by Mya Black
A lone tear slid out at his sweet words and the genuine affection she heard in them. It would be hard to live without Alessandro in her life. He’d brought her heart back to life and she, like a fool, had given it to him without much of a fight.
He turned and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in tight. Whatever was wrong with Eve, he had to let her know she was important to him. He had to tell her his secrets so they could move forward. Together.
He would do it.
Tomorrow.
Chapter Nine
“Sweetie, call me back as soon as you get this message. It’s urgent. Incredibly, supremely important.”
Eve listened to the message her friend left with a furrowed brow. She’d never known Carla to sound so serious and stressed. As soon as she finished checking the inventory list for the new salon, she would return the call. In just a few weeks, the Diamond Bar location would be open and she needed everything to go perfectly. This location would solidify her business and her fortune, which she would need as a single mother.
She couldn’t stop thinking about the life growing inside her. Her life would change irrevocably from this day forward. Before she could think about any of that, she needed to talk to Alessandro. That thought made her sick to her stomach, sicker than she’d been the past few days. Her phone trilled. “Hello,” she said briskly.
“Oh thank God, Eve! I’ve been trying to reach you all morning. Where the hell have you been?”
Eve sighed, attempting to reign in her frustration. “I’ve been working, Carla, what’s up?” The other line went suspiciously silent, “Carla?”
“Yeah, I’m here. Look I need to tell you something and you’re going to freak out, but I’m nowhere near Diamond Bar, so I don’t want to tell you.”
“Dammit, Carla, now you’re scaring me. What is it?”
There was a reluctant sigh on the other end of the phone. “Have you seen the paper today?”
“You know I haven’t. If this is about some celebrity baby daddy, you know I’m not interested.” Like she had time to deal with the love lives and losses of the rich and too damn famous.
“Can you just ignore the media altogether until I get there? I can be to you in an hour or so.”
Eve could hear the stress and the worry in her friend’s voice and it was starting to worry her. “Carla, just tell me because I’m starting to freak out and I have to tell you, I hate it.” She waited.
“Okay fine. Go to the society section of the Times. You’ll know it when you see it.”
Her stomach fell. There was only reason Carla would be freaked out over a story in the society section. “Fine. I’ll call you back.”
“No! I’ll stay on the line while you read.”
She wanted to protest, but Carla’s tone stopped her. “Okay.”
Sources today report that billionaire development tycoon Alessandro Scotti is off the market! It turns out that Mr. Scotti, Preside and CEO of A.C. Scotti Development is married and has been for the past five years. Mrs. Sabrina Scotti, sources say, bewitched Alessandro from the moment he set eyes on her and six months later they were married.
How Mr. Scotti was able to keep this information from the gossip hounds is beyond this reporter.
But it turns out the billionaire playboy is a doting husband. A tragic accident four years ago left Mrs. Scotti comatose and like the dutiful husband, Alessandro visits regularly. In fact, he recently spent two weeks at her side at the Seattle Day Center, making sure his wife received top notch care, designer pajamas, and a professional hair wash! It looks like the ladies of Los Angeles have to start the husband hunt all over again.
One has to wonder…what does this mean for the stunning beauty seen around town on Mr. Scotti’s arm?
How could this be true? Eve felt her breathing increase and her breaths became shallower. Her ears buzzed as the blood rushed around her body. She closed her eyes and pushed out all the noise around her. Her thumb and forefinger pressed on the bridge of her nose, begging the burgeoning headache to stop. I’m fine. I’ll be fine. Eventually.
“Eve, are you okay? Talk to me, girl.”
She inhaled a deep breath until she began to feel lightheaded and slowly released it. “I’m fine, Carla. Really.”
“How can you be fine? You love this asshole and he’s married! You are not fine!”
She tried to smile at her friend’s outrage, but her face refused to cooperate. "I am. I planned to talk to him today about…something else that would have turned into a break up, anyway. Now, I don’t have to worry.” Coward, her conscience taunted. She was a coward and she didn’t care. It’s bad enough to be the other woman, but to be the other woman carrying his baby? Nope, definitely not happening. It’s still his baby whether you’re together or not, she told herself.
“What were you going to tell…oh no. No, Eve. I’m sorry, so sorry.”
It was the mix of pity and sympathy in her friend’s voice that made her crack. It started as one tear, then two and then a deluge of tears rolled down her cheek and blurred her vision. “I can’t right now, Carla. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay, Eve. I’m really sorry. I love you.”
“Love you, too,” she said as she hung up. Unsure of what to do or what to say, Eve sat and stared at her laptop until the battery died. She blinked away the tears that still fell down her cheeks and looked around the mostly empty office. She couldn’t do this now, not today. She packed her bags and called Marcus to oversee the inventory and setup for the rest of the week.
She needed to get away from the city.
***
Shit. Those damn society news vultures had well and truly ruined Alessandro’s life. Correction, his lie ruined it. He didn’t lie outright because she hadn’t asked, but Alessandro know that sometimes a lie of omission hurt worse than an outright lie. That stupid paper couldn’t have waited another twenty four hours? By then, he would have revealed the truth to her and they’d be fine. Probably.
Instead, he’d been ambushed by reporters at A.C. Scotti headquarters asking about his comatose wife. To say he’d been caught off guard would be an understatement. He was livid and ready to punch out a cameraman, which he would have done if not for his assistant. The first thought on his mind was Eve. He had to find her, to talk to her and explain everything.
But like everything else in his life, the universe was conspiring against him. One especially determined photographer had followed him around all day and Eve refused to talk to him. No, she hadn’t refused – she simply did not answer any of his calls. And she wasn’t at home. Or any of her shops.
He figured she would be at Carla’s so he’d driven across town to Malibu to be met with a raven haired pixie spitting fire at him. But no Eve. In fact, Carla looked surprised Eve wasn’t at home, which meant she was in the wind. He couldn’t bear it. He needed to talk to her, to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything would be alright.
“You have to find her,” Carla demanded, poking a finger in his chest. Hard.
“Why do you think I’m here, Carla?” His arms were crossed and he stared down at her with a hard look on his face.
“I’m assuming you came to explain why she didn’t know you were married this whole time.”
“Of course, that’s why I’m here.” Both hands raked through his dark locks. “At the risk of sounding like that guy, it isn’t how it looks. But there’s no way to make her understand without explaining the whole sordid mess.”
Carla looked up at him closely, her head leaned to the side. He squirmed under her observation, but he accepted it because he would need her help. “You love Eve.” Her voice was breathless with excitement. “Oh my God, you love her!” She jumped up down with, gripping his arm with glee. “This is so great!”
It might be alright – if they could find Eve. “It’s great that I love her and she probably never wants to speak to me again?”
“She loves you, too, or she wouldn’t be hurt. It
might take some time, but if you think she’s worth it…”
“I do.”
“Then, we’ll figure it out.” She smiled up at him. “Go home. I’ll let you know when I know something.”
“Why are you helping me, Carla?”
Her smile was wistful. “Eve hasn’t liked a man in a long time, a really long time. If she’s crazy about you, Alessandro, you must be something special.” She shrugged. “That’s good enough for me.”
That was two days ago and he’d heard nothing from Eve and nothing from Carla. His guilt was slowly turning to anger at her refusal to hear him out, so drastic measures were required.
If she wouldn’t come to him, he’d go to her.
***
Eve’s week of isolation was over. She had to get back to work and she needed a change of clothes. Alessandro’s calls hadn’t stopped or even slowed down, which was why she was sneaking home in the middle of the day. It was her best shot at avoiding him until she could bear to look at him without breaking down. She would run in and grab enough clothes for a week, and then she’d be gone again. In a few weeks, she would call and meet him for coffee someplace public. They would talk and part like adults. No harm, no foul.
She needed to get through this week and then she could deal with Alessandro, with being pregnant, and with being in love. Once the salon’s grand opening was over, she would deal with the rest of her life. Until then, she chose avoidance.
Inside her house, she made a beeline for the bedroom where she dumped her clothes into a hamper and began to refill it with clean ones. The key was speed. The quicker she packed, the faster she would be in her car and on the road to Diamond Bar.
“In a hurry?”
“Oh, shit! Damn!” She spun around at the sound of the deep voice she knew all too well, eyes alight with fire. “What are you doing here?”
Alessandro leaned casually against the entryway. “I figured you’d have to come back here eventually.”
“Seeing as it is my house, yeah, that was a safe bet.” She turned around a little too quickly and leaned on the dresser until her head stopped spinning. Alessandro grasped her arm in worry, but she yanked out of his grasp. “I’m fine.”
“Dammit, Eve,” he growled and pulled her in for a hug. She struggled and then leaned into him. It felt so good to have her in his arms again, he nearly cried in relief. “God, I’ve missed you. So much.”
That broke the spell quickly. “You miss the sex, Alessandro.” Her bearings about her, she continued pulling items from the drawers and closet to put in her bag. “Don’t make it out to be more than it is.”
He couldn’t believe she was saying this when he knew she loved him. “We both know this thing between us is more than sex.”
Her laugh was loud and bitter. “We both know that I was the other woman. Your little piece on the side. That’s what’s between us.” She couldn’t even look at him without wanting to scratch his eyes out and feel his arms around her. Damn, I hate this.
“You were never my other woman, Eve. Not ever. If you let me explain, you’ll understand.”
“Let me guess,” she said as she went in and out of the bathroom for toiletries, “it’s not how it sounds. It’s complicated. You were going to tell me. Am I close?”
“Dammit, Eve, yes. But you have to listen, please.”
“No, Alessandro. I don’t have to listen to anything you have to say to me. The time for talking would have been before finding out I was your mistress.” She laughed, but it was shrill and without emotion. “I guess I should have gotten more from you while we were together, seeing as I was your side action.”
“Will you stop saying that!” He twirled her around and planted his hands on her shoulder so they were eye to eye. “You were, are so much more than a piece of ass to me.”
“Yeah, I was also easy and convenient. I made it so easy for you. I’m just glad I never…you know what, never mind.”
Told you I loved you. He knew what she was going to say and it killed him he’d never heard the words from her lips. He probably never would. “Believe me, Eve, you were never easy.” He smiled thinking of their first disastrous date.
“I was never a lot of things, Alessandro. Your girlfriend, your wife, a legitimate companion. I was just a one night stand that lasted too damn long,” She turned to him, tears in her eyes. “There’s one thing I am to you though, Alessandro.”
“The woman I love.”
“No, that would be Sabrina. Your wife. Me, I get the distinction of being a cliché, a goddamned joke. I get to be everything I never wanted to be. A single mother.”
Alessandro opened his mouth to speak and froze. Her words sank in. A single mother. She’s pregnant. “But we were so careful.”
She shook her head and laughed, zipped up the suitcase, and set it on the floor. “Were we? Don’t worry about it. It’s my fault, I should have been more diligent about birth control.” She let out a long breath, releasing the stress that kept her body tense. “It’s fine, Alessandro. Despite your millions, excuse me billions, I’m not asking for anything. I don’t want your money and don’t need to be involved. Just please, leave me alone.” Grabbing the handle of her bag she lifted it and slowly walked out the door with tears streaming down her face.
A baby. The thought was scary as hell, yet he couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face.
Alessandro was going to be a father.
Chapter Ten
“It’s been two weeks, Eve. You need to talk to him. You have to talk to him.” Carla yanked the blanket off her friend’s curled up body and gave her a stern look.
Eve covered her face with an arm. “Yeah, okay, Carla. Beat up on a poor, heartbroken, pregnant woman.” She peeked under her arm to see if her friend was buying it.
“Yeah, I don’t think so, Eve. The time for fun and games is over.”
“This has been fun and games?”
“Okay, well, whatever you want to call it, it’s over. You need to get up, get dressed, and call your baby daddy.”
The glare Eve sent her would have been scary if she wasn’t wearing pajamas with dancing pigs on them. “Not funny, Carla. Not even a little bit.”
She shrugged and stared her down.
“Fine. Fine, I’m getting up and getting dressed. I have a doctor’s appointment today, anyway.” This would be her first real appointment and she didn’t want to think about it. She would take a shower, get dressed, and get there. The doctor would tell her all vital information and she would listen and then come home.
Carla’s eyes widened. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“Nah, I better get used to doing this alone, anyway.” She avoided Carla’s gaze because she didn’t want to see the pity her comment obviously evoked. “Plus, you need to work. As much as I love you, you can’t keep missing work to look after me. This is my mess of a life and I can handle it.”
There was so much Carla wanted to say, but she didn’t dare. She just promised she would be there for whatever her friend needed. “Well, I’m here, so just say the word.”
“Okay,” Eve mumbled and covered her mouth as she ran to the bathroom. Morning sickness. It was the worst thing she’d ever felt in her entire life. And, it was just starting.
Twenty minutes later, it was still going. The toilet bowl was her new best friend, as evidenced by the death grip hug she had on it. Sweat dripped down her face and neck, her teeth clenched together in the chill of drying sweat. She was positive there was nothing left to give to the toilet gods, but they were greedy. “Carla,” she whispered, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to hear over the music playing in the kitchen. Finally, after nearly an hour had passed, Carla banged on the door.
“Eve, are you still alive in there?”
She shook her head even though the door divided them. She was too weak to open the door so she gave it a weak smack twice. “Carla,” she rasped out.
“Eve! You okay?” She banged on the door. “Eve, open up!” She jig
gled the handle and the door opened. “Oh my goodness, Eve!” She gathered her chilled body in her arms, feeling her forehead, her pulse, anywhere to make sure she was okay.
“Carla,” she rasped again. “Please.”
“Sweetie, you’re freezing. We need to get you into a hot shower and then to the doctor.”
They tried the shower, but the retching and dry heaving made it impossible. So Carla wiped her down with a hot towel, helped her get dressed, and took her to the hospital per the doctor’s orders. She was admitted right away and in the middle of questions from the nurse, she passed out.
***
Alessandro rushed through the hospital doors for the second time in the past month. And for the second time, he had to argue with the nurse behind the desk to tell him what the hell was going on. “I’m not family yet, but we’re having a baby. Together.” Exasperation dripped from every syllable.
She gave him a condescending smile and said, “Be that as it may, sir, the only way you can gain access to her is if she gives you permission, which” she cut him off before he could interrupt, “she cannot do as she is unconscious.”
Unconscious? Christ! “Can you tell me what happened, please? I’m going out of my mind here.”
The nurse released a frustrated breath, but there was sympathy in her eyes. “She came in with excessive vomiting, low temperature, and severe dehydration. That’s all I know. She passed out shortly after, so there are no updates, sir. She was brought in by someone. She’s in the waiting room on the third floor.”
He flashed her a smile so big and bright, even the overworked nurse took a moment to stare and blush at his good looks. “You’re a saint. Thanks so much,” he called as he ran to catch the elevator.
On the third floor, he immediately spotted Carla getting crappy vending machine coffee. “Carla! How is she?”
She was tired and pretty sure she looked it as Alessandro approached. “I’m not really sure yet. All they’ve told me is that she’s severely dehydrated and she passed out.”