The Accidental Elopement

by Maggie Dallen

  He pulled back enough to look her in the eyes. “They know that you are off limits,” he assured her. “I made it clear, we’re dropping the revenge part of this plan.”

  “And they’re okay with that?”

  He gave a little half shrug. “They have to be. I told them it was either revenge or the money.”

  She stroked back the hair falling into his face and tried not to show how much her heart ached on his behalf. She couldn’t imagine growing up in a family that was filled with such hate. Now her family on the other hand….

  “I wish I could fast forward through this whole talk with my grandfather. He’s just such a romantic, he’s never going to understand.” Before he could rush to reassure her for the hundredth time, she added, “I think you’re going to like Grandpa. Everyone does.”

  Because he was the best. Which was why it was ridiculous that she was so nervous to face him. But that was family for you. No one else’s opinions mattered half so much.

  “It’s not him I’m worried about.”

  “You think he won’t like you?” she asked. “Impossible! He’ll love you. You’re the most likeable man I know.”

  He turned his head to kiss her palm and flashed her a wicked grin. “Why, thank you, my sweet. But that wasn’t what I meant.”

  At her blank expression, he said, “I’m not sure I’ll be alive long enough to meet your grandfather. I’ve seen the texts you’ve been getting from Daniel and heard his voicemails, remember?” He fell back against the pillows with a groan. “You may have to explain this marriage to your grandfather but at least you don’t have to get on a plane with a man who hates you.”

  Lucia couldn’t argue with that.

  * * * *

  Daniel was the only other passenger on the plane aside from him and Lucia. Of course Daniel had to be there since it was his plane and all. But still. Ryan didn’t think he could take many more hours of being cooped up in a small room with a man who only looked up from his laptop to glare at him. Despite Lucia’s sweet-talking and promises that Daniel would let bygones be bygones, his glare promised a slow and torturous death, if Daniel had his way.

  But somehow Lucia had managed to convince him to take them to Italy on his jet, as her grandfather had requested, so that they could prove to him that their love was real.

  Love. Who would have guessed that he would fall in love with his wife?

  His choked laugh caught Lucia’s attention. She looked up from her book. “You doing okay?”

  Ryan nodded and took a sip of the bottled water the flight attendant had given him. “Fine. Just checking to make sure the water isn’t poisoned.”

  Lucia laughed. “I promise, Daniel will leave you alone.”

  “Mmm-hmmm.”

  Lucia laughed again at his sarcastic tone. “I swear. Daniel promised to be on his best behavior and he always keeps his promises.”

  Ryan took another sip of water rather than answer. He may have put his family’s plans for vengeance to the side for Lucia’s sake but he didn’t really want to hear yet again what a great and honorable man Daniel was.

  Daniel chose that moment to look up from his laptop and skewer Ryan with another cold, steely glare. When he dropped his gaze back to his laptop, Ryan whispered, “See?”

  He turned to see Lucia smothering a laugh. “Don’t pay attention to him. He’ll get over it.” He raised an eyebrow and she added, “Eventually.”

  “Yeah, at my funeral, maybe.” He muttered under his breath so only Lucia could hear but her giggle had Daniel glaring his way again.

  “Seriously,” she said. “He will. He’s just worried about me.” She flashed him an adorable grin. “Ivy says worry is Daniel’s default setting—it’s how he shows he cares.”

  “Poor Ivy,” he said with a laugh.

  Lucia nodded. “Poor Baby Anna. Daniel is going to be one overprotective father.” She said it with a little sigh and Ryan knew exactly what she was thinking.

  Daniel would be the kind of father she never had. What kind of man would walk away from his daughter for money?

  What kind of father would abandon his family for lack of money? He shook off that thought. It wasn’t fair to blame his father who wasn’t here to defend himself.

  “Tell me again, how is this going to work?” he asked, wrapping an arm around Lucia and pulling her close to his side. He still couldn’t believe she was trusting him and giving him a second chance. Lord knows, he wouldn’t have done the same thing if he were in her shoes. Hell, he’d practically bitten her head off when he’d found out there was more to her than she’d let on.

  Maybe he didn’t deserve the second chance, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to take it. Not only that, he would use this opportunity to help her get everything she wanted in life—everything she deserved. And if that meant fooling an old man so she could launch her career, he was all in.

  Lucia sighed, the only sign she wasn’t quite as okay with this plan as she kept insisting. “It’s simple, really. We just have to convince my grandfather that we’re in love.”

  “That shouldn’t be too hard,” Ryan whispered.

  She gave him a considering look that made him smile. “It’s not that I doubt your acting abilities,” she started.

  “Who says I’d be acting?”

  “It’s just…my grandfather…well, he might be the world’s biggest romantic. He’s going to hate the fact that I married for money.”

  “Wait. Hold up. I thought the whole point of this trip to Italy was to make your grandfather believe we married for love.”

  Lucia turned in her seat so she was facing him directly. “Oh please. My grandfather is a romantic, not an idiot. He knows I need money and there’s no way we’d fool him into thinking this marriage was only about love.”

  “Okaaay,” Ryan drawled. “Then what’s our story?”

  Lucia said with a shrug, “We’ll keep it simple. We became friends and decided to marry for money, but somewhere along the way, we….” She bit her lip for a moment before finishing, “Somewhere along the way we…developed feelings.”

  Developed feelings? Not exactly the most romantic way of putting it but he supposed it was accurate enough. “So we stick with the truth, then.” Ryan found himself holding his breath waiting for her to answer. He was acutely aware of the fact that while he had told her he was falling for her, she had yet to reciprocate.

  Oh, she’d admitted she’d liked him. She’d even gone so far as to tell him she’d developed a crush at first sight. And she’d referred to him as her boyfriend today—that had to be a good sign, right? But the L-word had never been spoken. And now? He exhaled loudly. Now she still hadn’t admitted she was falling for him too. Lucia’s smile was unreadable as she kept talking, ignoring the giant “I’m falling for you”-sized elephant in the airplane. Well, what had he expected? He still had a ways to go before he earned her trust. But he would.

  * * * *

  The villa was nothing like he’d imagined. Not that he had much experience with Tuscan villas or Italy at all, for that matter. But from what little he knew, he hadn’t expected it to be so….noisy.

  There were children everywhere, along with aunts, uncles, friends of the family—including Ivy and Daniel’s baby—and even some members of Daniel’s family, who lived nearby.

  And they were all there to meet him.

  “Right, no pressure,” Ryan said to Lucia as he helped her out of the car and into the mob scene that was her family.

  Everyone was nice to him. Too nice to him. Particularly her grandfather. From the moment Ryan entered their home, he was welcomed with open arms by the patriarch, a jovial, gray-haired man with a loud laugh and eyes that seemed to see everything.

  Only Daniel continued to treat him like a bug that had crawled out from under a rock, even when they all sat down to dinner. Ryan noticed that Daniel’s wife elbowed him in the ribs every time he glared. By the end of dinner, Ryan was fairly
certain Daniel was black and blue beneath his stiff-collared buttoned-down shirt. At least he had Ivy on his side.

  It wasn’t until after dinner that Lucia’s grandfather asked to speak to him alone in his study. Ryan looked to Lucia who was helping to clear the dinner plates. She gave him a wink and mouthed, “Good luck.”

  He needed more than luck. He followed the older man down several hallways before they entered a dark, wood-paneled room that housed a large desk which was overflowing with papers.

  Something told him, if this man didn’t like him or believe their story…he would be on the next plane back to New York before he could say ciao. Brunelli waited until Ryan was seated in the chair opposite him at the desk.

  The old man dispensed with the typical small talk, all of which had been covered over dinner anyways. He launched right into his attack. “What are your intentions toward my granddaughter?”

  Ryan cleared his throat. “I would think it’s fairly obvious, sir, seeing that I’ve married her.”

  Brunelli did not look amused. Ryan tried again. “I can understand your concern, sir. But believe me when I say—”

  “That’s the problem, Ryan. I don’t believe you. I don’t know what sort of game you and Lucia are up to but it ends here. It ends now.”

  Ryan shifted in his seat. He didn’t want to argue with Lucia’s grandfather but he couldn’t just sit here and take it. “If you’ll excuse me, sir, I think that’s up to us.”

  “You’re only in it for the money.” Brunelli’s jaw was clenched so tightly Ryan feared the old man might have a stroke.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Brunelli blinked in confusion. “You’re not even going to try to deny it?”

  Ryan resisted the urge to laugh. Maybe her plan to tell the truth hadn’t been so crazy after all. “No, sir. The intention was never to try and trick you into believing this was solely a love match.”

  Brunelli’s eyes narrowed at his careful wording. “But it is a love match.”

  Ryan hesitated for only a second before he nodded. For him it was, at least. There was no use denying it. He was head over heels…for his wife.

  Brunelli was quiet for a moment. “You met my little girl, what? A few weeks ago?”

  “A little over a month ago,” Ryan corrected.

  Brunelli leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “You seem like a nice enough man and it’s clear Lucia cares about you…”

  Ryan actually found himself perking up at that. He resisted the urge to ask, “You really think so?” Now was not the time. But still it was good to hear.

  “You have to understand. Lucia…she has been protected her whole life.” Brunelli shrugged, “Maybe too much so. I didn’t want to repeat the mistakes I made with her mother and….” For a moment, Ryan was certain Brunelli didn’t even know he was there, he was too caught up in memories.

  When Brunelli’s eyes grew sad, Ryan started to feel sorry for him. But then he seemed to shake it off and he once again focused his laser-like attention on Ryan. “You barely know my granddaughter and she is everything to me. She is mi principessa. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her, even if it’s from herself.”

  Ryan actually flinched at the nickname. “I know Lucia well enough to know she hates being called princess.”

  Brunelli’s eyebrows shot up at that. But Ryan wasn’t finished.

  “She’s also not a little girl any longer and while you may still want to protect her, it’s well past time you consider what she wants.”

  Brunelli’s mouth opened to protest, his wrinkled face filled with anger.

  Ryan shifted forward in his seat. “Look, I’m not going to lie. The money would be nice. But that’s not why I’m here. I would be here with or without the money.”

  Brunelli’s expression was full of cynicism. “Then why are you here?”

  Now it was Ryan’s turn to study her grandfather. “Lucia once told me that you are the biggest romantic she’s ever met. You should be able to figure it out.”

  Eyes wide, her grandfather let out a laugh. When Ryan made a move to leave, Brunelli stopped him.

  “Ryan…” Her grandfather suddenly looked old and weary. “I just want her to be happy.”

  Ryan leaned forward. “Then give her what she wants.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Her freedom,” Ryan said. “She told me what happened with her mother and I can’t imagine how painful that was. But Lucia deserves the chance to make her own decisions and to make her own way in this world.”

  He stood then, ready to head back out to find his wife, but he stopped to add, “Lucia may be the bravest, strongest, kindest, most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I know you love her, but I think it’s time you trust her.”

  Chapter 12

  That was, without a doubt, the sexiest thing Lucia had ever heard. Back pressed against the wall outside her grandfather’s study, she’d heard every last word. Her grandfather never did seem to notice how much sound carried in the villa’s cavernous hallway.

  “What are you doing out here?” Ivy asked as she rounded the corner, Baby Anna balanced on her hip.

  Lucia shushed her with a finger over her lips before dragging Ivy along with her down the hall to the library. Once inside she shut the door and turned to face her friend who was grinning at her. “What’s with all the secrecy?”

  Lucia shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “There’s no secrecy.”

  “Uh huh. So, you weren’t eavesdropping back there?”

  Falling back into an overstuffed chair, Lucia laughed. “Okay, maybe I was being a little sneaky.”

  “Afraid your grandfather isn’t going to believe you two are in love?”

  Before Lucia could respond, her friend continued, “You have nothing to worry about. The way you two look at each other? It’s obvious to everyone how you feel about one another.”

  A flicker of joy shot through her. “It is?”

  It was?

  Ivy’s nod was decisive. “Absolutely. You guys are so clearly in love. It’s pretty cute, actually.”

  Lucia ignored Ivy’s smug smile; she was too distracted by the mixed emotions her words had churned up. The initial jolt of joy at hearing that Ryan loved her was followed by a rising sense of panic.

  She hadn’t said she was in love. Sure, there had been a couple of times when she thought that might be what this crazy, scary, out of control falling feeling was, but it wasn’t official.

  Not for her, at least.

  She wasn’t ready.

  Lucia shook her head to rid herself of the thought. Relax. There was no need to panic. Ryan wasn’t rushing her into anything—her friends and family just believed what she and Ryan expected them to.

  Ivy’s eyes narrowed on her when she failed to respond with a laugh or a quip. “What’s wrong?”

  Ugh. Her friend knew her too well.

  Lucia forced a smile. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

  Ivy cocked her head to the side and seemed to consider her, seemingly unaware her daughter was threatening to pull out a clump of her hair at any second. “You’ve got the look,” she said before bursting into a grin that was the spitting image of her daughter’s.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Ivy gave an unladylike snort of disbelief. “Oh girl, I know that look. I had that look. And it’s the same exact look Holly had when she showed up here looking for Jack.”

  Oh no. Don’t say it.

  “You’re definitely in love,” Ivy said. “And you’re terrified.”

  “Am not.” Okay, so maybe that had come out a bit more angsty-teen than intended. But she wasn’t scared. She was never scared. With that thought she tipped her chin up. “I’m not afraid, I just…we just…we haven’t defined the relationship.”

  She’d learned that phrase from TV and it finally came in handy at this particular moment.

  Ivy laughed but she held her hands up in sur
render. “Okay, okay. You’re not scared. But you would be perfectly within your rights if you were.”

  Lucia blinked at her friend. “I would?”

  Ivy rolled her eyes but she stepped up beside her so she could sling one free arm around Lucia’s shoulders. “Of course. Love changes everything. It should be scary, quite frankly.”

  “It should?” Oh God, emotions were robbing her of her English skills again. But the feeling that was not fear was threatening to choke her. This was silly. It was ridiculous. They had just started dating.

  And they’d gotten married.

  But really, when it came down to it, they were just casually dating. What was so scary about that?

  As if in answer to her question, Ivy continued, “It should be frightening because love has a tendency to turn life upside down.”

  She smiled down at the baby in her arms and added, “In a good way. But all change is scary, right?”

  Lucia nodded. She didn’t trust herself to speak.

  “I mean, look at me. I thought I was headed toward a career and finding a husband was the last thing on my mind.” Ivy’s smile was so satisfied and so sweet. But Lucia got chills.

  That was not what she wanted. She didn’t want a husband and kids. Not yet. That was the whole point of running away and starting her own fashion line. Career first. She would not fall victim to the same fate that had trapped her mother.

  True, it was the cancer that killed her, but Lucia’s missing-in-action father had robbed her of her life before that. Or at least, that’s the way it seemed. She’d fallen in love and look what had happened? All of her mother’s plans for travel and adventure had been replaced by heartbreak…and a baby.

  If Ivy noticed Lucia’s sudden silence, she didn’t let on. She continued to chatter away, happy as could be that her friend was the latest dupe to fall victim to the con called love.

  Maybe that was a bit harsh. She was too young to be this bitter.

  Ivy’s next words brought her back to the present with a start. “I hate to break it to you, Lucia, but you are clearly a smitten kitten. I’ve never seen you look at anyone that way. Definitely not Marco.”