Chapter 8 - MEMORIES OF THE PENTHOUSE
That evening, after signing preliminary merger documents in Nia’s office, Luca was invited to her home for dinner.
It wasn't a grand mansion like his penthouse.
It was a warm, beautifully restored historic brownstone in Lincoln Park.
As Luca walked up the wooden front steps, the sound of children laughing from inside made his heart ache with a profound, hollow longing.
Nia opened the door.
She had changed out of her business suit into comfortable jeans and a soft cashmere sweater.
“They know you’re coming,” Nia said quietly, stepping aside to let him enter.
“I didn't want to lie to them.”
Luca stepped into the foyer.
The scent of roasted chicken and cinnamon filled the air.
It smelled like a real home.
Something his sterile penthouse had never been.
Leo and Maya peeked out from behind the kitchen island.
Leo looked at Luca with those identical dark eyes.
“Is this the man who was staring at us in the restaurant?” Leo asked, tilting his head exactly the way Luca used to when analyzing financial reports.
Luca felt a lump form in his throat.
He knelt down on one knee, bringing himself down to their eye level.
“Hello, Leo,” Luca said, his voice trembling slightly.
“Hello, Maya.”
“My name is Luca.”
“Are you a friend of Mommy’s?” Maya asked, clutching a colored marker in her small hand.
“I’m... I’m your father,” Luca confessed, the words slipping out before he could stop them.
Silence descended on the kitchen.
Nia stood leaning against the counter, watching quietly, her arms crossed, giving her children the space to process the revelation.
Leo frowned, looking back and forth between Nia and Luca.
“Mommy said our father was working far away in a place where he couldn't visit us,” Leo said solemnly.
“Your mommy was right,” Luca said, a tear finally escaping his eye and tracking down his cheek.
“I was working far away.”
“And I was very foolish.”
“But I’m here now.”
“And I’m never going away again unless you want me to.”
Maya walked over slowly, her small footsteps echoing softly on the hardwood floor.
She stopped right in front of Luca.
She reached out a tiny hand and touched the small scar above Luca’s right eyebrow.
“You have the same scratch I do,” Maya observed innocently.
“Yes, sweetheart,” Luca whispered, taking her tiny hand in his massive palm. “We do.”
Leo slowly walked over as well, standing beside his sister.
“Can you fix bicycles?” Leo asked seriously.
May you like
Luca let out a watery laugh, pulling both of them into his arms as the dam broke inside his chest.
“I can fix anything, son,” Luca choked out, burying his face in their soft hair. “I promise you, I can fix anything.”
