Page 44 of One More Gift

I slip it open, peek at the documents inside, and laugh. “Divorce papers? You shouldn’t have.”

My lawyer and I have already reviewed these multiple times, but one page is marked with a bright pink tab indicatingchanges. I scan them quickly, then read them again to make sure my eyes are not deceiving me.

“You’re giving me the cottage? We agreed we’d split all the property assets.”

“It was always yours, my love. You earned it. This proposes that you take the London flat, I’ll take the house in Italy, and you can keep this place. Though you are welcome to visit any time, of course. You and Henry.”

My eyes narrow and I shake my head. “I knew you were lying to me.”

“About what?” he says, his eyebrows pulling together.

I point my finger close to his face. “You said you thought the cottage would be empty. Why did you bring these if you didn’t think you were going to see me this Christmas?”

He leans forward with that wicked smile and playfully bites the tip.

“Fine, I admit I knew he would be here. I always had a sense that you would begin something with him once our marriage was over, but I wanted one last chance to say goodbye to you. I suspected, correctly I might add, that it might be an opportunity to give you the best present of all.”

And what a gift it was.

“What if Henry hadn’t been up for it?”

“Then we’d have had a very awkward few days trying to avoid each other in a tiny house.” He reaches for my coffee and takes a sip. “We might have finished that jigsaw puzzle. Or watched Die Hard 2.”

We both laugh, and it’s the bright sound of our early years. Of fun and lightness and all the good times before we grew apart.

“I have met someone,” he says after a while.

“Casper, no,” I gasp. “Do not tell me you’ve made me complicit in an affair. Or Henry.”

“Nothing has happened, but there is someone I was recently introduced to. She’s a human rights lawyer in Italy, an incredible woman, almost as beautiful as you.” He leans in to cover my hand with his. “I want to pursue her, with your blessing, of course.”

“You don’t need my blessing to start a new relationship.”

He lifts my hand to his lips and presses a kiss to my knuckles. “I appreciate that, but you have been my closest companion for many years. You are my guiding light. My heart cannot simply forget you.”

“You are annoyingly romantic sometimes. Of course you have my blessing. Do you have a pen?”

I sign the papers with a smile on my face, slip them back into the envelope, and hand it over.

“Saskia,” he says softly, and my heart leaps into my throat.

From the moment we met, he has always called meangel, my love,or sometimes an Italiantesoro. In fact, it’s so rare for him to use my name that I got the giggles when he said it during our marriage vows and had to stop for a sip of water.

He palms my cheek, and I lean into the warmth of it. “Henry is the one for you. You have my blessing, too.”

“Thank you, Casper.”

Our eyes lock, and he leans in to kiss me, but I pull away.

“Would you let me kiss you if Henry was here?” he asks, his eyes scanning my face to get a read on my reaction.

My lips press together as I consider the scenario. “I would, actually.”

“That’s interesting,” he hums, standing and tucking the envelope underneath his arm. “I’m going to take a shower and pack up my things.”

I watch him go, and wonder if I’ll ever kiss my ex-husband again.

Chapter 28

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