by M. E. Brady
“I’m sorry about last night,” he started, as expected, with regret. “I didn’t want what happened last night to happen, not the way it did. I’ve been giving this a lot of thought and, after last night, I think I might have a solution to our problem. It may not be what we both want but for now it will have to do. I’ve arranged for the room off the master suite at the villa to be refurbished by the time we arrive. My staff is under the impression that Jenny sometimes gets frightened of the dark and she would feel closer to us if, when she was frightened, she slept there. But in actuality, it will be where I will sleep,” he added, feeling somewhat dismayed.
Katelyn could only stare out at the sky behind him. Nothing hurt her more than his words as they sunk in. “Are you saying that you regret what happened last night?” she asked with a flicker of hope that he would answer differently.
If he told her that he hadn’t regretted a minute of what transpired between them, she would think him a liar and if he told her he regretted everything, he’d be lying too. Does he actually think that separate beds will placate the fire that burns between us?
“I can’t say that I regret anything. I’m glad for the chances we have. We need to make this work for our daughter and any other child I may have helped to create in my selfishness.” His actions were forcing her to take heed to what he was saying.
Katelyn ran her hand over her abdomen for a second and realized that he had to be right. Neither of them bothered with birth control and she hadn’t thought about her period or how late it was. “The car will be downstairs to take us to the airport in about three hours. All the arrangements are made and I think, for Jenny’s sake, we should stick to the plan. If I could make things easier for you, I would,” he said before apologizing again. He wanted to touch her and take away the pain he persistently caused her but he couldn’t because he knew consoling her would only lead to heartache.
“I’ve got to go to the office for about an hour. I promised Jenny I’d take her, if that’s all right with you?” He tried to look at things from her point of view and from where he sat she must consider him a monster. Last night he’d played upon her weaknesses to get her into bed and it might not be rape but it was definitely manipulation on his part.
“I promise I’ll take care of her. She is curious to see my office,” he said, beaming with pride.
“I wouldn’t stop you from taking her. You didn’t have to ask permission; she’s your daughter too,” she bit back. She’d also had enough of the combative words to each other. They had to reach a truce of some kind and soon.
He stood, studying her behavior, for a moment. If nothing else, Katelyn always kept him guessing. He had no idea, from one minute to the next, what to expect from her. He knew there was definitely something going on in that pretty head of hers but he didn’t have the time or the stamina to find out what it was. Jenny came full of life into the room and informed her mother that she wanted to go with her father to his office.
Before leaving with her dad, Jenny asked if she could take one of the pictures of her and her mom to his office. She wanted her dad to able to look at them whenever he was lonely. Jenny chose the picture of the two of them at the beach. They had been searching for a starfish that day but they hadn’t found one.
“Gianfranco, Good Morning. We weren’t expecting you today. Jake said he didn’t think you would be stopping by until next month,” Dana said, smiling at the little girl on his arm. “Is this your daughter?” she asked.
“Yes, this is Jenny,” he said holding her hand with enormous pride. “Could you take Jenny on a tour of the office while I have a talk with Jake?” Gianfranco asked as he bent down to speak to Jenny and explain his plans to her. “Dana is my assistant and she is going to take you around the office and then when you’re finished you can come straight back to my office, okay?” he asked.
He entered Jake’s office and thought to himself, I should be handling this takeover myself but this trip to Italy is important to this marriage and my marriage has to come first. I don’t care if I lose every dime I have I have to make Katelyn mine.
Jake was sitting at his desk with his feet up on the windowsill, his blue tooth in his ear. He seemed intent on telling whoever he was talking to that if they didn’t do as he asked by three o’clock this afternoon, they’d be looking for another job.
As if he could hear the slightest movement, Jake turned to see what had caused this intrusion. Gianfranco could never fathom Jake’s keen sharp senses. Jake could hear or smell anything better than anyone he knew. Jake could smell you before he saw you and if he knew what cologne or perfume you wore, he knew who was coming. Perhaps they were gifts left over from his ancestors or his training as a Navy Seal.
“Well, look what the wind blew in. What are you doing here? I thought you’d be on your way to paradise by now,” Jake asked, dismissing the person on the other line.
“I’m leaving this afternoon. I just wanted to stop in and make sure everything was going along as planned. Have you had any trouble from Taylor or any of the employees who loyal to him?” he asked, knowing full well that Jake could handle whatever trouble came his way.
Jake smiled and then laughed aloud as he sprung to his feet and looked straight into Gianfranco’s eyes. “Come on my friend, we both know that everything is under control here. You saw to that before I set one foot in the place. That’s not why you’re here, so give. What’s going on?”
“Dana is showing Jenny around. I brought her here because she wanted to see where her dad works. She’s an angel, Jake, I don’t think I could stand to lose her now,” he said, with fear in his voice. He took off his coat and threw it on the chair opposite Jake. He ran his fingers through his hair as he always did when he was thinking. “Everything is so complicated. I’m not sure if what I’m asking of Katelyn is fair.”
“You seem pretty upset; has something happened?” Jake asked bluntly.
“It’s Katelyn, she’s really unhappy. I don’t know what comes over me when I’m with her but I can’t keep my hands off her. I’m so in love with her, Jake, that I just want to shake her into loving me back. I’d be good for them both, I know I would. All I need is a chance to prove to her that we’d be good together. But no matter what I do, I always seem to do the wrong thing,” he said pacing back and forth.
Jake acknowledged that he understood what his friend was feeling but he also knew how Katelyn felt. These two people were family to him and he couldn’t believe they were having such a hard time finding their way back to each other. Jake wanted to shout out to them and tell them that each loved the other, but if there was one thing he’d learned in his lifetime, it was that fate had its own plan and whatever that was, he could not interfere.
“I think that this trip to Italy will be a good move for you both. I think all three of you need time together without outside influence. It’s been years since she actually believed that you would ever come back. She needs time to come to terms with the idea that the impossible is probable. Give her time, she’ll come around,” Jake said.
Gianfranco stood near the window and thought about what had taken place last night. He didn’t dare tell Jake that he practically forced his wife to have sex with him. Jake would think he’d gone insane but only after he slugged him. “I’m not sure if I’ve ruined any chance I might have had with her.”
“Don’t be crazy, I’ve seen the way our girl looks at you when she thinks no one is looking. I would stake my life on it that she loves you. Maybe she needs to come to terms with it herself. Remember, it wasn’t that long ago that she had chalked you up to history and a hard lesson learned. If you had arrived any later than you did, she might have married Taylor and we all know that would have been a disaster,” Jake said, making a face, the thought of that image turning his stomach.
Gianfranco didn’t bother to admit to Jake that his return was no accident. He knew that Katelyn might have been on the verge of changing her relationship with Taylor; Kevin had told him. It was the mai
n reason he had come back. He didn’t want to forfeit his last chance. He had no idea, at the time, that he had a child by her or he would have been back long before now.
“I hope you’re right. You know how to get in touch if you need me and I do appreciate this, Jake. Now let me bring my daughter in to say hello to her uncle,” he said as held open the door to the office.
“Gianfranco, don’t sweat it; this is just payback for all you’ve done for me,” Jake said before Jenny chose that moment to jump into Jake’s arms. “Hey there, little one, Dana, you didn’t tell me we hired a new girl,” Jake teased as he hugged Jenny.
“I’m not sharing her with you, buddy,” Gianfranco said as he took his daughter from his friend’s arms. “We’ll make one trip to my office and then we have to go home. Your Mom will be wondering where we are soon.” Before Gianfranco could take Jenny into his office, Jenny had one thing she wanted to say to Jake.
“Did Daddy tell you, Uncle Jake, we’re going to Italy today? Italy is another country and Daddy is going to teach me to speak Italy,” she said excitedly.
“Is that right? Is he going to teach you to speak Italy or Italian? Italy is the country you’re going to and Italian is the language you’re going to learn little one. By the way, angel face, tell your dad that Uncle Jake needs a present,” he teased brushing the curly locks from her eyes.
“I will, I promise,” she whispered in his ear before kissing him good-bye and following her father to the big office in corner of the building. Gianfranco took her to his office and showed her around and let her play at his desk for a little while before reminding her that they would have to be leaving if they were going to be on time for the flight.
“Katelyn, everything has been put in the limousine. As soon as your husband and daughter arrive, we can leave. Gianfranco has arranged for lunch to be served on the plane and I bet, after the morning Jenny’s had, she’ll sleep most of the trip,” Maggie added with a smile.
Gianfranco would be home soon so she chose her clothes with care. She was determined to win her husband back; she might as well use his one weakness to her advantage. She wore a lightweight pencil skirt. It was olive-green and emphasized every curve she had. The shirt was nude in color and a little revealing at the breasts as she wore the buttons opened pretty low and she made sure to wear the sexiest teddy she could find, underneath. She knew that when she sat down, that he would see a hint of the teddy and it would drive him insane. Katelyn smiled mischievously as thought she might as well enjoy her figure now; in another couple of months she would be swollen with his child.
Gianfranco and Jenny must have arrived because she could hear her daughter’s giggles as the elevator doors opened. Katelyn did notice that Gianfranco looked at her reluctantly. She could tell the outfit was working its magic and when they boarded the plane, with Jenny falling asleep shortly thereafter, all bets would be off. She would show her husband no mercy as she fought to win him back. This time, she would make sure he pleaded for a normal loving marriage and she would settle for nothing less.
Gianfranco kept his distance, as promised. On the plane, Katelyn found it difficult to bring her plan into fruition. He was avoiding her at all costs. He managed to frequently have some business that needed his urgent care each time she got close. She had almost given up, believing that he would never make time for her the way he made time for Jenny.
Their time together at the villa was proving just as scarce. She didn’t know where he went after spending his afternoons with Jenny but he didn’t come near her. Two weeks turned into a month and Katelyn was about to throw in the towel when the test kit showed a solid blue line running through it. It confirmed what she had already suspected to be true; that they were going to have a baby. She needed to fight harder to keep her marriage together because now there would be four of them.
She felt sick to her stomach as she got out of bed that morning; she ran to the bathroom to vomit. She cleaned herself up and went to the window, watching as father and daughter played together on the beach. It was as though he sensed her because he looked up at her window and waved. She felt like screaming at him and admitting the truth but she didn’t dare. Instead she decided to join them.
“Jenny and I were collecting sea shells. Would you like to join us?” he asked as she made her way to beach. She nodded in agreement just as Maggie called from behind.
“I have Jenny’s lunch ready. Why don’t you two go and enjoy your walk and I’ll take Jenny in for her lunch? It will do Katelyn some good to walk. She’s been looking a little peaked these days,” Maggie added. “Besides, Giovanni will be arriving to give her riding lessons soon.”
Gianfranco looked from Jenny to Katelyn and smiled. “Maggie’s right. You do look a little under the weather. Are you feeling alright?” he asked. She assured him that she was fine. “Let’s go then. We should spend more time alone now and then,” he added after Jenny was out of earshot.
Gianfranco had kept his distance from her long enough. If their marriage stood a chance of surviving, they needed to build a relationship that was separate from that of their daughter. The beach was quiet this time of the year and there wasn’t a soul to be seen for miles. Every once in a while, someone would pass them with a dog and say hello. The time passed by quickly and neither of them said very much in the way of conversation. “I’m not sure how to talk to you anymore. I don’t want to say the wrong thing and send you off in the opposite direction,” he said.
“Have ever tried to talk to me lately? We’ve been here a month and the only time you’ve said anything to me has been at dinner when you’re forced to hold a conversation. I feel as though I’m a third wheel in this family.” Gianfranco took her hand in his and they continued to walk on the beach.
“I never realized that I was making you feel left out. That wasn’t my intention.” He squeezed her hand and smiled at her. “Have you noticed how much time I spend apologizing for one thing or another when I’m with you?” he asked with a chuckle.
They both found his admission amusing and it felt good to laugh for a change. Maybe, after all this time, we have finally taken a step forward. “Tell me, what you thought when you first found out about the baby?” he asked innocently.
Briefly, she thought he was talking about their second child. After a second or two, she realized that he meant Jenny. “I was a scared teenager. You had already gone back to Italy and I was heading for California. I don’t need to tell you that I had no idea what to do at first. Instinctively, I wanted to call you but my pride wouldn’t allow it. You never actually said you wanted a future with me and I didn’t want to force you into marrying me. I became more confused as time passed and then, when I could no longer hide the pregnancy, I told Kevin. He was surprisingly understanding about my decision not to tell the father. I don’t know what I would have done without him and Jake,” she said.
“Did you hate me?” he asked.
“No, I never hated you. There was a time when I thought I should but I couldn’t. It would have been easy to hate you and blame you but I didn’t. When Jenny was born, she reminded me so much of you. That’s when my opinion of you really changed. I thanked God everyday that you had come into my life. There wasn’t a day that went by, after her birth, that I wasn’t glad that you were her father. I had no regrets, not one,” she said, picking up a shell from the beach and tossing it.
He picked up one himself and tossed it where she had tossed her shell. She could see that several emotions were warring within him. “I wish I was there for you both at the time. You do believe that, don’t you?” he questioned.
“Yes, I believe you would have done the right thing if I had told you and we would be a settled married couple today. I didn’t want you feeling you were forced into a marriage you didn’t want,” she said, daring to hint that history might be repeating itself.
“Sort of like now, you mean? I wanted things to be different. I didn’t want things to turn out this way,” he said with a hint of disappointm
ent in his voice. Up until now, they were moving along nicely and again they would probably take ten steps back.
Katelyn looked a little baffled at what had just happened between them in a matter of a few feet. “Are you having regrets?” she asked.
“Some but, for the most part, I’m still convinced that our marriage could be a good one. It would take a lot of sharing and caring but I think we could do it. I believe that from the bottom of my heart,” he said as a wave came crashing to the shoreline.
A noise escaped her lips. It was more of a sigh than a noise, he turned toward her to try and understand what it was she wanted from him. “Is that enough for you? I’m not sure that it’s enough for me. I need a husband who loves me. I want a commitment for life. I want you to promise me that we will try to make our marriage last forever. Can you give me that promise? Do we even want the same thing?” she asked.
What had she meant on the beach? If they hadn’t been interrupted with an urgent business call from New York, he would have found out. The call was something Jake had already handled but his assistant panicked when she couldn’t get a hold of Jake to verify. Jake apologized to him, letting him know that, going forward, Dana would have his personal cell phone number in order to contact him directly with any and all business.
After hanging up with Jake, he thought again about what Katelyn had said earlier. She was going on and on about a lifetime commitment and settling for nothing less. She will never find another man more committed to her than I am. He would talk to her about it later. As he walked down the hall, the phone was ringing. When it rang a second and third time, he picked it up and was surprised that it was a medical office verifying Katelyn’s appointment.
What appointment? Is Katelyn sick? If she is, why is it a secret? “Is this my wife’s appointment for her cold?” he asked with nervous curiosity.
The young voice on the other end laughed. He could tell she hesitated before answering him. It was obvious she was checking Katelyn’s file to make sure that she had permission to talk to him. After verifying that he was her husband, she answered his question. “Well, she should mention her cold to Dr. Bank because I’m sure he would want to know. Be sure she doesn’t take any over-the-counter medications in her condition, without talking to the doctor first. Even cold medicine could be harmful to the baby,” the nurse added. All he heard were the words ‘baby’ and ‘her condition’. He couldn’t believe that Katelyn was keeping this from him, again. Could she be hiding this information from me because she isn’t sure who had fathered her child? No, fate wouldn’t be that cruel. The thought was so foreign that he couldn’t think about it.