by Nina Singh
So why was she so tempted to accept it?
* * *
“Well, it’s settled, then,” his meddlesome cousin-in-law stated with finality before Maya had even had a chance to respond. “Let’s celebrate with some gelato in the square, shall we?” Lynetta continued. “Vito, as usual, you’ll be buying.”
He let the two women walk ahead once more but stopped Leo before he could move. “What the hell has your wife just done?”
Leo actually laughed. Why was Vito surprised? Why had he even expected some hint of sympathy from the other man?
“Why, I believe she’s just done you a favor. And now you can thank her with some chocolate gelato.”
Vito tilted his head back and took a deep breath to calm down. “Is that really how you see this disastrous development?”
Leo squinted at him. “Why not? You’re actually out with her right now. You two have clearly just enjoyed some kind of date. Taking her to Nonna’s would simply be an extension, wouldn’t it?”
“We weren’t on any kind of date, Leo.”
Leo eyed Vito’s pressed tuxedo pants and the white silk shirt he wore adorned with gold cufflinks. “You could have fooled me.”
“She had reservations on a galleon dinner cruise. She was clearly not relishing the thought of attending it alone. I didn’t want her to have to miss out on the joy of something like that because of her worthless ex-fiancé’s actions.”
Leo studied him a beat. “And?”
“And that’s the only reason we were out together.”
“Right. So you asked her out on a date. You just lucked out that it was already paid for. Got it.”
That was it. Vito gave up. Why was he even trying? He followed Leo to where the women stood ordering gelatos.
Vito understood that both Lynetta and Leo had good intentions. They wanted him to move on with his life. They wanted for him what they themselves had: a strong union, beautiful children, a happy homelife. For an insane moment, he let himself indulge in just such a fantasy as he watched Maya walking ahead of him. He pictured the two of them putting a couple of rambunctious toddlers to sleep then slipping out to spend some alone time together.
Then he made himself shake the images away. Things like family and a home full of children simply weren’t in the cards for him. Marina had told him repeatedly that he didn’t have the capability to fully love someone. That he was too consumed with his art, his craft. To the detriment of everything else that was important. He’d denied it right up until the point when he’d proven her right.
When he reached her side, Maya gave him a hesitant look. If things had been awkward between them before, they were downright uncomfortable now.
Maybe she would find a way to wriggle out of the invitation to visit Nonna. It wasn’t like she’d have to face Lynetta if she blew them all off. Once she left Venice, she’d never see either of his cousins again.
He wasn’t the slightest bit surprised that the notion of her bailing on them sent a bolt of disappointment through his chest.
“Maya mentioned you two had already had tiramisu,” Lynette informed them. “So we only got the two cones. We can all share.”
Right. Somehow he was supposed to watch Maya lick an ice cream cone then share that same cone with her. His body tightened in response to the image.
“She’s...uh...something else,” Maya said on a near whisper, handing him the cone.
“It’s all yours. And, yes, my cousin’s wife is certainly one of a kind.”
“Great. Even more calories.” He had to look away when she took the first lick. How the hell was he supposed to spend a whole day with her in Verona?
“There’ll be more tomorrow. There’s never a shortage of food at Nonna’s place, even under normal circumstances. Let alone any kind of celebratory event like a birthday.”
Maya swallowed the bit of gelato. “So it’s real, then? I’ll be going to Verona with you.”
“That’s totally up to you, cara. You might have to deal with Lynetta’s displeasure, however, if you back out.”
She gave an exaggerated shudder. “Why does that prospect frighten me so?” She glanced to where the other couple stood taking turns with their own cone. “They both care deeply for you.”
“I suppose that would be one way to describe their heavy-handedness.”
Maya looked down toward her toes. “Listen, Vito. I know Lynetta sort of finagled this whole invitation. I will find a way to back out of it and face her wrath if I have to.”
“Is that what you want?”
“I guess I’m asking what it is that you want.”
Now that was essentially the question, wasn’t it? The question he hadn’t been able to make himself face. Until now. She was due to leave Venice at the end of the week. After that, he might never lay eyes on her again. The thought was increasingly causing him an unwelcome sensation of pain he didn’t want to acknowledge. So he decided to tell her the truth.
“I want very much for you to come with me and my family to Verona, cara. I’d be honored if you would join us.”
* * *
What had she gotten herself into?
Maya plopped down fully clothed on the bed as soon as she’d shut her hotel room door behind her. Vito had walked her over to the lobby, then he had bid her a hasty good-night, stressing that they both needed to rest before the big day tomorrow.
She’d expected to be knee-deep in tissues right now, and wondering about what might have been after having bid a final goodbye to Vito. Instead, she was wondering what she should wear tomorrow and how much she should pack. What exactly did one wear to an Italian grandmother’s eighty-fifth birthday?
If someone had told her three days ago she’d be pondering that question, she would have pegged them as delusional. She wasn’t sure how to feel about this new development. On the one hand, she was thrilled to be able to spend more time with Vito; the moments spent in his company had been some of the most fun-filled of her days so far. On the other hand, she wasn’t sure if her heart could handle it. The longer their goodbye was delayed, the harder it was going to be on her emotions.
She was falling for him. Any outside observer would say she was no doubt rebounding, that it had been way too short a time since meeting Vito to have developed any kind of real feelings for him.
They’d be wrong. She knew the truth. As did her heart.
Meeting Vito had made her realize that she hadn’t been in love with Matt so much as she had loved the idea of being in love. The idea of having a husband. A future and a family. One she could finally call her own. Not one she’d been forced into.
Now, in contrast, she could tell that she and Matt had never been right for each other. And they never would be.
Her tablet dinged across the room signaling a text. It was her cousin Zelda.
Maya. If you get this text please check your email. Can’t get a hold of you.
Maya cringed at the message. She’d been woefully negligent in letting her family know her whereabouts after the loss of her phone. The truth was, she’d been putting off telling them the truth about Matt. A truth she couldn’t put off any longer, however.
With a resigned sigh, she walked over and powered up the tablet then tapped the mail icon.
Sure enough, a slew of new messages sat in her inbox. Most of them from Zelda.
Why haven’t you called or emailed? We’re all worried about you. Matt still in Boston. Says we should ask you for answers. What’s going on?!?!
Her other emails were essentially different versions of the same message. Maya tapped the Reply button and began to type on the screen keyboard.
Zelda, sorry to have worried you and everyone else. The truth is I haven’t been completely honest with you. Things aren’t exactly going well between Matt and me right now. It’s why I traveled here alone for the time being.
&nb
sp; She’d barely hit the Send button when Zelda’s response popped up on her screen.
I knew it! What did he do? I’ll strangle him. Better yet, I’ll tell Dad. He’ll do worse. You better call me, Maya Papaya. As soon as you can. I mean it!
Maya felt her eyes well up, touched by Zelda’s immediate and automatic loyalty in response to her announcement. She and her cousins had had their share of differences and arguments; they’d grown up as sisters, after all. And sisters tended to argue.
But deep down, she knew they would both battle the devil himself for her if they had to. Same with her aunt and uncle.
Despite their loyalty and all their love throughout the years, Maya had never quite been able to feel a sense of true belonging. It was nothing overt that her family did to make her feel that way, it was more in the subtle nuances of family dynamics.
That feeling was probably the reason she’d been too hasty in trying to form a family of her own. Committing to a man who was so blatantly wrong for her.
Maya began replying to Zelda’s latest email.
No need for strangulation. Matt and I not right for each other. Please don’t say anything to Grandmama. She gave so much so that I could enjoy this trip.
Zelda’s second response came as quickly as the first.
I won’t say anything to Grandmama Fran. Double pinkie swear. But I can tell there are things you’re not telling me. Spill!
Maya had to smile at the reference to the sworn declarations they’d made as children, hooking their little fingers to seal any and all deals. She began to type.
I’ll call as soon as I can. I promise. Damaged my phone and still trying to work out use of Italian burner. No need to worry. All is well. Just figuring things out right now. Talk soon. Xoxo
With that, she powered down the tablet and stuck it inside her carry-on bag. As much as she loved Zelda and the rest of her family, she didn’t have it in her to continue communicating with anyone right now. Not even via dueling emails.
She felt utterly and completely spent after the day of roller-coaster emotions she’d just spent with Vito. No doubt spending a full day with him tomorrow would prove just as perplexing. Plus, the rest of his family would be there to observe and note every move she made. Would she be able to hide her growing feelings for one of their own?
But there was a bigger question that needed to be addressed. How in the world was she supposed to handle those feelings once this fairy tale inevitably ended?
* * *
“You did what?” Vito couldn’t believe the nonsense Leo was spouting. They’d just disembarked from the jet at Villafranca Airport and were in the process of entering the spacious van that would take them to the Rameri family estate in Verona. And Leo had waited all this time, through about an hour of travel, to mention that he’d told their nonna a colossal lie.
“She would have jumped to the conclusion anyway,” he explained now, not even slightly contrite for what he’d done. “You know how she is.”
Vito had pulled his cousin to the side as Maya and Lynetta handed their luggage to the waiting driver and wrangled the two toddlers into their car seats in the back of the vehicle.
“Did it even occur to you that this might embarrass Maya?”
Leo gave a careless shrug. “I think she’ll go along with it. She seems like a flexible sort.”
“But what were you thinking, Leo?” Vito demanded to know. “Why would you tell Nonna that I’ve asked Maya to marry me?”
Leo placed a hand on Vito’s shoulder. “She’s worried about you. She thinks you’ve been wallowing in your grief too long.” Leo paused then to give him a pointed look. Clearly, he thought the same way Nonna did on that particular topic. Finally, he continued. “When I called to tell her you’d be bringing a guest, she automatically jumped to the most hopeful conclusion. I didn’t have the heart to correct her. She’s not getting any younger, you know. It’s just a small fib to make an old woman happy for a few days. On her birthday.”
“So we’re supposed to act like a newly engaged couple around her, is that what you’re suggesting?”
“I think you can pull it off. You were doing a pretty good job of it when Lynetta and I came upon the two of you at San Marco.”
Vito wasn’t going to justify that with any kind of response.
“And what about afterward? When she calls to check on me in a few days and I have no fiancée to speak of? When the woman in question has traveled to a different country?”
Leo gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Then she will have had a few days of hopefulness, won’t she?”
“All based on a lie.”
“Is it?”
Vito had to give his head a shake. “What do you mean? Of course it’s a lie to say that Maya and I are engaged.”
His cousin waved his hand in dismissal, as if Vito was missing the point entirely. “Yes, yes. We both know you’re not really engaged.”
“So that would be a lie. You have lied to Nonna.”
“I told her a small fib. And there’s something you’re not considering.”
“What would that be? Please enlighten me, dear cousin.”
“Maya doesn’t have to be thousands of miles away in a few days. You can simply ask her not to leave.”
Leo didn’t give him a chance to respond before turning to join the women in the car, leaving Vito to watch his retreating back.
Had his cousin always been so invested in Vito’s personal life? What was possessing him to behave so intrusively lately?
His gaze was drawn to where Maya sat in the car. He would have to find a way to explain to her what Leo had done and the resulting chaos that might ensue as a result. Heaven help him find the words to do so. Now she was playing some kind of peek-a-boo game with his older nephew, who was buckled into his seat. The child was squealing with laughter at her antics.
It appeared Maya Talbot had some kind of effect on all manner of Rameri males.
* * *
Vito was exceptionally quiet during the ride from the airport. Maya slid another glance in his direction where he sat next to her in the third row of the passenger van. The children had finally calmed enough to settle down and one of them looked on the verge of falling asleep.
By contrast, Vito looked about as far from relaxed as one about to attend a grand party should be.
Was he having second thoughts about having her here? She ought to have thought this through. His invitation had ultimately seemed sincere enough but she couldn’t pretend he hadn’t been pushed into it by his cousin’s wife. He’d probably considered it overnight and regretted asking her. This was to be a family affair, after all. She certainly wasn’t family. She was barely more than an acquaintance.
But his reaction to her last night had said otherwise. Her mind drifted to the kiss they’d shared during their cruise. It seemed a lifetime ago. But she hadn’t forgotten the way the touch of his lips against hers had made her insides quiver like gelatin.
As much as she hated to admit it, given what it might say about her decision-making abilities, she couldn’t recall Matt’s kisses having as dramatic an effect on her. And she’d been ready to marry him.
Was she making a different version of the same mistake? Because something clearly wasn’t right, judging by Vito’s scowl.
Either one of her cousins would be skeptical if she tried to tell them that she was falling for a man she’d met days ago. They’d tell her she was rebounding, that she couldn’t see clearly from the hurt. Her aunt and uncle would agree. Perhaps she’d moved too fast. Maybe the kiss on the ship meant nothing to Vito. She might have read too much into it. It obviously wouldn’t be the first time she’d misread a man or his intentions.
The questions rambled around in her brain. Questions she could only guess the answers to. She’d never been in a situation like this before. Then again, she’d never met a man lik
e Vito before.
He was charming and enigmatic, without doubt. But his sadness practically resonated in the air around him.
She shouldn’t be foolish enough to think she could possibly be the one who might be able to take that sadness away, not even temporarily.
* * *
Vito spent most of the ride from Verona airport to the villa trying to decide how he might explain to Maya what Leo had done. They were less than a mile from the mansion and he still hadn’t quite figured it out.
Well, he had to think of something. He couldn’t let her be ambushed without a clue when she first met Nonna. He could guess pretty well what Nonna’s reaction would be when they were introduced. She’d probably hug the younger woman within an inch of her life. Then she’d start referring to Maya as her future granddaughter to anyone within earshot. Maya had to be prepared for all of it.
In any case, right now she looked like she was ready to be out of the car. The road was full of curves and bends, the driver not exactly the smoothest operator he’d been driven by. Judging by the greenish hue of her complexion at the moment and the way she kept clasping her hand right below her breastbone, he figured she might have had enough of the car ride.
He turned to her. “Would you mind if we walked the rest of the way? I’d love to show you the vineyards.”
Maya seemed to be taken by surprise but she soon nodded and began to gather her sweater around her. In Italian, Vito instructed the driver to stop so that the two of them could get out.
“Please let Nonna know we will be there shortly. Tell her we wanted to get some air after a long morning of travel and that I wanted show Maya the countryside.” He addressed Lynetta with the request, his annoyance with Leo still too close to the surface.
“Sì, Vito.”
Maya turned to him after the vehicle dropped them off and drove away. “Was my car sickness that obvious?”
“It was. But there’s another reason I wanted us to walk together for a bit.”