VITTORIO'S MISTRESS

by Kimberley Reeves

  “You have much to atone for.”

  “I know.”

  “You are getting yourself into more than just a marriage, Paige. This family will demand a lot of you and we will expect you to be a Vittorio to the core. It is not just Dante’s name you will be taking but everything he stands for too. There is not one member of this family who would not drop everything at a moment’s notice to come to the rescue of another and we will expect no less of you.”

  Hope bloomed in her heart. “Does this mean you and the others will accept me as part of the family?”

  Ravenna laughed. “Oh my dear, there was never any question as to whether we would accept you.”

  “I…I don’t understand.”

  “It is my fault, and I apologize. There was a lot of…animosity on my part before you even arrived but when I saw Daniella, I was even more resentful towards you for keeping her from us. I realize now that Dante was not the only one who endured the pain of being separated from the one he loved.”

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Vittorio. I had no idea you’d welcome Daniella the way you did.”

  “No, Paige, I am the one who is sorry. I should have welcomed you in the same manner and waited for a more appropriate time to talk. It was unfair of me not to listen to your side of the story, especially when Dante has admitted he is not entirely blameless.”

  “I’m glad we talked it out, but I’m afraid I still don’t understand what you meant about there not being any question I’d be accepted into the family. It was pretty obvious by my reception that I wasn’t winning any popularity contests.”

  Ravenna smiled. “Dante loves you. What other reason do we need? What concerned everyone was whether you would accept us as your family. Do not mistake Cesare’s silence or that of others as rejection, Paige. I am extremely…protective where my children are concerned and they are all very much aware that I have no fear of voicing my opinion.”

  “So I noticed,” Paige said with a grin.

  Ravenna laughed. “I imagine they are all sitting out there worrying about whether I have reduced you to tears or forced you to take a defensive stand. You are much stronger than any of us gave you credit for; you did not balk at having this talk with me even when it was quite obvious it was not going to be pleasant. I am glad my son has found someone who will not meekly surrender to his every demand.”

  Recalling how meekly she’d surrendered to him earlier that evening sent a blush to her cheeks. “He’s not an easy man to say no to,” she said with sigh.

  “It is Vittorio trait, my dear; a trait my granddaughter seems to have inherited.”

  Paige had to agree. “Daniella is so much like Dante it scares me sometimes.”

  “She will grow up to be a strong woman but I have faith that you and Dante will teach her the importance of tempering that strength with love and kindness.”

  “So…where do we go from here?”

  “From here,” Ravenna rose to her feet, “we shall go to the dining room to join the others.”

  Paige stood up but she made no move to leave. There was still one question she had to ask. “Mrs. Vittorio…do you think Dante will ever forgive me? I can’t stop thinking about the ring and how you said he looked when you found him in the study and I wonder if…if it’s even possible to forgive someone after they’ve hurt you so deeply.”

  Compassion stirred behind Ravenna’s dark eyes. “Love is a powerful emotion, Paige. It gives you the ability to forgive the unforgivable, to forget the sorrows of the past and move forward. Whatever resentment he may have felt over the years dissolved the moment he saw you again. You were the one he’d given his heart to. It would not have mattered how many years passed, Dante would never have loved any woman but you.”

  Paige blinked back the sting of tears. “It would have been the same for me.”

  “I know,” Ravenna smiled. “The Vittorio men do have a way of making all other men cease to exist. Come,” she pulled the doors open, “we must set everyone’s mind at ease and start making plans for your wedding.”

  “As much as I appreciate your offer to help, Mrs. Vittorio, I really have no idea how soon Dante wants to get married.”

  “Please, you must call me Ravenna. As for how soon he wants to marry, I am sure you know patience is not a virtue Dante possesses. We will be lucky if he allows a month to put it all together.”

  “A month!” Paige just shook her head as she walked beside Ravenna. “Who could possibly put a wedding together in such a short time?”

  “With the help of Milana and my daughters-in-law, I am sure we can accomplish it. Now, about your wedding dress; I know a woman who makes the most exquisite…”

  Ravenna stopped short when Daniella hopped down from her chair and came racing towards them, her brown eyes round with worry. Paige couldn’t imagine what had been said to upset her little girl, especially since everyone at the table seemed just as shocked by her behavior as she was. Daniella threw her arms around Paige’s legs, clinging to her as if she’d never let go.

  Alarmed, Paige stroked Daniella’s hair in an attempt to comfort her. “Angel, what’s wrong?”

  Daniella tipped her head back. “I was scared, Mama.”

  “How could you be scared when Daddy was right here with you?”

  Dante rose from the table and squatted down next to Daniella, a horrible suspicion making his stomach churn. “Was it something you heard at the table?” He groaned inwardly when she nodded her head. “You must have misunderstood then…”

  “I didn’t misstood,” Daniella insisted with a stubborn tilt of her chin. “You said Nonna was going to bite Mama’s head off and serve it up for dinner.”

  Dante glanced up at Paige with a sheepish grin. “I...uh...guess she understands a little more Italian than we thought.”

  ****

  Paige waited until she was sure Daniella was sound asleep before returning to their bedroom. After she managed to convince Daniella that Dante had only been joking they’d sat down and had an enjoyable meal. Ravenna immediately launched into suggestions about the wedding, her eyes daring Dante to protest when she told him they’d need at least six weeks to plan it properly. He’d sulked a little but was soon caught up in a side conversation with his brothers.

  After dinner they’d all gone back to the great room where the women had gathered around her to discuss it in more detail while the men entertained Daniella. Paige’s eyes had wandered frequently to the man who had so completely stolen her heart and that of their daughter. Daniella was soaking up the attention and though she allowed her Papa and uncles to amuse her with rides on their shoulders or plunking at the keyboard on the piano, inevitably she sought out Dante for a few minutes of cuddling before she was off again.

  Paige slipped into the bedroom and crossed to the open balcony doors where Dante was standing, staring out at the night sky. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself,” she said when he turned around and gathered her in his arms.

  “How is it she understood what we were saying when she has never spoken Italian except for the few things Mireia taught her? I wanted to sink into the floorboard when she repeated what I had said in front of my mother.”

  Paige couldn’t stop the giggle that bubbled up her throat. “You should have seen the look on your face, it was priceless. So what other horrible things did you say that she’ll no doubt repeat later?”

  “I shudder to think,” Dante chuckled.

  “Now I guess I have to learn the language so I don’t feel like an outsider when you and your daughter converse in Italian.”

  Dante lowered his head and brushed a soft kiss to her lips. “I shall be your personal instructor, bella.”

  “Hmmm, and what will you teach me first, how to say take me to bed.”

  “What a grand idea,” Dante said as he swept her into his arms and carried her inside.

  “Dante…why haven’t you asked what your mother and I discussed?”

  He set Paige on her feet beside the bed. “The truth? My m
other does not believe in mincing her words and I think she knows that you are the reason I have not been…content with my life the past four years. I was afraid she might have told you things that were better left unsaid.”

  “You’re right, she did know. Oh Dante, I’m so sorry for hurting you that way.” Tears spilled over onto her cheeks. “She made me realize what a coward I was for leaving just because I was too afraid to find out if you loved me or not. It was incredibly selfish not to consider whether you’d want to be a part of Daniella’s life, and I know it’s even more selfish of me to ask for your forgiveness but I have to because I can’t bear the thought that what I’ve done still causes you pain.”

  Dante framed her face with his hands. “There is nothing to forgive, carissima. If I had told you I loved you then you would not have left me, and if I had come after you instead of catering to my wounded pride I would have been there when my daughter was born. We have both made mistakes, but we are together now and nothing else matters.”

  A fresh round of tears welled up in her eyes. “She told me about the ring. Is it true, Dante? Were you going to ask me to marry you?”

  His hands dropped to his sides. Dante turned away from her to hide the expression on his face. “I bought it two weeks after we met. What kind of idiot buys an engagement ring for a woman he barely knows? And yet…I knew in my heart that one day I would place the ring on your finger and make you mine forever.”

  A painful sob rose from Paige’s throat. “I killed it, didn’t I? Ravenna told me I’d killed that dream for you and I have.”

  “No, cara, you merely delayed it.” Dante opened the drawer in the nightstand and pulled out a small velvet box. “I love you, Paige, I always have.” He turned around and held the box up.

  “You…you kept it?”

  Dante opened the lid and plucked the ring out before tossing the box on the nightstand. “Give me your hand,” he said softly. He slipped the ring over her slender finger, then looked deep into her beautiful blue eyes and finally said the words he’d longed to say for years. “You are the love of my life, Paige. I know I have already asked you, but now that you are wearing my ring it only seems right to say it again. Will you marry me?”

  Her heart tripped, and for a moment she couldn’t do anything but stare at the enormous diamond ring he’d placed on her finger. Even in the dim light it sparkled, the brilliance of it dazzling her until Dante’s restless shifting finally drew her attention back to his worried face.

  “You…you do want to marry me…yes?” he choked out.

  Paige threw herself in his arms, showering his face with kisses. “Yes, yes, yes! Oh my darling, how could think for even a second that I’d say no?”

  Dante’s heart soared. “Mia bella, mia amore, you have made me the happiest man in the world.”

  He kissed her then, kissed her until her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were dark with desire. A low groan of sheer agony rumbled in the back of his throat when Paige backed away from him and did a slow strip tease, but it was the sexy smile that tipped the corners of her perfect mouth as she sauntered back to him and started to unbutton his shirt that was nearly his undoing. Air hissed through his teeth when Paige pushed his shirt off his shoulders then leaned forward and pressed her lips to his chest.

  “Madre di Dio,” he muttered as her tongue flicked over his bare skin.

  His entire body ached for her and though there was something to be said about foreplay, Dante needed to be inside of Paige more than he needed his next breath. She let out a squeak of surprise when he swept her off her feet and tossed her onto the bed but it didn’t take her long to figure out she’d pushed him a little too far. Even before he’d finished stripping the rest of his clothes off she’d parted her legs; a wanton invitation he couldn’t have refused if he’d tried.

  A breathless sigh whispered past her lips as he sank into her warmth, her sweet surrender more heavenly than ever before. Dante made love to her far into the night, the burning need to have the perfection of her body joined with his so strong he never wanted to it to end. Eventually it had to of course, but they fell asleep in each other’s arms, secure in the knowledge that nothing would ever separate them again.

  ****

  “Look at me, Mama, I’m a real princess.”

  Paige turned to find Daniella in the pale blue dress Ravenna bought her to wear to the wedding but instead of the wreath of flowers there was a diamond tiara on her head. Daniella did a little twirl, her happy laughter filling Paige’s heart. She didn’t have to ask who’d given it to her or if the diamonds were real or not.

  “Daddy is spoiling you rotten.”

  “She is not the only one my son is spoiling,” Ravenna nodded to the tear shaped diamond necklace around Paige’s neck.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Dante gave it to me this morning.”

  Chantel let out an impatient sigh. “Can we admire your jewelry later? If you don’t let me get this veil in place we’ll be late for the ceremony and I have a feeling that hunky man of yours won’t wait more than two minutes before storming in here to get you.”

  “I will take Daniella outside to wait for you,” Ravenna said. “Come on, princess, it is nearly time for the wedding.”

  Butterflies fluttered in Paige’s stomach as she turned back to the mirror so Chantel could pin the veil on. In just a few minutes she would walk down the aisle and exchange wedding vows with Dante. She supposed all brides suffered from a case of the nerves, not because they were marrying the man they loved but because of the hundred and one things that could go wrong during the ceremony. What if she tripped on her gown or the veil slipped off? What if she stumbled over her vows or fainted, or even worse, threw up because her stomach was so jittery?

  “You’ve never looked more beautiful in your life,” Chantel exclaimed.

  Paige eyed the total effect in the mirror. The gown Ravenna had helped her pick out was simply gorgeous; a strapless white satin bodice was the perfect choice to show case the necklace Dante had given her, and the yards of lace that billowed around her legs had her feeling a bit like a princess herself. A satin sash emphasized her slender waist and was tied in a bow in the back from which a long train flowed. The veil was made of the same delicate lace as her gown and fell over her bare shoulders in gentle folds. She hoped Dante thought she was as beautiful as she felt right now.

  The moment they stepped out into the hallway, everything seemed to happen in a hazy dreamlike state. She stood just out of view of the guests as Ravenna was escorted to her seat by Cesare. Daniella went next and she could hear the adoring exclamations as their daughter skipped down the aisle tossing flower petals from the basket she was carrying. Chantel kissed her on the cheek then took her turn as the Maid of Honor, leaving Paige alone with her father.

  “Your mother and I couldn’t be more proud of you,” he said as she looped her arm through his. “Dante is a fine young man and we’re delighted that you two finally realized you wouldn’t be happy without each other.”

  “I’m just sorry it took us so long,” she replied with a wistful sigh.

  “It’s all water under the bridge, honey. You’ll have the rest of your lives to make up for it.” Leon nodded towards the door. “They’re playing your song, baby girl.”

  Paige drew in a deep breath as her father ushered her through the doorway. All around her people were rising to their feet and making hushed comments about her gown, her necklace, the elated smile on her face, but Paige barely noticed. Her eyes were fixed on the most devastatingly handsome man in the room whose own gaze was filled with so much love it made her knees go weak. How she made it all the way down the aisle without collapsing in a heap, she wasn’t certain, but somehow she managed to reach Dante without making a fool of herself.

  “So beautiful, cara mia,” he whispered as he took her hand.

  The ceremony wasn’t long, but it seemed to take forever before they were finally pronounced husband and wife. Her heart was pounding in her chest as
Dante lifted the veil and drew her into his arms. He lowered his head and captured her mouth in a slow, seductive kiss that promised the night to come would be one she’d never forget. She was only vaguely aware of the whoops and hollers of their guests as the kiss went on and on, and it wasn’t until she heard Daniella giggling that Paige remembered they had an audience.

  “Mrs. Vittorio,” Dante said thickly, “I thought this day would never come.”

  Paige smiled up at him. “Are you sure you’re not going to miss having me as your mistress and being at your disposal wherever and whenever you want me?”

  Dante’s eyes danced with amusement. “No, cara mia. As my mistress you were only available to me in the evenings and on weekends, but as my wife…” he pulled her closer, “as my wife, you will truly be mine wherever and whenever I wish.”