She thought about the details Avery had shared regarding the circumstances of Drew’s fight at school. Why hadn’t he told her those specifics? Would it have mattered?

“I only ate two cookies,” he announced as if he knew she was coming to admonish him. The universal role of a mother—setter of limits, destroyer of fun. Angi had never had the option of taking a break from that duty. There was no one else to step in.

She wondered if she’d feel so much pressure to be on all the time if Andrew’s father was in the picture. If she had someone to share the responsibility—the endless worry of parenting.

Giving his shoulder a tiny squeeze, she smiled at Violet. “I bet if you and Violet head over to the restaurant, Nonna will find the extra wedding cookies for you. Dom made a special batch for tonight.”

“They’re even better than the ones from the bakery,” Andrew told his new friend, clearly enjoying the idol worship he was receiving from her.

“I’ll ask Avery,” Violet said, then disappeared through the crowd.

“So you know Violet from school?” Angi asked, picking up a corner of a cookie that had broken off and popping it into her mouth.

Andrew nodded. “She’s not a baby or anything.”

“She seems to like you a lot.”

Andrew looked up, his big brown eyes clearly conveying a “duh” sort of message.

“I heard the situation with that boy earlier in the week involved a couple of the kids from Violet’s class.”

“Johnny is a butthead,” Drew muttered.

“You can’t use that word.”

“Nonna calls him that.”

Angi hid her smile. “I’m telling your grandmother the same thing.”

“You kissed Gabe.”

She blinked. Should have seen that one coming. “It was the mistletoe,” she explained. “It’s tradition. I’m sorry if it upset you, sweetie. I—”

“I like Gabe,” he told her. “It’s weird to see him smile so much.”

Angi followed her son’s gaze to the front of the shop where Gabe was ringing up a purchase and, indeed, smiling at the customer.

“It’s a nice smile,” she said, more to herself than Andrew.

“Yuck.” The boy made a face. “That’s so mushy.”

“I’m not mushy.” She bent down and tickled his belly. “You’re mushy.”

His laughter rang out, a balm to her weary soul. It had been too long since she’d heard him laugh.

Maybe this night could be a new start. Hope bloomed like a delicate flower in the shadowy corners of her heart. Was tonight’s success proof that Angi was on the right track and taking the first step toward living up to the potential she believed she possessed? And what would the next few weeks bring?

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

MINE.

The word haunted Gabe for the rest of the night. He’d kissed Angi under the mistletoe at his grandmother’s urging after he’d spent the better part of the week resisting the desire to do just that.

Every time he was near Angi, he wanted to draw her into his arms. So many things made her irresistible to him—her beauty and the way she cared so much for the people around her. The scent of citurs that enveloped her like a warm, sunny day.