Falling for Her Convenient Groom

by Jennifer Faye

  “Said what? That I’m proud of you?” When she nodded, he continued. “I’ve always been proud of you. And that’s why I’m going to the party tonight.”

  “You are?” This was the first she’d heard of it.

  “Of course I’m going.” He moved to the hallway. “I already have my suit picked out.” He motioned for her to follow him. “I just need help choosing a tie.”

  This was new. Her father never relied on her to make decisions for him—not about his wardrobe or any other part of his life. She didn’t know what to make of it.

  Still, she walked with him and then chose a wine-colored tie. “Are you sure about this?” Her phone rang, but she ignored it. “It’s going to be a big evening, and I don’t want you wearing yourself out.”

  “Do you need to get that?”

  She shook her head. “I have staff to take care of any problems that might crop up. Right now, I’m more concerned about you overdoing it. Remember what the doctor said about you slowing down and taking it easy.”

  “I’m not an invalid. Just because you have taken over the company doesn’t mean I’m going to languish at home.”

  She nodded in understanding. “That’s not what I meant. I’m just worried about you.”

  He paused and looked at her. “Now you know how it feels to worry about someone and want to protect them when they don’t want to be coddled.”

  Carla opened her mouth to say something, but the words faded. She wordlessly pressed her lips together. What was her father saying? That everything he’d done—from trying to stop her from taking over the CEO’s position to his matchmaking—it had all been his attempt to protect her?

  This was too important for her just to let slide by. “Are you saying you never wanted me to run the company because you were trying to protect me from something?”

  He sighed as he sat down on a bench at the end of his bed. “I never wanted you to repeat my mistakes.”

  Maybe with him calm this was the right moment to broach the subject of him lying to her. “Are you admitting that you cheated at the poker game?”

  With a deep, resigned sigh, he lowered his head. “Yes.”

  The one word was like a dagger in her heart. Her wonderful, amazing father whom she’d held up on a pedestal all these years fell back to earth with a resounding thud.

  She struggled to speak as emotions clogged her throat. “But why?”

  Her father ran a hand over his jaw. “It was a bad time in my life.”

  “Bad enough to cheat and then lie about it—lie to me?” She didn’t know what he could say to make any of that all right.

  “It wasn’t that long after we lost your mother. I was struggling.”

  He was? “You never let on to me.”

  “I couldn’t. I’d promised your mother that I’d make sure you were all right. But when you weren’t around, I was drinking a lot. The more I drank, the more I gambled. For a while, it was okay. I was on a winning streak. But then the tide turned and every hand was a loser. I drank more and gambled even more, trying to win back what I’d lost.”

  Carla sat down next to her father. “Oh, Papa, if I’d known—”

  “I didn’t want you to know. I knew how hard it was on you losing your mother. It got to the point where I’d lost all my money. I had to get it back. I only had one thing left that was worth enough money—the business.” His voice wavered with emotion as he stared straight ahead as though lost in his thoughts. “I was certain that my luck would change. It had to, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I’d slipped an ace up my sleeve. I didn’t think I’d need it.”

  As her father revealed the whole sordid tale, Carla struggled to keep her mouth from gaping. Her strong, proud father seemed to shrink in front of her eyes. She didn’t know how to react. She was a ball of emotions: anger at being lied to, disillusioned that her larger-than-life father was fallible like the rest of us and sympathy for him that he’d suffered in silence.

  “In the end, being accused of cheating was the best thing that could have happened to me. I just didn’t see it that way until now.”

  “Why?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer.

  He blew out an unsteady breath. “Because accusations were thrown about and Marchello had no choice but to walk away—without my company.”

  “And yet you called him a liar?”

  Her father’s head lowered. “It wasn’t my finest hour. I was so full of anger, and he became my target. It wasn’t right, and I regret it.”

  “Then why haven’t you apologized?”

  There was a drawn-out pause. “It’s not that easy. What would he think of me?”

  “But Franco’s grandfather already knows the truth, and there’s a video—”

  “There is?” When she nodded, he asked, “But then why did he just walk away? He could have taken everything from me.”

  “Not everything. You will always have me.” She leaned her head against his shoulder and hugged him. “Maybe Franco’s grandfather was a better friend to you than you ever knew.”

  Her father was silent for a moment as he considered her observation. And then he cleared his throat. “That was the moment I started to get my act together. But you have to understand that I made mistakes before the drinking and gambling.”

  “Everyone makes mistakes.” She should know—she was carrying Franco’s baby.

  “Before all that I made the business the center of the world. I always thought there would be time for other things—like taking your mother to see the world. It had been her fondest wish, but then she got sick and there was no more time.”

  “I... I didn’t know.” Her mother had wanted to travel. And here she’d always thought her mother had been content to stay at home and look after her. She hadn’t realized her mother had other aspirations. She wondered what else she’d never known about her mother.

  “Your mother didn’t feel a need to talk about it. She knew that eventually there would be time to follow her dreams. None of us expected her to get so sick so quickly.”

  The pain of her mother’s sudden loss could still be felt after all these years. “And so you wanted me to get married and have a family because you wanted me to be like my mother.”

  “No. Though would that have been so bad?”

  She thought of the baby she was carrying now—with every passing moment, the idea of being a mother was becoming more attractive. “No, it’s not bad. But why did it have to be one or the other? Business or a family?”

  “Because your mother told me from the time you were little that you were so much like me. I, of course, didn’t believe her. I saw her in you from your dark curls to your caring heart. But your mother was known for seeing things that I was blind to. And then without your mother around to watch over us both, I feared that her prediction was right—you’d turn out just like me—make my same mistakes.”

  She’d never known any of this. Her father had never opened up to her. He had always been the one to keep things close to his chest. But it appeared that his recent heart attacks had had a profound affect not only on her but on him as well.

  Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

  Who kept calling her? She pulled her phone from her purse and saw Franco’s name on the caller ID. He was probably calling to remind her that they were to have some press photos taken with some prominent people at the party, but it was just going to have to wait. This conversation with her father was too important to walk away from now.

  She placed the phone back in her purse. “What mistakes?”

  His tired gaze met hers. “I made the mistake of thinking that if I built a successful business, it would keep my family safe. I was so driven to make sure my family wanted for nothing financially that I missed the fact that I was no longer an active part of your or your mother’s lives. I was absent for too
many birthday parties and anniversaries.” His gruff voice hitched with emotion. “I... I didn’t want that for you. So I thought if you married and had children, you would see that there was more to life than just work.”

  “I never knew.” Her mind rewound back to all the arguments they’d had over her marrying. They could have been avoided if he would have explained this to her. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Because I knew you’d ignore my warnings. Your mother was right—you are stubborn, just like me.”

  Carla wanted to argue with him. She wanted to tell him that his worries were wrong—that she wouldn’t have put her career ahead of everything else. Instead she bit back her denial, because ever since Matteo had hurt her in the worst way, she’d closed off her heart—she’d closed it off to Franco, too.

  Instead of letting herself be put in a position of being loved, she’d focused on her career. It was something she could control. It had been the safe choice.

  And now that all three pregnancy tests showed positive, she felt more vulnerable than she’d ever been in her life. How was Franco going to react to the news? Would he blame her?

  She shoved aside the troubling thoughts so as not to get emotional again and have her father ask questions—questions like what was she going to do next? She didn’t have any answers. It was all so new—so shocking.

  She changed the subject. “Thank you for being honest with me. You don’t have to worry. I promise to have a life and a career.”

  He reached out and squeezed her hand. “I just want you to be happy.”

  “I will be.” She just wasn’t so sure about her happiness in the near future. “I have to go get ready for the party. Are you sure you won’t consider staying home?”

  “Absolutely not. I need to go brag about what my amazing daughter has accomplished.”

  At least Franco’s grandparents wouldn’t be there. He had been quite certain his grandfather would be too stubborn to go to a party and acknowledge Franco’s accomplishment.

  She hugged her father. “I’ll see you later. And if you change your mind and decide to stay home, I won’t be upset. Just call me. I’ll keep my phone on me.”

  “Stop worrying. I’ll be fine.”

  And then Carla was gone. As she checked the time, she realized she’d spent more time with her father than she’d intended. And now she was late for the party.

  As for telling Franco the news about the baby, well...it’d waited all day, so it could wait until tomorrow. Because the party was no place to tell him the news. And looking back on earlier today, it hadn’t been the time to tell him, either. It’s just that she’d been in shock and her first thought was to tell Franco.

  But waiting until the morning wasn’t going to change the test results. As the instruction sheet had told her, a positive result was definitely positive. What was Franco going to say now that their fake marriage had become very real, with real consequences?

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  WHERE WAS SHE?

  Franco had slowly worked his way around the room, twice over, and there was still no sign of Carla. He’d even tried her phone a couple of times. Every time, it had gone directly to voice mail. What was up with that?

  Was she avoiding him? He didn’t think so. It’s not like they’d had a fight or anything. Sure, she’d been a bit more distant in the last day or so, but that was probably just due to exhaustion.

  But none of that explained why he hadn’t found her yet. He’d stopped to ask her assistant, Rosa, but she hadn’t heard from her in the past hour or so, since she’d left the office. He recalled Carla’s pale complexion that morning. Perhaps she was sick. He was about to leave and go to the apartment to see if she was right.

  As he headed for the door, Carla entered the room. He took long strides toward her. “Where have you been?”

  She didn’t look at him as she smiled at the passing guests. “I had to check on my father.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “No. I just wanted him to know that I would be fine if he stayed home.”

  He was relieved to hear that nothing was wrong with Carlo. Not that he had any warm feelings toward the man who had lied about him and his family all these years, but Carla loved him dearly and what was important to her was important to him—

  Wait. Had he just thought that? While Carla paused to say hello to the CEO of an up-and-coming tech company, Franco realized just how important Carla had become to him.

  When Carla was free again, he knew this was his opportunity to draw her aside. He placed a hand on her upper arm to gain her attention. When she paused and looked up at him, he asked, “Can we speak now?”

  Her gaze met his, but her emotions were closed off to him. “Not now. It’s a party.”

  “I know something is bothering you. Does it have to do with the launch?”

  She shook her head. “Everything is on track.”

  “Then if it’s not business, it has to be something to do with me.” As someone passed closely by them, he quieted down and forced a smile to his face. “What have I done?”

  Carla turned a smile in his direction—a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “This isn’t the place.”

  Just then a flash went off in their faces. He’d forgotten about the media photographers covering the party. Franco wished they’d give them some privacy.

  When Carla set off again, he fell in step with her. “But you were the one that insisted we speak earlier. I’m ready now.”

  She came to an abrupt halt and turned to him. This time there was anger reflected in her eyes. In a hushed voice, she said, “And I’m supposed to drop everything because suddenly you’ve got time in your schedule for me? I don’t think so.”

  He stifled a frustrated groan. “You took that out of context. I’m sorry I was busy earlier. You know how fast everything is moving.”

  Just then a reporter approached them. The woman’s face was perfectly made up, and not a hair was out of place. “Do you have time for a few questions?”

  “We were just about to go take care of something,” Franco said.

  “But it can wait a moment or two.” Carla flashed the reporter her fake smile. “What would you like to ask?”

  “Would you mind if I record this?” She held up her phone. “I just want to make sure I get my facts right when I go to write up the story.”

  Carla nodded. “Of course.”

  “You two have made quite the stir this year. First your sudden marriage. Where was it that you tied the knot?”

  Carla spoke up first. “It was at Franco’s country estate in Lake Como.”

  “That must have been so romantic. You know, to be swept off your feet and a secret wedding and all.”

  “It was sudden, but we both knew what we wanted.” Carla elbowed him. “Isn’t that right, Franco?”

  He was still pondering what Carla had on her mind. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. Worry seeped into his bones as he pasted on a fake smile to match Carla’s. But whatever was wrong, he would fix it.

  He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, just like happy newlyweds would do. “We just couldn’t wait to be husband and wife.”

  “You two always look so happy, so in love. So what’s it like to work with your spouse?”

  “It’s been great,” Carla said. “Franco is great at coming up with solutions for tricky problems.”

  “And Carla is great with concepts and tie-ins.”

  The reporter smiled and nodded. “This sounds like the beginning of many successful collaborations.”

  “I don’t know,” Franco said with hesitancy.

  “What he means is that we haven’t gotten that far. We’re just on the eve of launching this new campaign in all the Falco restaurants.”

  The reporter nodded in understanding. “And what about on a personal fr
ont? Will there soon be any additions to your family?”

  Franco didn’t hesitate to answer. “No. We’re happy just the way we are.”

  When Carla didn’t echo his sentiments, he glanced at her. Her face filled with color. “We haven’t discussed having children.”

  It was true. They’d never once talked of having their own children. Still, her answer was definitely not an affirmation of his words. It was not the answer he’d been expecting. And now there was this agonizing suspicion swirling around in is mind.

  The breath caught in his throat. Was she pregnant?

  For a moment, it felt as though the floor had gone out from under his feet and he was hanging over an abyss. This couldn’t be happening. Not to him. He’d always been so cautious—so very careful—until Carla.

  Why had he instinctively trusted her? It wasn’t like this was his first go-around with an unplanned pregnancy. At least the first time with Rose it’d all been a ruse to get him to marry her. But Carla wasn’t like Rose. She wouldn’t intentionally get pregnant. Would she?

  “I appreciate you both taking a moment to speak with me.” The reporter’s voice jarred him from his frantic thoughts. “Our readers will be anxiously waiting for word of a little Falco-Marchello to carry on such a delicious merger. Now I’ll let you get to your other guests.”

  When the reporter moved on, Carla tried to slip away, too. But Franco was hot on her trail. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “We need to talk now.”

  Just then Carla’s assistant, Rosa, approached them. Franco groaned inwardly. Why did they have to be at a party, of all places? Trying to find just a moment alone was virtually impossible.

  This was his fault. He should have insisted on making time to speak with Carla earlier in the day—when they could have had this conversation in private, without worry of being interrupted.

  Because what he was thinking right now just couldn’t possibly be true. There was no way Carla could be pregnant. But he also knew she could be pregnant. It wasn’t like they hadn’t enjoyed their marital benefits.