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

“Deline?”

“I just put the twins down for their afternoon nap so we could talk. Tell me what’s happening.”

Getting up from the bed, Irena walked through the apartment to the terrace laden with potted flowers of every color. She leaned against the railing, feasting her eyes on the breathtaking view. “There’s so much to tell you I hardly know where to begin, but in a word, Vincenzo and I are being married on Thursday.”

The palpable silence coming from the other end wasn’t surprising. “You’re really planning to go through with this?”

“Yes. I just came from meeting the local priest who’ll be officiating.”

“You’re having a church wedding?”

“It’s what Dino wants.”

“Who’s Dino?”

She bit so hard on her lower lip, it drew blood. “Vincenzo’s adorable six-year-old son.”

“What?”

“I know this is a lot to absorb. For me, too. Let me start from the beginning.” For the next little while Irena told her everything.

“Oh, Irena…I don’t envy you for having to deal with an ex-wife.”

“I’m not thrilled about it myself.”

“Yet you still want to go through this. Obviously you’re crazy in love with this man, right?”

“Love? I don’t know about that yet, Deline. I thought I loved Andreas. I know one thing—he’s bigger than life to me, Deline. Every minute we’re together I find him more amazing.”

“Maybe too amazing?”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Have you asked yourself why he’s willing to rush into marriage with you?”

“Deline—” she cried in exasperation. “I was the one who approached him, remember?”

“I know. I guess I don’t know what I mean.”

“He wants this baby and believes it’s his.”

“But it might not be his, Irena. If only you could find out before you go through with this marriage.”

Irena sank down in one of the wrought-iron chairs. Her eyes closed tightly. “The last doctor I talked to said that only a DNA test could give me definitive proof of paternity.”

“Then for all your sakes, I’d go get it done.”

“I’ve been considering it.”

“To tell you the truth, I’m surprised Vincenzo hasn’t demanded it, especially as he is making such willing huge sacrifice as quickly as possible to keep you. He must be nuts about you!”

Irena jumped up from the chair. “I know exactly why he’s marrying me, Deline. I figured it out the second I saw him with his son. That was no idle proposal he made two months ago. The fact is, he’s bound to a strict visitation order. He wants his boy to be able to live with him and be with him as much as possible. For that to happen he needs a wife, but she has to be someone Dino can accept.”

“Which means you’ve already won him over. There isn’t a child in the world who wouldn’t love you, Irena.”

Tears pricked her eyelids. “You’re a better friend than I deserve.”

“Who helped me through the blackest period of my life?” she said almost angrily. “I’m glad if I can do anything for you.”

“You already have by listening to me. In talking to you, I’ve come to a decision. No matter how painful it’s going to be on everyone concerned, I’ll never have a good night’s sleep again until I know the truth about this baby’s father.”

Deline groaned. “Now you’ve got me worried.”

“In truth it’s all I have done since I found out about this baby, but for the first time my mind is clear. I know what I have to do. When I look back, I realize Gabi went to Andreas armed with the DNA results on the twins. Before he ever approached your husband, he immediately had them checked against Leon’s DNA for a match. If I tell Andreas I’m having his baby, he’ll want DNA proof, so that’s the first thing that needs to be done.”

All of sudden Irena heard Vincenzo calling to her. “Deline?” she whispered. “I have to go.”

“Understood. Stay in touch.”

This was the second time Vincenzo had walked in on Irena and found her on the phone acting furtive. She broke out in a smile. It didn’t deceive him. “How did things go at your office?”

“Everything’s been taken care of for the time we’ll be away on our honeymoon.”

Her smile cracked. “Vincenzo—”

“I was hoping some rest would have done you good, but you seem agitated. What’s wrong?”

“There’s something you need to know. We can’t get married yet.”

He was used to his gut taking hits, but this one penetrated. “If you’re worried about a dress…”

She tossed her head back so hard, her hair came unfurled and the heavy weight swished against her shoulders. Much as he liked her gleaming black mane swept up, he preferred it undone. “You know I’m not.”

Irena didn’t have a vain bone in her fabulous body. “You said yet. What does that mean exactly?”

He could see her body trembling. “Once we’re married I want to be a good stepmother to Dino, but first I need to consult another doctor and get a DNA test done. It’s for all our sakes—” she cried as if he’d already protested. “I know I told you I wanted to keep it a secret from Andreas, but that was hysterical talk on my part. Of course he has to know the truth if the baby is his. I want answers as soon as possible.”

Vincenzo thought he wanted to know right away, too, but already he’d been living in a fantasy where the baby was his. The pulse throbbed at his temples. “When did you decide this?”

Her eyes, those mirrors of the soul, glistened with unshed tears. “While I was talking to Deline. If I get a test done, it will remove all uncertainty. I’m afraid at this point I can’t live without positive proof. Once I know the truth, we’ll go from there.”

As long as she wasn’t refusing to marry him, Vincenzo could live with it, although he dreaded seeing the evidence that Simonides was the father. “Then we’ll take care of it now.”

She looked at him with pleading. “You don’t hate me for this?”

“Irena—your pregnancy could be in jeopardy if you don’t have peace of mind. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes.”

They passed through the kitchen. She picked up her purse and followed him out the door to his car. For once her thoughts were so heavy, she stared blindly out the window as they made their way down the dizzying cliff to the Via Colombo.

“We’ll take the litoranea road to La Spezia. If you recall from the last time you were here, it’s only a twenty-minute drive.”

“The way you drive,” she teased unexpectedly.

His lips twitched, relieved for the moment she didn’t seem as tense. As she rested her head against the window, he turned on the AC and took advantage of the quiet to phone ahead to the hospital’s E.R. Hopefully an OB would be available to cut down the wait.

Soon the traffic grew heavier. When they reached the sprawling city proper, he wound around to the hospital and parked. The lots were so crowded, Vincenzo was glad he’d called ahead to arrange for a consultation. After guiding her inside the E.R., they only had a tenminute wait before an attendant called for Signorina Spiros.

They walked down a hall to a small office. The fortyish female OB greeted them in good English. “I’m Dr. Santi. What can I do for you?”

This was Irena’s arena. Vincenzo remained silent while she launched in with her request. While she gave the background that prompted her to come in, the doctor sat back in her chair, eyeing the two of them with compassion.

“I understand how anxious you must be to solve your dilemma. However, that kind of procedure called Chorionic Villi Sampling can only be performed between ten and thirteen weeks.”

“But that’s another month away!”

“Yes. And there is some minimal risk.”

Vincenzo reached for Irena’s hand. “Explain, please.”

“The test is invasive because cells have to be collected and this can cause certain risks for the fetus. Besides that, about one in two hundred women suffer a miscarriage because of this test. You need to weigh that against your need-to-know information. For example, you should consider whether not knowing the results will cause anxiety and whether knowing will be reassuring.”

“We’ve already determined we have to know,” Irena insisted.

Vincenzo had his own thoughts on the subject. Whether the baby was his or not he wasn’t happy about her having the test. He couldn’t wait to be a father again and didn’t like the idea that this could hurt the baby in any way. Worse, Irena could lose it, putting her own life in jeopardy in the process. To lose her was anathema to him.

He stared at Dr. Santi. “Do you perform this test?”

“I’ll oversee it. We have a perinatologist who does the actual procedure.”

He glanced at Irena. “I think we need to talk about this more.”

“Why, Vincenzo? Please understand.”

Her agony was so palpable, he couldn’t refuse her. “How soon does she need to come in?”

“Don’t wait any longer than two weeks.”

“I won’t,” Irena answered.

“If you’ll check with the desk in Outpatient and set up an appointment, the next time you come in I’ll examine you and get the blood work done.”

“Thank you, Dr. Santi.”

“My pleasure.”

Vincenzo shook her hand and ushered Irena through the doors to the outpatient department. Near her ear he said, “Make it for two weeks. We won’t be home from our honeymoon until then.”

She stared at him in surprise. “Where are we going?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

He waited while she made her appointment, then walked her out to the car, knowing better than to try to talk to her until she’d had time for the doctor’s explanation to sink in.

“Are you upset with me?”

Exasperated, Vincenzo pulled her into his arms. “I’m worried for you, for our baby, but I could never be upset with you. I can see you need this test so you can relax. Whoever the father is, it’s you and the baby I care about.”

“Thank you, Vincenzo.” She hugged him back with surprising strength before getting into the car. On the way to Riomaggiore he stopped for petrol. He didn’t need much, but used it as an excuse to buy them both a soda. She thanked him and nursed her drink all the way back to the apartment, clearly in an emotional state. Evening had fallen.

“Feel better?” he asked once they’d walked inside.

“No.” Her voice wobbled. He caught her in his arms before she broke down sobbing. The need to comfort her was paramount in his mind. In a swift move he picked her up and carried her to the couch where he could sit and hold her.

“I don’t want to lose my baby.”

Cradling her in his arms, he kissed her cheek and hair. “No procedure’s been done yet. Let’s agree that for the next two weeks, we simply enjoy our honeymoon.”

She’d buried her face in his neck, soaking the collar of his shirt. “What do you have planned?” Her lack of enthusiasm would have been daunting if he didn’t know the reason for it.

“We’ll fly to Los Angeles with Dino and do it all. A Hollywood film studio tour, Disneyland, LEGO Land, Sea World.”

He felt her stir before she lifted her tear-ravaged face. “You’re serious?”

Vincenzo nodded. “He’s never been there. Have you?”

“I’ve been to New York many times, but not California. Since I started working for the newspaper I’ve focused my travel articles in Europe. What about you?”

“I promised Dino I’d never go to those places until we could see them together. Part of the visitation stipulation forbids me taking him out of Northern Italy. There was one time I broke the rules to go skiing with him in Switzerland. Dino paid for it by not being able to see me for two months.”

Irena threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “How cruel.”

She had no idea how cruel the powers working against him had been. He rubbed the back of her neck beneath her hair, needing this closeness like he needed water or light from a Mediterranean sun.

“If you haven’t been able to spend more than a week with him at any given time, how can we be gone two weeks?”

“Being divorced tied my hands. On Thursday I’ll be a married man and everything will change.”

He heard a few sniffs before she sat up. “For both your sakes I’m glad things will be different. Looking back on my life, I loved my father so much that to imagine I couldn’t have all the access to him I wanted while I growing up is incomprehensible to me.” To Vincenzo’s chagrin, she slid off his lap before he was ready to let her go. “I want to make this trip with Dino so enjoyable, he’ll remember it all his life.”

“The wedding day, too,” Vincenzo murmured. “He needs a suit. Since I’ll be tied up most of Wednesday with more legal matters, let’s go shopping tomorrow. I rather like the idea of my fiancée picking out my wedding attire.”

She flashed him a smile that came off mysterious whether she’d intended it or not. “You trust a Greek woman with a responsibility like that? Italian men are the best dressers in the world.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“You can fool some of the people.” When she laughed gently, it gave him a whole new reason to be alive.

“I need to eat something. Come with me and I’ll make you my own version of bruschetta. Dino can’t get enough of it.”

“I’m afraid I’m hungry again, too. The antinausea medication is working. Now all I do is eat and sleep.” She followed him to the kitchen. “Unfortunately, every meal I’ve had in Italy has been divine.”

Vincenzo chuckled. Her honesty was refreshing. When she liked something, she did it with her whole heart. While he got out the ingredients, she watched him. He liked that very much.

It didn’t take long until he had their appetizers ready. “I’d offer you some of that local sweet dessert wine you tried the last time you were here, but it will have to wait until you’ve had the baby.”

Their eyes fused for a moment. “The deprivation will be worth it.”

He brushed her mouth with his own before he let her reach for a sample. The satisfaction of watching the food disappear pleased him no end. She stood at the counter next to him, munching away. Every so often she made a sound of pleasure.

Vincenzo loved that she didn’t talk about how much weight she was going to gain. He liked every damn thing about her and needed another taste of her. This time when he claimed her lips, they were covered in extra virgin olive oil mixed with the tangy flavor of the herbs he’d added.

Divine didn’t cover it, or the feel of her body as he pulled her against him. “I’ve been craving this all day. You could have no idea how much I want you.” He kissed her long and hard. “The last two months were a desert after you left. Dino was the only reason I functioned. When are you going to admit you’ve missed me?”

“Isn’t that what I’m doing?” Her muffled answer thrilled him.

“Irena—” Consumed with desire, he cradled her face, the better to kiss her features and eyelids, the passionate flare of her giving mouth. Back and forth they gave kiss for kiss, each one deeper and more prolonged.

They both heard the peremptory knock on the front door at the same time, effectively interrupting something private and marvelous. Irena’s reaction was to pull away from him, but Vincenzo knew what the intrusion meant and clutched her to him possessively. The knocking grew louder.

She put her hands against his chest. “Someone isn’t going away.”

“News of our impending marriage has already leaked out through Mila’s attorney.” He kissed her palms one at a time. “One of my cousins has come to find out if it’s really true. Probably Gino. Do you feel courageous enough to meet him if I let him in?”

“Should I be frightened?”

“He poses no threat, but you do by virtue of becoming my wife.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve been out of his hair for years, but after we get back from California he and my cousins are going to be seeing a lot more of me. I’ll answer it before he breaks the whole place down. We’ll offer him what’s left of the bruschetta,” he added, smiling.

But when he walked through the apartment and opened the door, it was his stepbrother Fabbio himself standing there. Apparently he hadn’t trusted Gino or Luca to do his dirty work for him. Well, well…The whole nasty history between them flashed through his mind. Vincenzo could count on one hand the times he’d seen his flashy, dark blond stepbrother in the last seven years. “Entrate, prego.”

“I prefer to stay where I am. Is it true?”

Some things never changed. Vincenzo looked over his shoulder. “Innamorata? Come and meet my stepbrother,” he spoke in English.

Irena moved toward him. He knew he could count on her to remain calm in the face of surprise or an emotional storm, except when it came to the baby’s paternity.

Vincenzo didn’t miss the flash of stunned male interest in Fabbio’s narrowed gray eyes when she joined them. After being thoroughly kissed in the kitchen, she’d never looked more desirable.

He put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. “Irena Spiros, meet Fabbio. Among his many talents, he’s an avvocato.”

“That means an attorney, doesn’t it?” With the ease and unconscious dignity of a real lady she shook his hand. “How do you do, Fabbio.”

Totally thrown, his stepbrother had trouble articulating. It had to be a rare moment when Fabbio, an inch taller than Vincenzo, was at a loss for words. “I’ve seen you before.”

“People often say that to me. I must have the kind of looks shared by many women.” Vincenzo had never met anyone who could think on her feet as fast as Irena.

“No.” Fabbio wouldn’t let it go.

She said something else to brush it off. “Won’t you come in? Vincenzo just made us the most sensational food. If you don’t finish the bruschetta, I will, and I’ve already eaten too much.” With that voluptuous smile of hers, his married stepbrother’s seduction was complete.

“Since I dropped in without invitation, another time perhaps.” His eyes traveled from her glorious black hair down the curves of her body to her nylon-clad feet, presenting a picture of two lovers enjoying an intimate evening. He finally tore his gaze away to stare bullets at Vincenzo. Fabbio had wished him dead years ago. “If I could have a word with you.”

Irena pressed his arm. “I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about so I’ll disappear.”

Before she could pull away, Vincenzo pressed a kiss to her red, slightly swollen lips. “I won’t be long,” he whispered.

She nodded. “It was nice meeting you, Fabbio.”

Once she’d gone, Vincenzo lounged against the doorjamb, his hands in his pockets. “What’s this about? As you can see, I have other matters pressing.”

His cheeks went a ruddy color. “Mila just found out you’re taking Dino out of the country for another two weeks on Thursday.”

“That’s right.”

“The stipulation doesn’t provide for changes.”

“You know full well my marriage will have effectively done away with the rules of the divorce decree. The only reason you came here tonight was to see the evidence for yourself. Now that you’ve taken your full measure of my fiancée, I’d like you to leave.”

His anger was near the surface. “You’re not getting away with this without a fight.”

“Surely that’s for Papa to decide.”

“He’s ill.”

“Only when it’s convenient for him.”

“Accidenti a te!”

“Curse me all you want, it will do you no good.”

Now he was breathing hard. “The entire family stands against you.”

“It was ever thus.”

“You won’t succeed.”

“Careful, Fabbio. Your fear is showing.”

“So is yours, or you wouldn’t be doing everything in secret.”

“Can you blame me for wanting to keep her away from the wolves for as long as possible? You’re all waiting to tear her apart, but I won’t have it. Irena is the most important thing in my life right now.” He straightened and pulled his hands out of his pockets. “Buonanotte, Fabbio.”

Irena appeared the moment he shut the door on him. “Don’t you think it’s time you told me about your family?”

He lifted one eyebrow. “Except for my mother who died seven years ago, I’ve been at war with them from birth.”

She came closer, searching his eyes for the truth. “You’re not joking.” The pain in hers revealed she was devastated for him.

“Once upon a time I told you we were opposites. You come from a loving family and almost married into what I’ve gathered is a loving, forgiving family. I, too, love my father because he is my father, but I don’t like him or my autocratic grandfather who’s now deceased, or my stepbrother, or my uncles, not even my cousins once they started to resemble their fathers.”

“Oh, dear.”

“I sound like a monster,” he ground out.

“No.” After a moment of reflection she asked, “Besides your mother, are there no girls in this fearsome group?”

With a sharp laugh, he let out the breath he’d been holding and grasped her shoulders. “Dozens.”

“But they hold no sway in the male-dominated hierarchy,” she divined with her rare capacity to discern the true nature of things. “How often is Dino around them?”

“Mila spends most of her time with them, so that means my son does, too. My father dotes on him.”

“Who wouldn’t? I’m crazy about him even after being around him such a short time. Does Dino share your feelings?”

“I’m not sure.”

“How could that be? He tells you everything.”

He shook his head. “Certain things he keeps to himself. In my case, I’m afraid my noninvolvement with family speaks for me.”

“If he sometimes keeps quiet it’s probably because he feels guilty.”

Vincenzo kissed the end of her nose. “Why do you say that?”

“Because he knows how you feel and doesn’t want to do anything that could upset or hurt you. Or get you in trouble,” she added quietly before easing away from him. “From the sound of it, your intention to marry me has put flame to a fuse.”

“You let me worry about that. The family has nothing to do with you and me. Our lives with our children will be our own.”

She darted him a second glance. “I love Dino like my own child. Our own children…I want that more than anything in world.”

Was Irena admitting she loved him because she’d accepted Dino? She still hadn’t our baby yet. Vincenzo knew the doubt surrounding the paternity of the child weighed heavily on her shoulders. “I have a solution for us down the road, but only if you’re willing.”

“What’s that?”

“One day we’ll have another baby.”

Her eyes suddenly filled. “Why do I get the feeling you think that one woman in two hundred will be me?”

Vincenzo reached for her and held her close to his chest. “You’re wrong, Irena. If you do go ahead with the test I’m sure everything will be fine and we will have a healthy baby. I just want you to know how eager I am to have a child with you. Our child. With no shadow of doubt hanging over us, and a child that will never have to leave this home. Our home. The truth is, I was never in love with Mila and she knew it. But both our fathers wanted the marriage and my ailing mother urged me to go ahead with it because she was convinced Mila would make me a good wife. She worried about my wild side.”

A faint smile broke the corner of Irena’s mouth. “So I didn’t imagine you had one.”

He bit her earlobe gently. “Mama feared I was enjoying my bachelorhood too much. Like all mothers and fathers, my parents felt marriage would have a stabilizing effect on me, so Mila and I married. It was the worst mistake of my life. To pay me back for not loving her, she didn’t tell me she was pregnant until her sixth month when she couldn’t hide it any longer.”

Irena’s expression revealed her horror.

“Dino came four weeks early. The two months before she delivered were the happiest I’d ever known because the idea of being a father had taken hold. But it turned into a nightmare after he was born. She refused to let me be around Dino and help with him. Her doctor called it postpartum depression.