“If this were my real love, would I be ignoring it while I sit in a pub trying to pick a fight with you?”
In a daze she handed the phone back to him. He turned the power off and returned it to his belt, not even bothering to look at any of the messages.
“Why do you want to pick a fight with me?”
“I don’t. Olivia suggested it was the only way to find out what was really going on in your heart. So, you feel second best to my work. What do you want me to do about it? Cancel the hotel contract? Because I would.” He sat back again and waited for her reaction.
She was stunned. What was he saying? “You’d walk away from the hotel project if I asked? Why?”
“Because I’ve found something more important. Something that I love and cherish more than rebuilding Italy’s past splendor. I found you. I love you, Sophia. More than I ever thought possible. You are my amore, and my tesoro, my treasure, my joy, and a million other endearments. But most important, you are my wife, my life and my reason to be.”
“You love me?”
“So much it hurts to think you are not being yourself when you are with me. I feel cheated that you are holding back, saving the real you for someone else.”
“I was holding back because I thought that’s what you wanted. You said you didn’t want a wife who loved you.”
“Do you? Love me?” He held his breath.
“More than anything in the world.”
That got him on his feet. He pulled her up into his arms and crushed her against him. His lips found hers, and he kissed her until she almost passed out. Dizzy from joy or lack of oxygen, she wasn’t sure.
“Get a room!” someone at the bar called out.
Luca reluctantly let her go, but he kept hold of her left hand, with the other he caressed her face. “So, from here on, we agree to tell each other how we feel. Even if it is something you do not think I want to hear,” he added.
She put her free hand against his heart, which thudded under her palm. “Agreed. I’ll start. I feel like getting out of here and making love with you until I can’t remember my own name,” she replied.
“I would like nothing more. But what about your family? They are waiting for us to come back to the flat with a toothbrush,” Luca reminded her.
Damn. “Alright, but I do need to stop at the chemist, because there’s something I need to confirm.”
“Is everything okay? You are still pale.” He switched from lover to concerned husband in a heartbeat.
“I’m fine. But if my guess is right, we should probably get in some practice with Sarah’s children while we’re here.” She expected rapturous joy to cross his face. Instead, his brow creased with concern.
“You are pregnant?”
“I think so. What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy.”
“I am happy if you are happy. But what about your interior design business? I guess we could hire a nanny to care for the baby—”
“No way. After my childhood experiences, I’ll look after my own children. I only started the design company now because I was bored and needed something to keep my mind off how much I love you and wanted you to love me. We’ll work something out. I can wait until the time is right for us a family. Perhaps I can work part-time to begin with and see how that goes.”
“I believe you can do anything you set your mind to. And I will support you every step of the way.” His tender kiss left her in no doubt as to what he was feeling at that moment.
• • •
The sun warmed Sophia’s back and birdsong filled the air as the family gathered around the grave. The church service had been brief, with only the family and a few friends in attendance. She swallowed a lump in her throat at the realization that her children would never meet their maternal grandmother. As if sensing her anguish, Luca leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her temple.
She smiled up at him, and he wiped a stray tear off her cheek. It was so liberating not to have to hide her emotions from him. If it hadn’t been for her mother’s passing, this would have been one of the happiest weeks of her life—showing Luca how much she loved him and basking in his returned affection. The first thing he told her every morning and the last thing every night, was how much he loved her.
Sarah’s little girl, Emily, had fallen asleep on his shoulder and he shifted her into a more comfortable position. Luca was going to make a great father. He’d taken her suggestion about spending time with her nephew and nieces seriously and had passed the last four days entertaining the children while the adults sorted out the necessary arrangements for the funeral.
He’d also proved that she was more important to him than his work. He’d told his secretary to contact him only if someone was injured, that he was on compassionate leave for the rest of the week and wasn’t to be disturbed. He spoke with Chet and said he would oversee the project and live on-site only if Sophia was part of the interior design team. Chet had instantly agreed and even offered her a salary in excess of the commission she would have made from the property rental firm.
When she’d told Isabella that she wasn’t available to take the contract, she’d expected her new friend to be disappointed. Instead she’d also been relieved, as she’d just discovered she was pregnant as well. And with three previous miscarriages, the doctor had ordered Isabella on bed rest for at least the first four months.
Sophia had then called the chairman of the villa rental company to tell them of their decision not to take the contract. Evidently, they had also reconsidered and decided to postpone the refurbishment of their properties for eighteen months. If she were still interested then, she would go straight to the top of their short list. It had all worked out. But none of it was as important as knowing Luca loved her.
A tiny cry drew her attention to Olivia, who was looking after Sarah’s baby girl. Olivia snuggled the baby under her chin and caressed the tiny back until she quieted. Olivia’s maternal instinct was so strong, Sophia could see her friend presiding happily over a gaggle of children.
Sophia was glad that Luca had convinced Olivia to come back to Italy with them. She wasn’t sure if it was for her benefit, or her friend’s, but she wasn’t going to complain. Olivia could use a good holiday and Sophia was already planning a matchmaking opportunity to introduce her to Jonathan. It was time her friend met a real man.
If only she could do something to help her older brother. Paul stood with his hands crossed in front, his head bowed, in prayer or contrition, she wasn’t sure. His guard escort stood a respectable distance away, allowing the family to grieve in private. As she’d hoped, Luca had greeted her brother with openness and ease, even offering him a job once he was released if it would help him transition back to society. In fact the prison board had said he may be eligible for early parole if he continued to be an exemplary inmate.