by Alexia Adams
As he strode toward the front door, a female voice called out, “Luca?”
Swiveling, he spied Olivia hurrying toward him. Although he was anxious to see Sophia as soon as possible, he couldn’t be rude to her best friend, so he waited for her to reach the door.
“I thought it was you, but I wasn’t sure from the back. Wow, you got here quick from Italy,” she greeted him.
“I got on the first flight after Sophia called.” His bag had already been packed and sitting beside his desk, waiting for her call. Waiting for her to summon him to her side where he should have been all along.
Olivia pulled a key out of her pocket and unlocked the outside door and led him toward the stairs. “You don’t mind if we walk up, do you? The lifts in these buildings are disgusting.”
“No, I have been sitting all day; a little exercise would be good.” If he were alone he’d take the stairs two at a time, but with Olivia beside him he restrained himself and kept to her pace.
“I know it’s not my place, but Sophia is my best friend … ”
Was she going to tell him that Sophia needed to live her own life, have her own dream? That to make her come live with him in the little cottage would destroy her bit by bit? Olivia could save her breath, because he’d already worked that out in the two sleepless nights he’d spent alone. He couldn’t watch her die a little more every day—withdraw from him until she was just a shell of herself. But neither could he live apart from her, only see her on weekends. It was the toughest decision he’d ever made, but he knew now what he was going to do. Sophia deserved to be the first to hear it.
“You know her better than anyone. I would appreciate your insight into how I can help her.” At least his voice remained calm while his heart rate accelerated.
“Coming back here, her mom dying, it’s been a lot harder on her than she expected. She put on a brave face for everyone, but I can tell she’s crumbling inside. Don’t believe her when she tells you she’s fine.”
It galled him to ask, but he needed to know how to reach his wife. He needed the key to unlock Sophia’s heart. “Do you have any suggestions on how I can get her to open up to me? She keeps everything inside—sometimes I have no idea how she feels.”
“Get her angry. I know it sounds counter-productive, but when she’s angry, all the filters come off and you’ll know then what she really wants.”
Making his wife angry when she was dealing with the loss of her mother and lingering memories of her traumatic childhood seemed the worst idea yet. Could Olivia be trying to drive a wedge between them? Yet every time they’d had a row, it had moved their relationship forward. His parents had never argued, but he understood now that they’d had a rather sterile marriage, not one he chose to replicate. Isabella and Dante had fought a lot at the beginning of their relationship and now they had a strong bond. He wanted his marriage to reflect theirs, not his parents. And he sure as hell didn’t want to become like the Wilkinses.
“Are you sure?”
She stopped on the top step and turned to him. Standing a step up, they were on eye level. “I had serious doubts about you, and this marriage, when Sophia told me. I believe now that you could be the best thing to happen to her. But you could also be the worst. I don’t think she’ll recover if you fail her now.”
With that ominous warning, Olivia spun around and wrenched open the door to the fifth floor. He followed her silently down the narrow, dark corridor until they came to the last door. Olivia’s knock was answered by a tall, fair-haired young man in his late teens.
Olivia performed the introductions while Sophia’s younger brother looked him up and down. James’s smile of greeting was reserved although not hostile, his handshake firm.
“Sophia, Olivia and your husband are here,” James called down the corridor. He stepped back so they could enter. Soon the hallway was crowded with bodies, but all Luca cared was that at last Sophia was in his arms. He breathed deeply of her scent, burying his face in her hair, holding her tightly against him. She trembled and for a moment he thought she might cry, but then she pulled back and raised her head.
“Thank you for coming,” she said, her voice weak.
“Always,” he replied past a lump in his own throat.
She gave him a watery smile before glancing around. “Right, show’s over. Go back to the sitting room and I’ll introduce Luca to you all properly,” Sophia ordered the amassed spectators.
For the next ten minutes all eyes stared at him, the mysterious husband conjured out of thin air. He offered his condolences and sipped a cup of strong tea while fielding questions about his work, his life and why they hadn’t invited anyone to the wedding.
Sophia was getting tenser beside him with each question. He wanted to get her away, give her some space, time to deal with the turmoil he knew boiled just under the surface.
“Amore, in my haste, I forgot to pack my toothbrush. Do you think you could show me to the shop where I can purchase another?” It was a lame excuse but all he could come up with at the moment.
“Of course, let me grab my bag.” She rushed out of the room as though it were on fire.
He plastered on an apologetic smile and excused himself as well, mumbling something about being back in a few minutes. Olivia gave him a conspiratorial wink as he passed.
• • •
Sophia pulled in a deep breath and rolled her shoulders, trying to relax them. Her whole body was tense, in fight or flight mode. If Luca weren’t at her side, she’d jump on the Tube and just ride around and around till they kicked her off.
“Did you really forget your toothbrush?” They wandered toward the high street.
“No, I thought you needed a break from the interrogation,” he replied. He took her cold hand in his warm one. Some of the warmth crept up her arm and her heart fluttered at Luca’s caring.
“Then let’s pop into the pub and get a drink,” she said, steering him toward the local.
He held the door for her, and she inhaled deeply of his cologne as she passed by. All she wanted was to be held in his arms, sheltered from the guilt and emptiness she’d thought she’d dealt with long ago.
“What do you want?” Luca’s voice near her ear sent a shiver of longing through her. Okay, maybe being held in his arms wasn’t all she desired.
“Want?”
“To drink?” An answering flare of passion lit his eyes, as though he read her thoughts.
“Actually, just a ginger ale.”
Luca’s eyes searched hers before he stepped toward the bar. She found a quiet corner table and waited for him. The pub wasn’t busy as the after dinner crowd hadn’t come in yet. This was the first time she’d ever had a drink here; it was her father’s hangout. A few regulars stared at her as if trying to determine if she was one of Charlie’s girls, but thankfully they weren’t interested enough to come over and ask.
The clink as Luca placed the glass on the table in front of her brought her back to the present. She could hear his phone buzz on his belt and wondered how long before he answered it. When he sat across from her rather than excuse himself to take the call, she glanced at his face. He took a sip of his red wine, put the glass down, and stared into her eyes.
“How are you?”
“I’m fine,” she answered.
“No, you are not.” He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest, daring her to lie to him again.
“How do you know how I feel?” This was too much—first coming back here, her mother dying, and now her husband lecturing her on how she should feel.
“I know when you are genuine and when you are putting on a front. You are pretending to be fine. I will not have you faking it with me. I am tired of your acting. If you cannot be truthful with me, then maybe it is time we put an end to this charade.”
Excruciating pain filled her chest and she tried to drag in a deep breath to ease the burning. Instead all she managed was a couple of quick pants. This couldn’t be happening, not today. And why was the
man who hated public scenes doing this here, and now? Maybe he was too busy to wait until they got home.
“You want a divorce?” She blinked rapidly to keep the tears back; she would not cry in front of him. A look of contrition crossed his face before being replaced by a blank mask. Under the table, her right hand flew to her left, holding her rings tightly. She couldn’t bear the thought of taking them off.
“I want you to stop pretending, amore.”
Blinding fury incinerated the sense of loss and betrayal. How dare he accuse her of pretending when he was the biggest faker in this marriage? “And I want you to stop calling me amore, because we both know I’m not your love. Through this whole marriage I have been exactly what you wanted me to be: the elegant wife to be paraded in front of your business acquaintances, the efficient housekeeper to make sure your underwear is clean and your desk dusted regularly—”
“The enthusiastic lover?” He raised a sarcastic eyebrow. She may be faking all the rest, but that was one area of their relationship where no acting was required. He didn’t need to know that.
“Yes, exactly.” She took a long drink, hoping to quell the rising nausea.
“It is not enough.” His harsh tone grated her heart to shreds.
“Not enough?” Several heads turned in their direction at her raised voice. In the silence that followed, she heard his phone vibrate again. “I’ll tell you what’s not enough. It’s not enough that I hold second place in your life, and your work is first. I’m sorry that my little family issue has pulled you out of her bed. Go on, your real love is calling, answer it!”
Luca unclipped the mobile from his belt, pressed a couple icons on the screen, and held the now silent phone out to her. Thirty-six missed calls. Forty-two unanswered emails, all with little red flags and marked URGENT.
“If this were my real love, would I be ignoring it while I sit in a pub trying to pick a fight with you?”
In a daze she handed the phone back to him. He turned the power off and returned it to his belt, not even bothering to look at any of the messages.
“Why do you want to pick a fight with me?”
“I don’t. Olivia suggested it was the only way to find out what was really going on in your heart. So, you feel second best to my work. What do you want me to do about it? Cancel the hotel contract? Because I would.” He sat back again and waited for her reaction.
She was stunned. What was he saying? “You’d walk away from the hotel project if I asked? Why?”
“Because I’ve found something more important. Something that I love and cherish more than rebuilding Italy’s past splendor. I found you. I love you, Sophia. More than I ever thought possible. You are my amore, and my tesoro, my treasure, my joy, and a million other endearments. But most important, you are my wife, my life and my reason to be.”
“You love me?”
“So much it hurts to think you are not being yourself when you are with me. I feel cheated that you are holding back, saving the real you for someone else.”
“I was holding back because I thought that’s what you wanted. You said you didn’t want a wife who loved you.”
“Do you? Love me?” He held his breath.
“More than anything in the world.”
That got him on his feet. He pulled her up into his arms and crushed her against him. His lips found hers, and he kissed her until she almost passed out. Dizzy from joy or lack of oxygen, she wasn’t sure.
“Get a room!” someone at the bar called out.
Luca reluctantly let her go, but he kept hold of her left hand, with the other he caressed her face. “So, from here on, we agree to tell each other how we feel. Even if it is something you do not think I want to hear,” he added.
She put her free hand against his heart, which thudded under her palm. “Agreed. I’ll start. I feel like getting out of here and making love with you until I can’t remember my own name,” she replied.
“I would like nothing more. But what about your family? They are waiting for us to come back to the flat with a toothbrush,” Luca reminded her.
Damn. “Alright, but I do need to stop at the chemist, because there’s something I need to confirm.”
“Is everything okay? You are still pale.” He switched from lover to concerned husband in a heartbeat.
“I’m fine. But if my guess is right, we should probably get in some practice with Sarah’s children while we’re here.” She expected rapturous joy to cross his face. Instead, his brow creased with concern.
“You are pregnant?”
“I think so. What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy.”
“I am happy if you are happy. But what about your interior design business? I guess we could hire a nanny to care for the baby—”
“No way. After my childhood experiences, I’ll look after my own children. I only started the design company now because I was bored and needed something to keep my mind off how much I love you and wanted you to love me. We’ll work something out. I can wait until the time is right for us a family. Perhaps I can work part-time to begin with and see how that goes.”
“I believe you can do anything you set your mind to. And I will support you every step of the way.” His tender kiss left her in no doubt as to what he was feeling at that moment.
• • •
The sun warmed Sophia’s back and birdsong filled the air as the family gathered around the grave. The church service had been brief, with only the family and a few friends in attendance. She swallowed a lump in her throat at the realization that her children would never meet their maternal grandmother. As if sensing her anguish, Luca leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her temple.
She smiled up at him, and he wiped a stray tear off her cheek. It was so liberating not to have to hide her emotions from him. If it hadn’t been for her mother’s passing, this would have been one of the happiest weeks of her life—showing Luca how much she loved him and basking in his returned affection. The first thing he told her every morning and the last thing every night, was how much he loved her.
Sarah’s little girl, Emily, had fallen asleep on his shoulder and he shifted her into a more comfortable position. Luca was going to make a great father. He’d taken her suggestion about spending time with her nephew and nieces seriously and had passed the last four days entertaining the children while the adults sorted out the necessary arrangements for the funeral.
He’d also proved that she was more important to him than his work. He’d told his secretary to contact him only if someone was injured, that he was on compassionate leave for the rest of the week and wasn’t to be disturbed. He spoke with Chet and said he would oversee the project and live on-site only if Sophia was part of the interior design team. Chet had instantly agreed and even offered her a salary in excess of the commission she would have made from the property rental firm.
When she’d told Isabella that she wasn’t available to take the contract, she’d expected her new friend to be disappointed. Instead she’d also been relieved, as she’d just discovered she was pregnant as well. And with three previous miscarriages, the doctor had ordered Isabella on bed rest for at least the first four months.
Sophia had then called the chairman of the villa rental company to tell them of their decision not to take the contract. Evidently, they had also reconsidered and decided to postpone the refurbishment of their properties for eighteen months. If she were still interested then, she would go straight to the top of their short list. It had all worked out. But none of it was as important as knowing Luca loved her.
A tiny cry drew her attention to Olivia, who was looking after Sarah’s baby girl. Olivia snuggled the baby under her chin and caressed the tiny back until she quieted. Olivia’s maternal instinct was so strong, Sophia could see her friend presiding happily over a gaggle of children.
Sophia was glad that Luca had convinced Olivia to come back to Italy with them. She wasn’t sure if it was for her benefit, or her friend’s, but she wasn’t going
to complain. Olivia could use a good holiday and Sophia was already planning a matchmaking opportunity to introduce her to Jonathan. It was time her friend met a real man.
If only she could do something to help her older brother. Paul stood with his hands crossed in front, his head bowed, in prayer or contrition, she wasn’t sure. His guard escort stood a respectable distance away, allowing the family to grieve in private. As she’d hoped, Luca had greeted her brother with openness and ease, even offering him a job once he was released if it would help him transition back to society. In fact the prison board had said he may be eligible for early parole if he continued to be an exemplary inmate.
The minister continued his reading and Sophia switched her attention to Sarah who was sobbing into the arms of her boyfriend. Andrew seemed to genuinely love her and Sophia was looking forward to getting to know him better when they visited later in the year. She really hoped her sister had found stability and happiness at last.
After shutting his Bible, the minister offered a few words of condolence to her father. Sarah’s oldest child, little Benny, held his grandfather’s hand. Silent tears coursed down her dad’s face as the graveyard attendants started to shovel dirt on her mother’s coffin. Hopefully, he’d be able to find some peace when he and James came to Italy as soon as her younger brother finished his coursework. With Luca’s love and support, she was now looking forward to reconnecting with her family—a family that had been ripped apart by tragedy, now reunited in love.
Sophia had even managed to make peace with the specter of Kathy Summers. When her soap opera had come on the telly, Sophia had been able to watch her former nemesis without a single panicked reaction. In fact, she’d been able to dispassionately prove to herself that Kathy was truly an awful actress.
Sophia ran a hand over her still flat belly, in awe to think that a little life was growing inside her—a product of Luca’s and her love. A true new beginning.