.”

Luca chuckles. “She’s two months old, Fiamma. As long as she gets fed and changed, I think she’ll be happy.”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, well, Christmas means something special to us now, doesn’t it? It’s the season that brought us together. And we can make sure she doesn’t know about the evil lurking all around.”

He looks over at me, his expression softening. “Yeah, it does. And we can absolutely shield her. Oblivion is nice.”

It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come since that chaotic time. I think about Arianna and Marco sometimes—not with sadness anymore, but with a sense of closure. It was their betrayal that tested us, pushed us to our limits. And it’s what ultimately made us stronger.

“Remember last year, when I thought you were the worst possible person I could be stuck with?” I tease, nudging Luca’s arm playfully.

He laughs, a deep, rich sound that warms me even more. “Oh, I remember. You were hellbent on getting away from me. You’re still a hellcat, make no mistake. But at least we’ve learned how to channel that in a more productive way.”

I shrug, grinning. “And you’re still kind of a jerk, but it can prove useful at times.”

“Now I’m your jerk,” he says, reaching over to squeeze my hand.

I laugh, glancing back out the window as the lights of Winter Haven come into view. It’s strange to feel a sense of comfort in this town after everything that happened here. But this time, it’s different. This time, we’re coming back for the holiday season without the looming threat of danger. This time, we’re celebrating our first Christmas as a family, with the entire family.

“I’ve been thinking,” I say, turning to him. “About how Christmas is kind of… our thing.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Our thing?”

“Yeah. I mean, it’s when everything happened. It’s when we realized we were more than just a bodyguard and a brat.”

He chuckles. “Yeah, I guess, it is our thing.”

“Look at us. A year later, and we’re a team. A real family.”

Luca doesn’t say anything for a moment, his eyes focusedon the road ahead. But then he squeezes my hand a little tighter. “Yeah, we are. And I wouldn’t change a thing.”

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