Chapter Twenty Eight: Echoes in the Garden

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Morning after the park dawned soft and gold over Lake Como, Eve waking to the sound of gentle waves and the warmth of Alex already beside her, watching her with an unguarded fondness she still wasn't quite used to. "Morning," he murmured, drawing her into a slow kiss. "Yesterday was one of the best days I've had in longer than I care to admit. I think those kids will be talking about the masked man who played tag with them for weeks."

Eve laughed against his chest. "You were wonderful with them. Watching you run around without the weight of the world on your shoulders Lila and I were right. You needed that. We all did."

They lingered until Giuseppe's soft knock finally pulled them out of bed. "Breakfast is ready on the terrace, signor, signora. Signorina Lila is already waiting."

Downstairs, Lila greeted them with a wide grin. "Morning, lovebirds. I already told Giuseppe — we need more days like yesterday. No more brooding billionaire. From now on, we make you play tag at least once a month."

"You and Eve are a dangerous team," Alex said, shaking his head, though the smile stayed genuine. "I'll admit I enjoyed the roller coaster more than I let on."

Giuseppe served breakfast with his usual care. "Signor Alex, your cousin Marco sent word — the northern holdings are stable, and he's looking forward to visiting again soon. The staff is glad to see you both so relaxed."

The meal passed in easy teasing — Lila recounting the little girl's flower and Alex's "big soft teddy bear" expression, Eve threatening to organize an outing for the whole staff next. Luca arrived shortly after, cheerful as ever. "Security sweep's clean, boss. Milan's running smoothly. I already cleared your afternoon, if you're up for another fun day."

Alex arched a brow. "You're all conspiring against me. Fine — one more afternoon. But we stay close to the villa this time. The gardens and the lake are adventure enough."

The morning wound through the rose garden, Eve and Lila gathering flowers into loose bouquets while Alex trailed behind with the basket, grumbling good-naturedly. "You two are turning me into a gardener. Next you'll have me baking with Giuseppe."

"That would be adorable," Eve said, linking her arm through his. "The great Alex Voss, covered in flour."

"We should actually do that," Lila declared. "Cooking lesson tonight. Team building, round two."

Giuseppe, trimming a nearby hedge, smiled. "I would be honored, signorina. The kitchen is always open for family."

By afternoon they'd moved down to the lakeshore, where Luca had already laid out a picnic. They played cards, traded stories, Alex offering a rare unguarded memory from before the fire while Eve wove in carefully edited pieces of her own invented past. When Lila challenged him to a race along the path — "Show us if the roller coaster hero's still got speed" — he kicked off his shoes without hesitation and won by half a stride, breathing hard, laughing harder.

"Getting slow, Lila," he said. "Villa life's making you soft."

"Or you're just too competitive for your own good," she shot back, punching his arm. "Sophia, you married a sore winner."

"I like my sore winner." Eve pulled him down beside her on the blanket. "Cute when he's out of breath."

They spent the rest of the afternoon on the water, Luca showing off at the wheel before handing it to Alex, who steered slow circles with Eve settled in his lap, sun warm on both of them, the lake glittering like it had nothing at all to hide. For a few hours, the threats felt like something that belonged to someone else's life entirely. Eve picked up small souvenirs from a lakeside vendor — a keychain for Luca, a scarf for Lila — and talked Alex into a ridiculous tourist hat that had everyone laughing by the time he posed dramatically in it.

Dinner that evening was a full spread — fresh seafood, garden herbs, Giuseppe at his most attentive, Luca trading office stories, Lila recounting childhood memories that made Alex groan and Eve grin. His hand stayed on her knee under the table through most of the meal.

"You made today perfect," he said quietly, during a lull in the noise. "I needed this more than I realized."

"We all did." She kissed his cheek. "More days like this. Promise me."

"I promise." His eyes, warm in the candlelight, held nothing but sincerity. "We'll make time for this. Even with everything else."

Later, Lila caught her alone on the terrace while the others cleared inside. "You did good today, Sophia. He needed to see the lighter side of himself again." A pause, softer. "And I meant what I said before. I'm with you in this. We protect him together."

Eve hugged her, more grateful than she knew how to say. "Thank you, Lila. It means everything."

That night, in their suite, Alex drew her close the moment the door shut, his kiss slow and deliberate, carrying all the softness the day had left behind in him. "Today reminded me why I fight for any of this," he murmured against her mouth. "Moments like this. You."

He undressed her unhurried, the day's easy laughter giving way to something quieter and more searching, his hands mapping her like he still couldn't quite believe she was real. When he finally settled over her, it wasn't urgent — it was patient, deliberate, every slow roll of his hips paired with something murmured against her throat, half praise, half confession. She arched into him, fingers laced through his hair, chasing the unhurried rhythm he refused to rush no matter how her breath caught and broke beneath him. When release finally found them both, it came slow and full, more tender than fierce, and he held her through the aftershocks like he intended to memorize the shape of it.

Afterward, tucked against his chest, her heart stayed full even as guilt threaded quietly beneath the warmth. The day had been a genuine escape — beautiful, real, more than she'd ever let herself hope for. But as sleep pulled at her, she felt the faint, familiar vibration of her hidden phone in the drawer across the room, and the reminder settled in with it: the threats hadn't disappeared. They'd only gone quiet for a day. The peace they'd built here was real, but it was borrowed time, and somewhere out past the calm water, the next storm was still gathering itself to strike.