There was a long pause, which with Rachel was never a good thing. It meant she was taking inventory of her arsenal of words. She’d be ten times more dangerous when she spoke next. Just as when a hurricane went back to sea to gather more steam, they both could be lethal upon return.
The calm lawyer said, “Congratulations, by the way. I’m proud of you.”
A lump formed in his throat. He wanted no one’s praise more than hers. She didn’t hand it out lightly. “Thank you, Rachel. That—”
“Back to the problem at hand. You need to ask Stella what to do. You’ve said she can fix anything. Maybe you suddenly own three dogs named Rachel, Hannah, and Ian. It’d be endearing to your fans.”
“So, you’d have me replace my family with dogs?” When she sputtered in frustration, he smiled. “I almost bought a dog after you parted ways with me. I was going to name him Buddy, because that’s what you call me when you’re mad at me. I kind of like it.”
“You made the choice to leave. Not me. Put Stella on this mess you just made so she can contain it before it blows up in all our faces.”
He neared the journalists lined up at the exit. He’d have no choice but to stop to have his picture taken with his new statue. They all wanted to know who he referred to in his speech. “Putting you in my pocket for just one moment, amore.”
“Don’t you dare, Marcello. I hate when you do—”
As he posed for the cameras, his smile was genuine for a change. Rachel spewed every curse word in the book at him through his breast pocket. God, he missed her. He loved acting and the money it brought so he could support the ones he loved, but there was a hole in his life that only she seemed able to fill. He’d been a fool to run away.
While the paparazzi shot their pictures and shouted questions, he lifted a hand to make it all stop. “Thank you. No comment.” Then he headed for his waiting car before his agent, who was calling his name behind him, caught up.
“Marcello, wait!” Lance laid a hand on Marcello’s shoulder.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t moved quickly enough. Turning, he said, “Can we talk about this later? I’m late.”
Lance folded Armani-clad arms. The man’s teeth were so white and hair so fake blond, it made Marcello wish for sunglasses.
Lance barked, “You can’t blow off the press after winning an Oscar. It’s career suicide.”
He withheld a sigh. “Always so dramatic. I like to think of it as being mysterious. Creating curiosity the press will seek answers for.”
Lance’s manicured eyebrows formed an angry V. “So those people you named aren’t real? There isn’t a woman involved who I can guarantee will be a major distraction? You have to strike while the iron is hot in this business, or find yourself doing television commercials to pay the bills. I thought we agreed the next five years are all about making you a mega star. The Oscar win was step one.”
He opened the door to his awaiting car. “So, I accomplished step one. And you’ll get the Jag I promised you if I ever won an Oscar. So be happy with that, and I’ll call you later.”
Lance lifted a finger. “But—”
“Stop. Go inside and party for both of us. As you always do. Good night.”
To at least pretend it wasn’t Rachel who owned his very soul, he kept her in his pocket a few more moments while he slid in the back of his waiting limo. “Hi, Dave. How are you tonight?”
“Just chillin’.” His blond beach-bum driver who used to be a stockbroker beamed a big smile in the rearview mirror. “Congrats, bro. That was awesome. I’ll have you on the tarmac in thirty.”
“Thank you.” He took his phone from his pocket and laid it against his ear. “Sorry. Where were we?”
Silence greeted him. She’d hung up. Served him right. But he wasn’t going to call her back only to have her tell him not to bother showing up at her house. It’d drive her crazy soon enough that he hadn’t called her right back anyway.
He turned his wrist and checked the time on the sleek new watch his stylist had given him to wear for the show. Was he supposed to give it back? He’d have one of his assistants figure it out. It was a nice one.
At the next red light, he took off the watch. Then he leaned over the front seat and handed it to Dave. “I know you rarely wear anything but beach attire, but I’d like you to have this. For always being here when I needed you these past five years.”
Dave’s brows popped up. “Dude. That thing is worth more than my motorcycle. But I can’t take it. Ally will kill me.” He held out a fist. “Appreciate you too, man.”
He fist-bumped his driver and then sank into the back seat again. He’d have to have a talk with his money manager, Ally. She was always on him for giving people gifts, but he enjoyed sharing with those who’d helped him achieve the success he’d gained.
After exactly five minutes had passed, his phone vibrated. Rachel wasn’t a woman to be kept waiting, and he’d kept her waiting often because of his job. He needed to work on that too if he wanted to win her back.
He let it ring one more time before he answered, “Deepest apologies, amore. Now, which part exactly—when I declared to the world that you are the love of my life—made you angry?”
Rachel sighed. “You know this isn’t about me. It’s about the kids. I’m so . . . disappointed in you, Marcello.”
A stab of regret pierced his heart. He hated to disappoint her. “I hadn’t meant to say those things. It was the emotion of winning. Finally. You know how much it meant to me. My heart spoke before my mouth could swallow the words. But they were all true. I want my family back, Rachel. All of you. I promise I’ll make the time and put you all first, if you’ll give me another chance.”
“Nothing’s changed since we decided to part ways, Marcello.” The sadness in her voice hurt his heart.
I changed. Now to prove it.
“You were right. I did put my career first. But after tonight, all will be different.” He’d have to fight Lance about that, but he’d figure it out.
“Have you forgotten what it’d been like for us? Desperately trying to find even a few hours to be together? The way I was shoved out of the way for people to get their piece of you? The rumors and innuendo about your dating habits? You hate it. How could you want that for our kids?”
All true. But those things they could improve on. What was really holding her back? “That was because we tried so hard to keep our relationship secret. Make everyone think you were just one of the many who worked for me. Let’s start again. Let me date you properly so you can fall in love with me this time. I’ll take you to restaurants and the movies. No more sneaking around. I want to, how you say? Crown you in front of the whole world. No one would ever shove you out of the way after that.”
“You mean court me, not crown me.”
Rachel went quiet again, and it made his heart ache.
Please don’t reject me.
English sometimes. He’d forced himself to think in English since he’d moved to America as a teenager, but some words still didn’t stick. Maybe he’d say it in Italian so she was sure to understand his meaning. She always looked words up in her phone when she wasn’t sure. “Cascamorto, sì?”
She tapped buttons and then said, “Wait a minute. That means to make a fool of yourself running after me. That’s not the same as courting at all.”
He’d picked the wrong word. Again. “You are the only woman I’d make a fool of myself for. Please, can’t we start again? I made a huge mistake by leaving. But no sleeping together at first, just dating. Getting to know each other better over dinners and bottles of wine. I think you will love me if only you’d give me a chance to show you how normal our life can be.”
“Do you promise to call Stella and have her fix this?”
He hated to think of his loved ones as pets as she’d suggested, but if that was what it’d take . . . “Sì. I’ll send her a text right now. I look forward to you finally meeting Stella and Lance. You’ll love them as much as I do. And I’ll
pick you up tomorrow evening at seven for dinner. Ciao, bella.”
“Maybe I already have a d—”
He hung up before she could argue with him. She’d told him the other day she hadn’t dated anyone since the babies were born. Thankfully, after parting ways romantically, she hadn’t cut him off from the kids. She’d given him full access whenever he could find the time, and she always took his calls. Most women wouldn’t have done that. But Rachel, she was a class act.
Maybe his misspoken words at the award show had been fated. Maybe by showing her that he’d been willing to tell the world how much in love with her he was, he’d finally get what he’d always wanted. A chance to overcome his past and prove he wasn’t like his cruel father. Because any other outcome just made his father the winner. Well, no more.
Marcello Romano’s wife and kids would never have to live in fear. As long as those deep, dark family secrets stayed buried where they belonged, he’d finally have the life he deserved.
Chapter Two
A man bearing gifts can be hard to resist.
Rachel stared at the phone in her hand, using all her innermost strength not to throw it across the room. “I hate when Marcello does that. Tosses out the plan, and then hangs up so I can’t have a say.”
Lori struggled to contain her amusement. “He wants to court you? Like flowers and wine? What’s so bad about that?”
Rachel laid her phone on the coffee table before she called him back and said things she’d regret. “Just because he’s changed his mind, doesn’t mean our problems have disappeared. At least I got him to agree to let his publicist spin this. She’s the best, so maybe things will be okay. When he gets here tomorrow night, I’ll set him straight.”
“You need to be honest with him, Rach.” Lori scooped up some of the popcorn she’d made for herself to eat while she watched the fireworks. “Tell him about your major trust issues because of Dad, so if he’s got any secrets, he needs to spill before you’ll let him ‘crown’ you.”
Rachel smiled. Marcello didn’t try to speak perfectly with her, and his occasional lack of understanding of American slang was amusing. But she vowed she’d never let any man break her heart. “I can’t be with a man who keeps mistresses.”
“Agreed. But if the mystery money gets cleared up, maybe you should give his way a try.”
Rachel closed her eyes and laid her head on the back of the couch. He’d cut her soul in half when he’d told her he hadn’t been ready to be a full-time father. Her heart couldn’t take another slice of the knife. “Sometimes when he calls to check on the kids, we talk for hours. For being so famous, he leads a lonely life, always on the road. Not knowing who he can trust, he has few true friends.” She threw an arm over her eyes and moaned. “Most women would think I’m nuts for not just falling in line with whatever he wants, but there are children involved . . . along with my heart.”
“A tender one encased in Kevlar.” Lori snuggled closer. “Is it better for your kids to have two happy parents and live in a fishbowl, or to have one semi-happy, always-tired mother who told me the other day that she’s feeling overwhelmed? That maybe you weren’t doing your job or the kids justice? Who reluctantly admitted you might need a nanny because maybe you aren’t superwoman after all?”
Rachel grunted. “You should’ve been a lawyer too. That was a good argument. But I don’t know if he can really change. Or if I want to take him back, for that matter. I refuse to rely on any man for my happiness.”
“Obviously. You don’t even like to rely on me for anything. But it just so happens you light up like a kid about to eat cake whenever you speak of him. Cake makes the world a better place. Marcello makes you smile. You don’t need either one, but why not choose the treat without calories and indulge a little?”
Leave it to her sister to make sense out of Rachel’s mixed-up emotions. “Marcello said something weird, though. He said no sex. He only wants to date. Why, if the sex is so freakin’ fantastic, would he say that?”
Lori stood and stretched her arms above her head. “For a smart woman, who secretly reads romance novels, I might add, you can be pretty clueless.”
“Hey. I told you about those books in confidence.”
“Twin code still intact.” Lori held up her hand as if giving an oath in court. “I’ll never tell, but I have the right to tease you about it when we’re alone.”
“Fine.” Rachel crossed her arms. “I like to see other people enjoy fun dates in my books, but those are characters. Not real, like me.”
Lori’s brows arched. “What makes you different from the women in your books?”
“My life is real.” Rachel shrugged. “Dating seemed like a waste for the little time Marcello and I had to be together when we met up. We couldn’t go out in public, so we got room service, or holed up in a private condo for whole weekends, had amazing sex, watched classic movies, and talked for hours on end about nothing in particular. They were the best dates ever without being real dates. Then when our few days were up, we’d make plans to meet up the next time we were in the same country.”
“I always said you should’ve been a guy when it came to dating.” Her sister shook her head as she picked up her purse. “And don’t give me the ‘same country’ line. You put a major dent in your airline points when he was stuck on locations. You went to great lengths to be with him and vice versa. Marcello’s trying to make you see he’s more than a pleasurable bed partner.”
Marcello was more than that. He was the one she liked to talk to before she went to sleep at night. The only one she could talk about the kids with without boring him to tears. But love? She’d never been in love before. “Make me a date for next Friday, please. Marcello thinks he can just waltz in here and sweep me off my feet after choosing his career over us, but I have a life too. I’m not sitting here pining for him.”
“Yes, you are, but you’re too stubborn to admit it.” Lori crossed her arms. “Let’s see what he has to say tomorrow about the money and secret kid. After that, if you still want me to set you up for a date, then I will.”
Lori was the one person she couldn’t fool. Their souls held a lifelong bond. Her twin was the only person Rachel fully trusted. “Find me a guy the opposite of Marcello, please.” She didn’t need any reminders. If Marcello wouldn’t come clean, she’d tell him to take a hike.
Lori laughed. “Okay, so someone blond, short, a little chubby, not charming in the least, with crooked teeth, and a very small—”
“Stop! I should have never told you about that.” Rachel couldn’t hold back her grin. “Weren’t you just leaving?”
“I was.” As they walked down the hallway, Lori grabbed her coat and then leaned close and whispered, “Good luck tomorrow. I love you even though you never say it back.”
“But you know I do, so why make me say it?” She smiled at her sister’s eye roll as she opened the front door.
“Because I live to annoy you.” Lori dug her keys from her purse as the cold February breeze whooshed inside the foyer. “By the way, Marcello’s going to cave on the no-sex thing after he gets one look at you with those new sexy curves. Call me and let me know how it goes tomorrow, okay?”
New sexy curves?
She’d forgotten that she used to tell Lori that she’d looked even sexier after she’d had her baby.
Rachel’s eyes stung with tears. She had the best sister in the world. She always knew the right thing to say. But she didn’t like talking about emotions, so instead, she kissed Lori’s cheek. “I’ll call as soon as I boot him out. Drive safe.”
“Will do. Night, tough guy.”
“See ya, bleeding heart.” Rachel crossed her arms to fend off the cold as she waited until her sister was safely in her car. While Lori pulled out of the driveway, Rachel lifted a hand, then closed the door behind her.
Her sister wasn’t wrong. Being tough was essential when dealing with the most charming man in the world. Sometimes just staring into Marcello’s eyes made her want to
do stupid things. Like give up her job, which she loved, and follow him wherever his job took him. Nope. She’d never give any man that much power over her. Besides, it wasn’t just her anymore. Ian and Hannah depended on her to be practical.
She locked the door and then switched off the lights before heading to bed. But not without a stop to check on her kids.
She slowly opened the door to the nursery and crossed to Hannah’s crib first. She lay on her back, her pink onesie contrasting with her light skin and dark hair. She had a hand tucked sweetly under her chin. When she sighed in her sleep, Rachel’s heart sighed right along with her.
Rachel covered her daughter up and then peeked into Ian’s crib. He looked exactly like his father. Dark-haired, olive-skinned, and he slept all akimbo, just like Marcello. She dug out Ian’s blanket that had been shoved between the slats and laid it over him again.
She’d never imagined she could love anyone as much as she loved her children. Different from the way she loved her sister and family, because she loved them more than she had words to express. Literally. Why could she tell her kids she loved them every day but struggle to tell her family how she felt? And Marcello. But what she felt for him was so much more complicated. It gave her a headache sometimes when she tried to figure it out. Was it so much to ask that he be truthful with her?
Shaking her head, she closed the bedroom door behind her and hoped he’d have some straight answers for her tomorrow. If not, she’d move on. For good.
Marcello wrangled one golden retriever puppy under his arm and then dove back into the car for the other. The pups were wiggly, happy, and fat. How could anyone resist falling instantly in love with them? He’d never been allowed a dog growing up, but his children would have them. Hannah and Ian would have anything their hearts desired.
Now how to grab the flowers too?
Tucking one of the pups closer to his chest, and getting licked in the face in return, he picked up the flowers and then kicked the Porsche’s door closed behind him. The cold wind sent a shiver up his spine as he jogged toward Rachel’s front door. Using his elbow, he rang the doorbell.
Truly A Match (Rocky Mountain Matchmaker Book 4) Page 2