Keeping Winter

Chapter 57

Luciano's POV:

Dinner is finally over and we are all heading to a hotel to take our rest. Thankfully Winter agreed to bring the kids and Angel to the hotel with us although I could see her discomfort. Alessia went home with Stefano's body with great reluctance from Winter, but I promised to take her home to Italy in two days after all the arrangements were done. Lucian doesn't want to be bothered with anything involving Stefano because he's fucking stubborn but thats nothing new.

When we reach the hotel and get the rooms, I stay and help get the kids settled before pulling Winter aside.

"Win... I mean, Katya. I... This is strange having you back but not having you fully here. Can I talk to you somewhere private?" I ask softly. She doesn't say anything, she just nods and follows me out of the room.

I walk her to my suite and she pulls back a bit, but when I look back to her, she sighs and follows me inside. When I close the door, I don't miss the way she flinches. I walk over to the chair in the suite and sit and just observe her for a minute. I can't believe after all this time she's right here in front of me, but she's not the same Winter I knew.

Noticing me staring at her, she shifts uncomfortably before sitting at the table across the room.

"Can I just call you Winter, I don't really know you as Katya. It's kind of hard thinking of you as Katya." I ask her, leaning forward in my chair.

"I... Yes. I'm sorry, this is weird Luciano. I've been gone so long I just don't really know how to interact with you guys anymore. I actually don't really interact with anyone much. I spent a lot of time alone in the estate or in recovery." She says quietly, her hands trembling in her lap.

"Winter, it's fine. Can you just promise that you'll try for me? Can you just try to be present with me? I know I'm asking a lot of you, but I love you and I miss you." I say, choking on my own tears.

Fuck, this is so fucking hard. I didn't think getting her back would be this hard. She's so different in so many ways.

"I can try, I really want to. Can I.. I want to grow my hair back." She says. I stand and walk slowly to her. She visibly tenses but she allows me to approach her. Reaching my hand out, she flinches as I push her hair out of her face.

"This is your life, if you want your hair, you can have your hair. I just want you to be happy. I promise the only thing I require is for you to get better and be happy."

She nods and tears slide down her face. I stand her up and pull her into my arms. She sobs loudly into my chest and I just stand there and hold her. I don't know what else to say to her right now, I just feel so good finally having her in my arms after damn near 7 years.

A knock on the door breaks us apart and she sits back down while I go answer the door. Lucian is at the door with a deep frown on his face and puffy eyes.

"Lucian, what's up? Winter is in here." I say and step aside letting him walk in.

When he spots Winter, she stands and he pulls her into his arms and she continues sobbing.

"Winter baby, it's okay. We're here, you're okay." He rubs her back and she just cries.

"Please Lucian, don't hate my girls. It's not their fault, if you need to blame someone, blame me please, but don't hate them. I can't stay with you if you hate them, and I just got you back." Winter sobs, pleading with Lucian.

He pulls her back and sighs running a hand through his hair. She can see the internal battle in him about accepting Serena and Ginvavive.

"Can I just take some time, Winter, please? My son is here and another man raised him, and now you have two girls that don't belong to us. I just need time." He says and leaves the room without waiting for her to respond.

"He hates them, Luciano, I can't do this. I think I should take my girls back home and just stay. I can't stand the hate in his eyes when he sees them. They look like Stefano and he hates that. Those are my girls, I just..." She says, breaking into tears again.

I don't know what to do, I know how much her daughters mean to her. I also know how bad it hurts seeing the face of the man who took her from us, everytime I look at those girls.

There's nothing I can do except hold her and whisper sweet nothings in her ear.

"Let's get you back into the room, you need rest." I tell her, but she pulls back.

"Can... I want to stay here with you. Can you just hold me please?" She asks so quietly that I barely hear her.

I just nod and bring her to the bed. Pulling the covers back and kicking off our shoes, we climb into the bed and she snuggles into my arms sobbing. Eventually she fell asleep and I just lay there, my face snuggled into her hair and holding her tight.