"Hey..." I pause halfway across the floor. "I didn’t hear you come in."
"I wanted to come by and make sure you guys don’t starve." She turns to me.
"We do have a housekeeper to cook for us, you know," I murmur.
"Oh, pfft." She waves her hand in the air. "I wanted to see you. Besides, myPasta alla Normais just what you need."
My stomach rumbles as she mentions it, and I walk over to her and hug her. "Thank you," I whisper, "you shouldn’t have, but I’m glad you did."
She hugs me, then pulls back to look at my face. “Everything okay?"
Tears prick at the backs of my eyes at her concern, and once again, I blink them away. "I’m not sure," I reply honestly.
"Why don’t I make you a plate, and you can tell me as you eat?"
"What about Seb?"
"I already took a tray up to him."
"Oh." I glance away.
"You guys have a fight or something?" she guesses.
"Kind of..." I shuffle my feet. "It was more like, I suggested something, and Seb dismissed my idea and told me he doesn’t want to hear about it again."
"Do you want to tell me about it?" She retrieves the plate of food from the warmer and sets it down on the breakfast nook counter. I clamber onto a stool, and place the baby monitor next to me on the counter. She slides the cutlery over to me, and I pick up a fork and dig into the pasta dish.
"This is good." I work my way through half of the contents of my plate before I finally glance up. "Really good." I lick my lips.
"Thanks, I’m glad you’re enjoying it." She pours me a glass of water, then slides onto the stool beside me, props her elbow on the counter, and leans her chin on her hand. "So, tell me everything."
I proceed to tell her about my earlier conversation with Seb. By the time I wipe my plate clean and sit back, she’s looking at me with concern in her gaze.
"I can understand why he was upset. It seems to me you'd be taking an unnecessary risk by meeting with Fabio."
"I need to confront him. It’s the only way he’ll stop trying to ruin my life. All of these years, I've been afraid of him. It’s why he’s always managed to ride rough-shod over me."
"So, what changed now? Why do you feel as if you can confront him now?"
"He shot at Seb; he hurt Seb." I grip the side of the counter. "Fabio hates Seb. He won't stop until he's taken Seb out, and I can't let that happen. I will not see him get hurt again, Cass." I reach for the glass of water and sip from it.
"Firstly, Seb can take care of himself—"
"Like he did when the drone shot at him?"
Cass purses her lips. "That was an aberration. Likely, he was taken by surprise. Doesn't mean it will happen again."
"I can't take that risk." I fold my arms about my waist. "You don’t know how scary it was when that bullet hit him and he started bleeding. He passed out, and I was sure I was going to lose him. I can't let that happen, Cass." My guts churn, bile rushes up my throat, and I swallow it down. "He's my chance at happiness. He's the man who should have been Avery's father. It's my fault he got hurt, and I can't risk that happening again. This is the only way, Cass. It's time I shook free of Fabio's hold on my life and Avery's future, once and for all. " I shake my head, unable to continue.
I slide off of the stool, take my plate, and head for the sink. I rinse it off and place it in the dishwasher.
"Either way, Seb is right about one thing. I can’t take Avery back to Fabio."
"That, I understand," Cass finishes wiping the counter then turns to me. "I don't agree with your going to confront Fabio but," she draws in a breath, "but I was a mother once. I know what it feels like to want to protect your child against the world. Whatever you are thinking of doing, I know it's because you think that's the best way to protect your daughter."
I scan her features. "You said you were a mother, once...?" I don't want to probe, but Cass raised the topic, so I assume it's okay to ask.
She turns to straighten the cutlery drying on the board near the sink. "I lost him when he was a year old. It took me a long time to get over it." She glances away, then back at me. "I haven't told anyone else," she murmurs.