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.