Chapter 6 - The Garden in the RainFour weeks later, a soft, warm spring rain fell over the private garden behind my Lincoln Park home.
Maya and Leo ran through the stone paths wearing yellow rain boots, chasing their golden retriever, their loud, sweet laughter echoing off the high brick walls.
Sitting on the covered teak patio, watching them with a warm cup of coffee in his hands, was Luca.
He wore a plain dark sweater and jeans—stripped of his corporate armor, his face relaxed, his dark eyes filled with a deep, weightless peace that I had never seen during our marriage.
Over the last month, we hadn't rushed into anything. Luca had moved into a townhouse three blocks away. He came over every afternoon at 4:00 PM to play with the children, read them bedtime stories, and help Leo build his wooden train tracks.
The children adored him. Leo had already started calling him "Dad," while Maya loved sitting on his shoulders to reach the high book shelves in the library.
I stepped out onto the patio wearing a comfortable cashmere sweater, handing Luca a warm plate of fresh pastries.
He set his coffee down, reaching out his broad hand to gently catch my waist, pulling me down to sit comfortably on his lap. He wrapped his strong arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder, his warm breath tickling my neck.
"They look just like you when they laugh, Nia," Luca murmured softly, his hand resting flat against my stomach.
"Leo has your dark temper when he doesn't get his gelato," I teased gently, turning my head to look into his gray eyes.
Luca offered a small, breathtaking smile—a smile that held zero arrogance, only a profound, eternal devotion.
"I spoke to the board this morning, Nia," Luca revealed softly. "I handed executive operational control of Moretti Global over to my chief operating officer. I'm stepping down as CEO."
May you like
I blinked, turning around in his lap to stare at him. "Luca... Moretti Global is your life’s work."
"No," Luca promised, reaching up to gently frame my face with his broad hands, pressing his lips softly against mine in a deep, sweet, unhurried kiss. "You and the twins are my life’s work. The rest was just noise."
