The doorbell echoed through the house, pulling Abby from her peaceful thoughts. She gently untangled herself from Remo’s embrace, glancing at him to see if he noticed. He stirred slightly but didn’t wake. Abby smiled softly, a warmth filling her chest. For the first ti in a long ti, their life was starting to feel steady, peaceful, and it was a feeling she wanted to hold onto.
The doorbell rang again, a little more insistently this ti. Abby frowned and made her way to the door, wondering who could possibly be visiting on Christmas Eve. When she opened it, she blinked in surprise.
Standing there, in the cold, was Olivia, her forr bodyguard. A cheerful smile stretched across her face, her cheeks flushed pink from the cold, and standing beside her was a little boy. His big brown eyes looked up at Abby curiously, his small hands clutching a tray of baked cookies wrapped in festive ribbon.
"rry Christmas!" Olivia said brightly, her eyes twinkling as she held out the cookies toward Abby.
Abby felt a flood of surprise wash over her. "Olivia? What... what are you doing here?" she asked, montarily taken aback by the unexpected visit. She hadn’t seen Olivia in months, not since she left to take care of her son who had been sick. And yet, here she was, standing on her doorstep with a tray of cookies and a little boy who looked... well, familiar.
Olivia laughed softly. "I know it’s a surprise, but I couldn’t let Christmas go by without seeing you. It’s been too long, Abby."
Abby’s gaze shifted to the little boy by Olivia’s side, and her heart nearly skipped a beat. The resemblance was uncanny. The boy was a carbon copy of Tony, right down to his sharp jawline and mischievous eyes. He couldn’t have been older than five, but even so, it didn’t take a genius to figure out who his father was.
Her thoughts swirled for a mont before she found her voice again. "Who is this cutie?" Abby asked, though she already knew the answer deep down. There was no mistaking it.
Olivia’s face softened, and she placed a gentle hand on the boy’s shoulder. "This is my son, Luca," she said with a proud smile. "Luca, say hello to Abby."
The boy looked up shyly, his little voice barely above a whisper. "Hi, Abby."
Abby’s heart lted at the sound of his sweet voice. She knelt down to his level, smiling at him warmly. "Hi, Luca. You’re very brave coming out in the cold with your mom on Christmas Eve."
Luca’s face lit up with a shy grin as he held out the cookies toward Abby. "We made these for you," he said proudly.
Abby accepted the cookies, her heart swelling with affection. "Thank you, they look delicious." She stood up, her gaze moving back to Olivia. "It’s so good to see you, Olivia. And Luca—he’s adorable."
Olivia’s smile faltered for just a mont, but she quickly recovered. "Thank you. He’s doing much better now," she said, her tone filled with relief. "The doctors finally figured out what was wrong, and he’s been responding well to treatnt. I wanted to bring him by, and well, we couldn’t not co see you."
Abby nodded, still absorbing the sight of Olivia and Luca together. It was hard not to think about Tony and how much the boy resembled him. The situation was complicated, but Abby could see the love in Olivia’s eyes as she glanced at her son. It was clear Olivia would do anything for Luca, and Abby respected that.
"So..." Abby began, choosing her words carefully, "How’s Tony?"
Olivia’s expression tensed ever so slightly, but she kept her voice even. "He’s... Tony," she said with a small laugh. "We don’t really talk much anymore. He helps out with Luca, of course, but I’ve been keeping my distance. It’s easier that way."
Abby frowned, knowing there was more to the story than Olivia was letting on, but she decided not to press the issue. Instead, she gestured toward the living room where the fire was still crackling. "Why don’t you co in? It’s freezing out there."
Olivia hesitated for a mont, glancing down at Luca, but then nodded. "Okay, but just for a little while. We don’t want to intrude."
"You’re not intruding," Abby said warmly, stepping aside to let them in. "It’s Christmas. The more, the rrier."
Olivia smiled gratefully and ushered Luca inside, where the warmth of the house imdiately enveloped them. As they walked into the living room, Remo stirred on the couch, blinking awake at the sound of footsteps. He sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before he noticed Olivia and Luca standing there.
"Olivia?" Remo asked, his brow furrowed slightly in confusion. He looked between her and the boy, clearly piecing things together just as Abby had.
"rry Christmas, Remo," Olivia said with a warm smile. "Sorry to drop by unannounced."
Remo gave her a nod, his gaze softening as he took in the sight of Luca. "It’s no problem. It’s good to see you."
Luca’s eyes widened as he looked up at Remo, clearly a little in awe of the towering man before him. Remo chuckled softly and knelt down to the boy’s level, extending a hand. "You must be Luca."
Luca nodded shyly, shaking Remo’s hand with his tiny one. "Hi."
"Nice to et you, kid," Remo said with a gentle smile, ruffling Luca’s hair before standing back up.
The room fell into a comfortable silence as they all sat down, the fire casting a warm glow over the scene. Abby could feel the weight of the mont, knowing that despite the complications, this was a small step toward healing old wounds. Olivia was no longer just her forr bodyguard—she was a mother now, and Abby could see the strength in her eyes as she sat there with her son.
After a while, Luca climbed into Olivia’s lap, his eyelids drooping as the warmth of the fire and the comfort of the house began to lull him to sleep. Olivia stroked his hair softly, her gaze tender as she held him close.
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