New Arrivals: His Expectant Mistress: Accidentally Pregnant! / One-Night Pregnancy / One Tiny Miracle...

“He wants to know if you’ll let him come to see us more often than once a month after we’re married.”

She didn’t have to think about it. “Tell him I would love for him to come and live with us all the time, but I know he loves his mommy, too.”

Vincenzo cleared his throat before enlightening his son. At that point Dino’s spontaneous response was to reach out and hug her. Irena hugged him back, loving this precious boy already. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she told him to wait a minute. She got up from the chair and walked over to the phone table where she’d put his other gift.

“This is for you,” she said in English, handing him the bag.

His face came alive in anticipation. “Two presents?” he said in the same language.

She understood what he meant. “Yes. Go ahead and open it.”

He quickly pulled the little tied box out of the sack and undid it. Beneath the lid lay six chocolate bocci balls. “Stupendo! Grazie, signorina.”

“Di niente, Dino.” She’d heard that expression often enough. “Call me Irena.”

Dino gave her another hug, then offered them both a chocolate. Irena declined hers, knowing how much he loved them, but his father had no reservations and popped one in his mouth. Dino followed suit.

“Delizioso,” they both said at the same time. Just then she got an inkling of what Vincenzo would have been like when he was an irrepressible boy Dino’s age. The image would always stay with her.

They settled down to a couple more rounds of pickup sticks, then Vincenzo made the announcement that they had to go. “Your mama is expecting you, and Irena and I have to drive back to Riomaggiore this evening.” To her relief, Dino didn’t act upset they had to go.

“The game is yours, Dino.” She put it in the sack and handed it to him. In his other hand he had his bag of chocolate and they left the room.

In a minute they were on their way to the villa. Irena was content to listen while the two of them kept up a rapid conversation in Italian. Dino had a dozen questions, firing one after the other.

It was like déjà vu when they drove up in the courtyard and Vincenzo told her he’d be right back. Except that this time Irena got out of the car to give Dino another hug and say goodbye. “Arrivederci, Dino.” She was determined to learn Italian as fast as she could.

He grinned in delight. “Arrivederci, Irena.”

The die was cast. Irena had committed herself. There was no going back. Vincenzo was forced to suppress his euphoria as Mila herself answered the door, ready to castigate him. But for once Dino didn’t seem to notice the tension coming from her.

“Guess what, Mama? Irena gave me presents. She and Papa are getting married and I get to watch!”

“Why don’t you go up for your bath?” Vincenzo suggested. “I need to talk to your mama.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow night and let you know everything that’s happening, okay?”

“Okay. Ciao, Papa.” He raced up the stairs with a new spring in his step.

Vincenzo eyed his ex-wife. Beneath her anger she looked anxious, and with good reason. Since their divorce she’d had everything her way, but now that he was getting married, they could tear up the existing visitation agreement. “Thank you for letting me take him this evening. As you can see, it was important.”

“I want to meet her.”

“If you wish. Where’s your husband?”

“Leo’s in Rome.”

“Shall I bring her in, or do you want to walk out to the car?”

Without answering him verbally, she moved past him and headed for the Fiat. Irena could see them coming and got out. She’d never looked more beautiful to him than right now standing there poised and elegant without being aware of it.

“Mila Ricci? May I present Irena Spiros from Athens,” he said in English. “She doesn’t speak Italian so we’ll speak in English.”

“How do you do,” Irena said and shook Mila’s hand. “You have a wonderful boy in Dino.”

“Thank you,” Mila answered in a brittle voice. She thrust Vincenzo an icy stare. In Italian she said, “How do you expect Dino to handle the situation when she can’t even speak Italian?”

“She’ll learn. Dino’s anxious to teach her.”

“I won’t stand for it, Vincenzo.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “You’re going to have to.”

“This won’t change visitation.”

She was in for a huge shock. Ignoring her warning he said, “You’re being rude in front of my fiancée, Mila.”

Her cheeks flared with color before she addressed Irena. “Do you have any experience with children?”

“No, but when Dino is with us, I’ll try my hardest to make him happy.”

Mila just found out Irena was a woman of high-class and breeding. It was impossible to fight good manners without looking like a shrew.

To Mila he said, “My attorney will be contacting yours. By Tuesday you’ll know all my plans. Ciao, Mila.”

Leaving her to digest that bit of news, he helped Irena back into the car. By the time he’d walked around to the driver’s seat, Mila had gone back into the villa.

“I feel sorry for her.” Irena spoke once they’d reached the main road. “I don’t think there’s a mother alive who wouldn’t feel threatened to know her child was going to be around the influence of another woman on a part-time basis.”

He gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Perhaps now you have an inkling of how I felt when Mila remarried.”

She nodded sadly. “Life shouldn’t be this way.”

“You mean everything should be perfect where every child gets to live with its own mother and father until he or she is happily married off and the whole wonderful process starts all over again?”

“Something like that,” she whispered.

“You’ve already gotten a taste of what it’s going to be like dealing with Mila. I’m glad she insisted on meeting you.”

“So am I.”

“In case her behavior has given you second thoughts, let me know now. I’ll phone Dino to tell him there’s been a change in plans. I don’t want him to go to sleep tonight thinking that something’s going to happen he’s been wanting for such a long time.”

“I don’t understand. Why would your getting married make such a difference to him?”

“My story’s as convoluted as yours. When I divorced Mila, I had to give up a lot to win my freedom from her. Dino was the main casualty, of course. He was so hurt by the tension in our impossible marriage, divorce was the only solution. But both our families disowned me over it.”

“Are you joking?”

“I wish I were. If I wanted to see my child, I had to agree to abide by the severe stipulations she set up.”

“Couldn’t a judge have interceded?”

“Oh, he did, in favor of both our families. He and my grandfather were close friends, like your parents and the Simonides family. The order stated that Dino had been in jeopardy in a loveless home with a father who’d shown a flagrant disregard for his heritage and prominence, therefore was a poor role model.”

“I don’t believe it,” she cried, aghast.

“There’s more. Until the time came that I could show I’d come to my senses and had reconciled with my ex-wife, the visitation rules would stand.”

“Oh, Vincenzo—that’s horrible. None of those reasons make any sense.”

“Of course not. Mila waited for me to go back to her, but she waited in vain. Finally she remarried six months ago, causing another change in Dino’s life.”

“Does he like his stepfather?”

“Not particularly. He’s fifteen years older than Mila with a grown son and daughter at university. His wife died a year ago and it wasn’t long after that he met Mila. He has nothing in common with a young boy like Dino.”

“That must tear you apart.”

“It does.”

“So what will happen now?”

“Tomorrow morning I’ll meet with my attorney to end the current visitation.”

“What will you put in its place?”

“Joint physical custody. From now on Dino will have two homes.”

“But the judge—”

Vincenzo shook his head. “Don’t worry. After my attorney talks to Mila’s attorney, everything’s going to change in a big hurry.”

“How can you be so sure?”

He sucked in his breath. “Because I’m prepared to do something I refused to do before. My father will be so overjoyed, he’ll fall over backward to accommodate all my wishes, including that of influencing the judge to rescind his decision.”

Irena had been listening between the lines. Whatever this something was Vincenzo had refused to do, it had to have been something big. So what was it the judge had meant about Vincenzo’s heritage and prominence?

From the first moment she’d met him, she’d sensed he was a man of many parts. He knew too much, understood too much, had too much savvy to be an ordinary Italian male. There was an inherent authority and intelligence he emanated without conscious thought.

When they’d been introduced at the plant, she’d been aware of a certain deference the staff exhibited around him. Like he was someone elite.

She stared at his striking features as they sped along the strada toward Cinque Terre. Beneath his black brows, his aquiline profile gave him a fiercely handsome look. He had the most beautiful olive skin she’d ever seen. As for his eyes, they were so piercing a blue her body quickened just looking into them.

Irena felt like she was experiencing second sight. His sophistication couldn’t be denied.

Who was this attractive man with unruly black hair who drove around in a secondhand car and rented a tiny apartment on a cliff? He dressed in casual clothes you could buy in any local shop and wore flip-flops like his son.

Without clothes he’d looked like a statue of a god she’d seen in Rapallo that morning. The memory of them making love six weeks ago sent a wave of heat through her body. Did she even know him at all?

“You’re very quiet all of a sudden.”

His low voice curled through her nervous system. “I’ve been putting the pieces of a puzzle together.”

“How close are you to being finished?”

He knew she was on to him.

“Several are still missing. Just how prominent are you?”

“Let’s save all that until tomorrow.”

What was she getting herself into?

“Don’t be alarmed. Once I’ve seen my attorney, I’ll explain everything. Go to sleep. I can see your eyelids flickering. We still have an hour’s drive ahead of us. After such an emotional day, you’re tired and need to take care of yourself, especially now that you’re carrying our baby.”

Our baby.

The baby had to be theirs. It had to be! But still that dark cloud of doubt lingered.

Irena was tired. In fact, she was exhausted from too much thinking and feeling. “When should we tell Dino about the baby?” she asked after closing her eyes.

“Most likely he’ll decide the moment. He’s an incredibly insightful little boy.”

She chuckled. “How long do you think it will take me to learn Italian?”

“Two months for the basics if you work on it every day. The rest will come over a lifetime.”

“A lifetime. That’s a beautiful thought.”

It was the last thought she remembered until the next morning when she awoke in Dino’s bed feeling slightly nauseous. She was still clothed except for her sandals. She’d completely passed out last night, forcing Vincenzo to carry her into the apartment after they’d arrived.

The shutters were still closed, but she could see the sun trying to get in. She threw off the light cover and staggered to the window to open them. A glorious view of the Mediterranean greeted her vision. She checked her watch. Ten forty-five. Irena couldn’t believe it.

Vincenzo had placed her suitcase in the bedroom. She got out her cosmetic bag and padded to the bathroom.

She called out to him, but there was no response. He’d said he was going to see his attorney this morning.

She could tell he’d been in the bathroom recently. It smelled of the soap and shampoo he’d used in the shower. A wonderful male smell she associated only with him.

Once she’d swallowed her pills, she undressed and got in the shower. After she washed her hair with apricot shampoo, she dried it the best she could with a towel, then hurried back to the bedroom.

With a change of fresh underwear followed by a cotton top and pants, she felt a little better, but she needed something to eat. In the kitchen she discovered a note on the table from him, written with a flourish.

I should be back by noon and I’ll take you to lunch. Feel free to nibble on anything that appeals. Crackers, toast might help with the morning sickness. There’s tea or coffee in the cupboard, juice in the fridge. V.

She found a roll and grape juice. Perfect.

The food helped the emptiness in her stomach. She went back to the bedroom for her brush and worked on her hair until it fell in a swath. Since it was already warmer in the apartment than the other day, she arranged it in a loose knot on top of her head in the interest of staying cool.

Her pregnancy was causing her to notice everything. She’d thought her fatigue had been brought on by anxiety, but the doctor had assured her that it was normal to feel so tired, especially in the first few months.

Vincenzo already seemed to know and understand a lot more about her condition than she did. But then he had lived with his wife when she’d been expecting Dino. Irena had no doubts he’d taken amazing care of her.

She blinked back tears, not knowing the exact reason for being in such an emotional mood. Naturally it was a combination of everything, but she had to admit that part of it was the way Vincenzo had handled the situation. He was her rock.

Another part was her guilt. She needed to talk to someone about how she was feeling and reached for the phone to call Deline. Disappointed when she got her voice mail, she left the message for Deline to call her back. Then she phoned her mother, who answered on the second ring.

“Irena, my darling daughter. How are you? Where are you? Your father and I have been worried sick.”

More guilt. She sank down on the side of Dino’s bed. “I’m sorry. I meant to call you from the hotel in Riomaggiore, but the sightseeing trip with Signore Antonello took longer than I’d anticipated.”

“You are with him again, in Italy?”

“Yes. You remember my writing about Cinque Terre in my article. It has those narrow, crooked streets lined with colorful old houses stacked haphazardly on top of each other. I think it’s one of the most beautiful spots on the Mediterranean.”

“You said that before. Is he a travel guide?”

“No, no. He works at Antonello Liquers in La Spezia. It’s one of the places I highlighted in my article for tourists to tour. He was the man who took me around the village. Yesterday we went to a castle in Rapallo with his son.”

“I’m glad if you’re enjoying yourself a little bit. When I think what Andrea—”

“Don’t go there, Mother. That part of my life is over. I don’t want to talk about it again.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know. The fact is, Andreas and I weren’t right for each other. I think we both knew it and tried to force something that wasn’t there. Gabi’s coming along proved it.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s difficult to explain.”

“But you loved him!”

It was hard to have a conversation like this long distance. “Yes, I loved Andreas. I always will.” Frustrated, she got to her feet and began pacing right into Vincenzo who caught her by the upper arms to prevent her from falling.

By the enigmatic look in his eye, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but there could be no question he’d heard that last admission. She eased away from him. “I have to go, but I promise I’ll call you again tomorrow.”

Irena hung up. “I—I was talking to my mother,” she stammered.

“Have you told her about us?”

“Only in the sense that I knew you when I was doing the magazine article and since my arrival you’ve been showing me around. I don’t plan to tell her anything else until our plans are formalized.” She brushed her hands nervously against her hips, a gesture he followed with his eyes. “How did it go with your attorney?”

A heavy silence ensued. “Let’s talk about it over a meal.”

“Wait, Vincenzo—” He looked over his shoulder. “You came in before I finished making my point with Mother.”

His face had become a mask of indifference. “You don’t owe me an explanation of a private conversation with her. I walked in on you.” On that note, he headed for the living room.

She followed him. “But I want to tell you.”

He turned toward her with his hands on hips in a totally male stance. “Tell me what?”

“Mother’s still living in denial about me and Andreas. If I’d finished that sentence I would have said, ‘I always will love him as a friend, but I realize now that I was never in love with Andreas or he with me.’”

At the enigmatic expression on his arresting face, she added, “Otherwise I could never have gone to bed with you. No woman could do that if she were truly and deeply in love with another man.”

“I agree,” his voice rasped.

“Contrary to what you might think about me, in my twenty-seven years of life I’ve only been intimate with two men, and you’re one of them.”

His jaw tautened. “I never suggested you were promiscuous.”

“No, but you’d have every right to think it after I fell like the proverbial ripe plum into your hands. I look back on it now and can’t believe what I did. It still shocks me.”

Miraculously, his compelling mouth broke into a half smile. “I confess I thought I’d died and gone to some heavenly place for a short while.”

She’d thought the same thing, but couldn’t bring herself to tell him that yet. “Vincenzo?” Irena eyed him frankly. “Can we put the past to rest? My relationship with Andreas? It’s over.”

He gave a slow nod. “Amen. Shall we go?”

Thankful they’d weathered that small storm she said, “I’m coming. Let me get my purse.”

“How hungry are you?”

“I think a pasta salad would hit the spot.”

“There’s a trattoria across from the church Dino was talking about.”

“I—I’ve been thinking about that,” she stammered. “Maybe—”

“Irena—Dino assumed it would be a church wedding because that is what’s real to him,” he broke in quietly. “We don’t have to do it there, and I understand your concerns about such an arrangement, but it will convince other people that our marriage is real. Wouldn’t that be best for all of us, especially the baby?”

She knew Vincenzo was right and sensed he wanted a church wedding, too. Could she go through with such a public display for the sake of the baby growing inside her? She looked at the handsome man in front of her who was doing so much to help her. Smiling, she touched his arm tenderly before speaking.

“You’re right. After we have a visit with the priest, we’ll walk over to eat.”

Chapter Four

VINCENZO GRASPED HER HAND. They walked down the road and around the curve, breathing in the fragrance from the masses of flowers blooming in pockets of explosive array. In ways she felt like she was moving through some fantastic dream.

Before long she spied a centuries-old yellow church on the right. He tightened his hand around hers. “Dino likes to go to church.”

“He’s so sweet. If our getting married here will help keep his world intact, then it’s important to me. I’m thinking ahead to the baby’s baptism, too.”

A gleam of satisfaction entered Vincenzo’s eyes before he opened the door and they stepped inside the somewhat musty vestibule. Beyond the inner doors she gazed around the semiornate interior. The lovely stained-glass windows gave the small church a jewellike feel.

“Vincenzo?” A tall middle-aged priest had entered through a side door. The two men carried on a conversation in Italian.

Finally, Vincenzo said in English, “Father Rinaldo, this is my fiancée, Irena Spiros. We would like you to marry us.”

“That is a great honor for me.”

“The honor’s mine, Father. I’ve brought the signed document giving you permission to waive the banns so we can be married in a private ceremony on Thursday.”

His eyes smiled. “You are in a great hurry, then.”

“You could say that,” Vincenzo responded in his deep voice.

Heat rose from Irena’s neck to her cheeks.

“It’s about time, my son.”

“I had to wait for the right one, Father.”

“And how does Dino feel about it?”

“When we left him a short time ago, he said he couldn’t wait. Do you think you’ll be able to fit us into your busy schedule?”

The priest’s expression grew more serious. “For you, nothing is impossible.”

Again Irena received the strong impression Vincenzo was someone of importance.

“Thank you, Father.”

“Have you been baptized, Signorina Spiros?”

Irena nodded. “In Athens.”

“Bene. Would one o’clock suit the two of you?”

Vincenzo glanced at Irena for her input. She nodded. “That will be the perfect time.”

“Come ten minutes early to sign the documents.”

“We’ll be here, Father.” The way Vincenzo was looking at her just then caused her legs to go weak. He cupped her elbow and ushered her out of the church. After the darker interior, the sunlight almost blinded her.

They walked across the street to the crowded trattoria. Tourists were lined up to get inside. But she was with Vincenzo. When he appeared, suddenly they were welcomed on through and shown to a table on the terrace where the waiter hovered to grant them their every wish.

“You’ve made a conquest of him,” Vincenzo murmured as the younger man hurried off with their order.

“You think?” she teased.

“I know. Have you forgotten I looked at you the same way when you swept into my office that day?”

Irena had to admit it had been an electrifying moment. At the time she’d tried to ignore what she was feeling, but apparently not hard enough as witnessed by the fact that she was seated next to Vincenzo and had just spoken to the priest who would be marrying them.

“Much as I like flattery as well as the next woman, I’m afraid the waiter’s attention has everything to do with you. Who are you, Vincenzo? I’d like to know the man who’s about to become my husband.”

One of his brows quirked. “You know who I am better than anyone. If you recall, I told you my family disowned me. But so it won’t surprise you when we sign the marriage certificate, you should know my legal last name is Valsecchi.”

She thought she’d heard it somewhere, but she couldn’t quite place the name.

“Thank you for telling me.”

He smiled the smile that had seduced her on her first trip here. “Di niente. I can’t have my pregnant bride suffer from an attack of the vapors on our wedding day.”

“I’m not the type.”

“Grazie a dio.” He drank the last of his coffee. “I think you’ve toyed with your salad long enough. Your cheeks look a little flushed from the heat. Let’s get you back to the apartment. While you nap, I need to run over to the plant for a brief meeting with the staff.”

A nap sounded good. He escorted her through the restaurant to the street. Once again they walked the short distance hand in hand, this time uphill. Vincenzo was a demonstrative, physical man who touched her often.

Irena discovered that with each contact, she felt more and more alive. When he saw her inside the apartment and told her he’d be back later, she suddenly didn’t want him to leave.

After he’d gone she decided to lie down for a few minutes. It surprised her that when she heard her phone ring and reached for it, an hour had gone by. The pills the doctor had given her seemed to have kicked in. They’d taken her nausea away, but she found she was sleepier.