I escaped my small town. I escaped the cold. I even escaped the man who ruined me with a single night in Milan.
But I couldn’t escape the secret he left me with— a little boy with his dark eyes and a smile I would burn the world for.
For four years, I’ve kept us safe. Invisible. Unreachable.
Until threatening packages appear at my door. Until danger circles too close. Until I run back home… straight into the arms of the man I swore I’d never see again.
Matteo Russo. Enforcer. Shadow. The only man I’ve ever wanted. The only man I can never trust.
He walks into my mother’s bakery like he owns the air I breathe. Telling me we’re in danger. Telling me he’s the only one who can protect us. Telling me he won’t leave.
But when he looks at my son—my secret— I see everything I’ve been terrified of: recognition, devastation… and a claim he hasn’t spoken yet.
And on the night fear becomes fire and Christmas lights turn to ash, my son whispers, “Mama… will Santa bring me a daddy this year?”
Matteo’s answer is low, rough, and final—
“Santa doesn’t. But sometimes, papas do.”
Author’s Note: A steamy Christmas mafia romance with a protective alpha, a secret baby, No Cliffhanger, and a guaranteed HEA.
