A gasp of excitement came from Stanzie.
“We don’t want to wait. Except for her father and brother, no one else knows but you. I’ve made all the arrangements. It’ll be a totally private ceremony with my old friend Father Mancini officiating.
“Would you two mind tending the bambini overnight tomorrow night? We’ll be staying at the inn near the church and come home on Tuesday. We don’t plan to take a long honeymoon for several months.”
“Of course we’ll watch over them. We love them!” she cried.
“Thank you, Stanzie. After we get back I plan to talk business with the two of you.”
Paolo stopped chewing. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not working for the family business anymore. That association has come to an end. With hindsight I can see it’s a good thing to get away from all the nepotism that ties hands. A while back I purchased office space in Naples as an investment for the future. I’m glad I did because I plan to start my own advertising agency. I’d hoped your uncle would sell his business to me so you could run it, but that hope has died.”
“You would have done that for us?” Paolo looked incredulous.
“Of course, but no matter. My attorney is drawing up the paperwork now for a new business. I’m calling it PSG Advertising. The letters stand for Paolo, Stanzie and yours truly. You’ll be part owners with me in charge of putting all your great innovative ideas to work while I drum up business and bring in new accounts. I already have half a dozen possible clients in mind who have no association with my family’s business.”
The two of them sat there speechless while their eyes misted over.
“Though we’ll keep your apartment here at the villa for you whenever you come to visit, I’m aware you’d love to get back to your house in Naples. All our lives have been on hold for too long.
“I want to be a full-time father and husband. Owning a business like this will require hard work, but it won’t force me to give up my soul. My personal life is the most important thing to me.
“Valentina will go back to school for her degree. After she graduates, she’ll find work as an engineer, but she’ll make sure it doesn’t interfere with being a wife and helping me raise our boys.”
“Who will help you here?”
“We’ll find someone from the village to come in periodically, but Valentina insists she wants to be in charge of the house. She and I are a team.”
“We are,” Valentina piped up. She’d entered the kitchen. Giovanni had no idea how long she’d been listening. She walked over and put her arms around his neck from behind. “You two should know you’re the role model for us. Last night we talked about how amazing you are. A husband and wife who love to be together and love what they do is a rare phenomenon.”
Giovanni kissed her arm. “They’ve agreed to watch the children until we get back on Tuesday.”
“Congratulations on your coming marriage,” Paolo murmured. “When Giovanni first brought you here, Stanzie and I agreed you were the angel who’d come to bless his life.”
“It’s the other way around. He’s my prince. No woman in the world is as lucky as I am. The baby switch threw us into the darkest abyss. Only a loving man and father was able to perform the miracle that brought us into the light.”
* * *
“Ready, Valentina?”
“Almost.” The next time Giovanni caught sight of her, he’d see a woman who burned to become his bride.
She put on the knee-length ivory wedding dress. The color matched her strappy high heels. The slim-form chiffon swished around her legs. Three-quarter-length sleeves and the modest V-neck bodice of illusion lace gave it an ethereal look.
After giving her hair a quick brushing, she applied softshell-pink lipstick to her lips. When she’d gone shopping for a dress, she’d found some gold earrings with blue jewels. The last thing she did was pin on the corsage of creamy roses he’d left in her room.
“Hurry,” he called to her.
With heart pounding she walked out in the hall and started for the staircase. The second he saw her coming down, he took several pictures with his phone before putting it back in his pocket.
Her husband-to-be looked magnificent in an expensive light gray suit. Against the white of his shirt he wore a striped silver-and-gray tie. His black eyes smoldered as she walked up to him. “I didn’t know anyone so beautiful could be real,” he whispered in an unsteady voice. Heat filled her cheeks.
He was so gorgeous she ached inside for him. “I can’t wait to be married to you.”
Giovanni sucked in his breath. “I can tell you just put on lipstick, but I have to kiss you.” She was already there, leaning toward him. With a fierce hunger, she welcomed his compelling mouth.
Both of them moaned with need before he helped her into the helicopter. The heavenly scent filled the interior. For the rest of the short trip to Laurito she floated on a cloud of euphoria. He gripped her hand. “Did you say goodbye to the children?”
“I didn’t dare.”
He kissed her palm. “Neither did I. We have to hope they behave.”
A limo was waiting for them when they reached Laurito. Giovanni directed the driver to the church and instructed him to wait until they came back out.
“Ready?” he whispered, hugging her to his side.
Breathing in the marvelous scent of him, she kissed his smooth, shaven cheek before they entered the doors. No one was inside except the priest and two church workers there to witness the marriage. They walked down the aisle to the altar. The interior of the small church with its frescoes of the saints lent a spiritual essence she would always remember.
“Father Mancini?” Giovanni shook his hand and introduced Valentina.
The older priest smiled at her. “I have known Giovanni Laurito for a long time. You have made him very happy, Signorina Montanari. He says he’s in a great hurry to marry you.”
“We’re both impatient, Father.”
“Then we won’t waste any more time. Giovanni? Take Valentina by the hand and repeat after me.”
Thus began the sacred ceremony. When Giovanni pledged his love and devotion to her, the words wound straight to her heart. She professed her love and devotion to him with the same solemnity. “I now pronounce you man and wife, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
He made the sign of the cross. “Do you have rings to exchange?”
“We do,” Giovanni spoke up and slid the matching gold band next to her blue diamond.
Valentina took the gold ring she’d bought him from off the finger of her right hand and slid it onto the ring finger of his left hand.
The priest nodded. “You may now kiss your bride.”
“At last,” Giovanni murmured before his mouth descended on hers. The first kiss from her husband thrilled her so much her legs buckled. He had to prop her up.
Father Mancini cleared his voice, reminding her they had an audience. Again she blushed before Giovanni finally let her go. “I’ll follow you to the vestibule where you’ll sign your name to the marriage document.”
Giovanni put her arm through his and they made the trip to the entrance. Normally the church would have been overflowing with guests. Their ceremony was private, unique, and she loved every moment of it.
The priest stood by while they signed their names. Then he added his signature and dated it before rolling it up and handing it to her. “Come and worship often.”
“We will, Father,” Valentina assured him.
“I’m adopting her son, Vitielli. As soon as it becomes legal, we’ll be coming to you to baptize him.”
“Ah. And what about your son, Giovanni?”
“His mother will make the arrangements with her priest in Positano.”
“Excellent.”
>
Valentina shook his hand. “Thank you, Father.”
Giovanni put his arm around her waist and ushered her out of the church to the limo. He gave the chauffeur directions to the inn where they were staying. She was relieved the drive only took about two minutes. Valentina couldn’t wait to be alone with him.
They carried their overnight bags into the reception area of the charming getaway tucked in the greenery. After obtaining the key, Giovanna cupped her arm and they walked down the hall to their room. The place was a restored farmhouse, completely enchanting. When the door shut, enclosing them, she felt that they’d entered a world from another century.
“Come here, Signora Laurito. You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to say that.” She moved toward him. He unpinned the flowers from her dress and put them on the dresser. “There’s something we haven’t done yet. It’s time I found out what it’s like to dance with my wife. I want to feel every part of you.”
He drew her into his arms. For a little while they moved in place. He kissed her neck, her ears and throat. When his lips brushed across her cheeks and temples, she couldn’t stop trembling. All the time he was driving her crazy as he kissed her everywhere except her mouth, he was undoing the buttons on the back of her dress.
Her hands slid up the shirt covering his well-defined chest to undo his tie. “Kiss me, caro.”
Their wedding night began with a giving and taking that took Valentina to a place she’d never known existed. She couldn’t recall how one minute they were standing, and the next he’d taken her to bed. From the moment he touched her, desire licked through her body like flames that grew hotter and more intense.
“I love you, Giovanni. No one should love someone the way I love you.”
“I love the things you say to me and the way you say them. Give me your mouth again, innamorata. I can’t live without it.”
Throughout the rest of the night they loved with abandon. The pleasure they gave each other was exquisite beyond belief. This was her husband thrilling her. She felt sorry for every woman who would never know what it was like to be loved by him.
“Don’t ever stop loving me, Valentina,” he begged. “Don’t ever let me go or I’d die in agony.”
“Giovanni, darling—just try to get away from me and you’ll see what happens. You’ve done something to me. I’m on fire for you. Love me again.”
“I intend to. Over and over.”
When morning came she awakened first, shocked to see how late it was. Her gorgeous husband lay on his side with his arm around her hip. Even in sleep he was possessive of her in a way that touched her heart.
For a while she studied his face, the way his black lashes fanned against his olive skin. The black hair she’d disheveled gave him a dashing look. He needed a shave. She rubbed her cheek against his jaw to be closer to him.
He must have felt her because his eyes opened. His black gaze enveloped her before he pulled her on top of him. “I was dreaming about you.”
One corner of her mouth lifted. “While you were dreaming, I was watching you. Do you realize something amazing happened last night?”
“After what went on for hours and hours, what kind of a question is that?” Giovanni kissed a favorite spot.
“We didn’t eat dinner. I’ve never known you not to be hungry before.”
“You’ve cast a spell over me.” His eyes burned like dark fires. “I have a different kind of hunger.” He started loving her again until she felt immortal. When next she came awake, she found her husband looking at her.
“You’re incredibly beautiful, do you know that?”
“I hope you’ll always be able to say that to me. I love you, Giovanni. I’m so happy to be your wife I can hardly believe we’re married. I loved our wedding.”
“It was perfect.”
“I don’t want any of this to end. How soon do we have to leave here?”
“How about never.”
“I hope the babies are behaving.”
“Do you miss them?”
“I’ll be honest and tell you I didn’t think about them until just now.” She heard a knock on the door. “Who do you suppose that is?”
“I ordered breakfast.” He reached for his robe and put it on to answer the door. In a few minutes he brought the tray to their bed and they ate with relish.
“Valentina? There’s one subject we haven’t talked about.”
“What’s that?”
“Actually it’s all we’ve talked about since we met, but not in the context I’m thinking of now.”
“You mean about us having our own baby?”
He nodded. “You read me like a book.”
“It’s been on my mind, too. Yesterday Dr. Pedrotti said he hoped he wouldn’t need to see me unless I was pregnant again.”
“Do you think it’s possible that one day you’ll want to have our baby?”
Valentina moved the tray to the floor before pushing him back against the pillows. “It hurts that you would ask that question in such a defeated tone of voice. You might as well have asked me if I thought the world was going to end tomorrow.
“Of course I want a baby with you! I know you missed out on the thrill of going through Tatania’s pregnancy with her. I missed out on having a husband around while I was carrying Vito.”
“But I know you want to work as an engineer one day. For you to have another baby requires a lot of sacrifice.”
“Darling—I want a baby with you more than anything in the world. I was hoping we could try for one when the boys start to walk.”
His eyes lit up. “You mean it? You’re not just saying it to humor me?”
She kissed him for a long time. “Wouldn’t it be fantastic to have a girl?”
“Fantastic,” he murmured. “She’ll have golden locks.”
“Whatever you say, Giovanni. I know you think bigger and faster than anyone else. But for now let’s concentrate on us. The only thing I want to do is make love to my husband. I’ve been dreaming about it for weeks.”
“So have I.” His smile looked wicked. “I’m waiting.”
CHAPTER TEN
Two weeks later
AS VALENTINA STEPPED out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, Giovanni walked inside the bathroom. His eyes blazed like hot black fires, scorching her everywhere he looked. “With guests arriving in the next half hour, you shouldn’t be this ravishing or I’ll have a heart attack and there’ll be no groom for our families to congratulate on our recent wedding.”
She flashed him a mysterious smile. “Should I have locked the door?”
He caught her in his arms. “It wouldn’t do any good. I’d knock it down to get to you.” So saying, he kissed her mouth until she felt faint with longing. When he lifted his head, he said, “I can tell you’re trembling. Something tells me you’re a little nervous.”
Valentina lifted anxious eyes to him. “I just want everything to go all right.”
Giovanni kissed the end of her well-shaped nose. “As long as you and I are all right, nothing else matters. Besides, we hold the trump card.”
“What do you mean?”
“The children.”
Her lips relaxed into a smile. “Of course. They look so darling in their little tuxedo outfits I can hardly stand it.”
“Why don’t we hold our sons so that when everyone arrives, the children will be the first thing they see and any other thoughts they had about our quick marriage will fly out the window.”
“That’s a perfect idea!” She pressed a kiss to his compelling mouth. “Now I need to get dressed.”
“Let me help you.”
“Giovanni—”
“You’re blushing all over.”
“Stop!”
“Ti amo,
Signora Laurito.”
“Ti amo, Signor Laurito.”
Twenty minutes later she and Giovanni had dressed in their wedding clothes and went downstairs to the patio, where Stanzie and Paolo were tending the children in their swings. Valentina’s eyes filled with happy tears to see the babies all decked out in little black tuxedo suit coats and ties with white shirts and black pants.
Giovanni had hired a videographer to come and film the entire evening. Classical music played in the background. Flowers from the garden filled the house and the tables set up outside on the terrace. Torches illuminated the pool area and fabulous banquet table overflowing with sumptuous food and champagne. He pinned a corsage of gardenias on her shoulder and kissed her once more.
Paolo gave them the heads-up that people were arriving. On cue, Valentina and Giovanni picked up their boys and stood together to start welcoming their families. Giovanni’s family walked out on the patio followed by Valentina’s. Rini pushed her father’s wheelchair right up to Valentina so she could kiss her father. Bianca had come with them.
The minute everyone saw the babies, there was pandemonium. The younger children rushed over to play with them. Everyone wanted to hold and kiss them. Valentina glanced at her handsome husband. “Your idea was ingenious,” she whispered. “Another Giovanni Laurito takeover. No one stood a chance.”
His deep happy laughter traveled through her entire body. She loved this man with a passion she couldn’t begin to express.
With all the attention, their babies clung to them. He grasped Valentina’s hand and cleared his throat. “Welcome, everyone. Valentina and I are thrilled you could come to celebrate our marriage. We were married two weeks ago at the church in Laurito and are ecstatically happy.
“Our babies refused to be comforted unless we were both with them. You might say they were responsible for this marriage that has been founded on nothing but love from the first moment Valentina and I laid eyes on each other.
“Please enjoy yourselves for the rest of the night, but we have no idea how long our boys will last with all this excitement.”
The Billionaire's Baby Swap Page 15