From Wedding Fling to Baby Surprise

by Nina Singh

The doorbell sounded at that moment and whoever it was didn’t bother to wait for an answer. A slight breeze blew through the room as the door opened and a tall wide-shouldered man carrying several large pizza boxes stepped through. The aroma of garlic and cheesy tomato immediately filled the air.

  “There he is now,” Gianni declared. “About time, little bro. What took you so long? Come meet Laney.”

  * * *

  Angelo left with his son about thirty minutes after walking in, taking two of the boxes of pizza with him. Laney had concluded right away that there’d never been any reason to feel anxious about meeting Gianni’s younger sibling. The man had an easy demeanor and charming sense of humor. Plus, the teasing banter between the two brothers, where they incessantly and mockingly insulted each other, made for a rather humorous dinner.

  And now she and Gianni were alone. No buffer in the form of an adorable toddler or a talkative distracting sibling. Time to acknowledge the real reason for this little visit.

  Laney took a sip of her sparkling water, watching as Gianni tidied up the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher. How could a man look so sexy doing tedious housework? And the way he’d been with his nephew, playful and patient. He’d laughed and simply cleaned up when Gino launched a slice of pizza across the table, splattering sauce and cheese everywhere.

  Yeah, it was pretty clear Gianni Martino would make an excellent father, if he only wanted to. That was the part that wasn’t quite clear from where she was standing.

  He joined her in the living room after drying his hands on a dish towel. “Did you get enough to eat?”

  “More than enough. I might have had one full box.”

  “Hardly counts. You only ate from the plain cheese.”

  She rubbed a hand along her very full middle. “My tummy definitely disagrees with you. Trust me, it counts.”

  Gianni chuckled, then turned serious in a rather striking transformation. Looked like it was time to stop avoiding the elephant in the room.

  “Listen, Laney.” He braced his elbows on his knees and leaned toward her. “I just want to tell you that I take full responsibility for what’s happening.”

  His statement sounded perilously close to an apology. She wasn’t having it. “I played a fairly significant role in getting us to this point also, Gianni.” After all, she’d been the one to invite him back to the hotel that night after the harbor cruise. Then she’d asked him to stay with her all night. “I was the one who did the asking that night, remember?”

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t exactly resisting.”

  There was no point in any of this. So much was being left unsaid while they tiptoed around useless niceties. But darned if she knew how to push past the formality between them now. In many ways, Gianni’s demeanor at the moment reminded her of the time he’d shown up at her office to finally admit that he’d been planning on making her a business offer all along. This wasn’t the warm, charming man who accompanied her around Positano, then took her to his beloved aunt’s house, where he sat with her on the balcony, laying bare his soul. And it most definitely wasn’t the passionate and sensual man who had spent the night with her in Boston.

  She didn’t know how to breach the distance to Gianni Martino in his current alteration.

  “You should know I’ve already started the process of setting up both trust and college funds.” She’d expected as much. “I can send you the files with details on all the portfolios,” he added.

  She shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. I trust you know what you’re doing. I’ll be making my own investments.”

  “Fair enough. And, of course, I will contribute to day-to-day expenses. I have my accountants sending you documents as we speak.”

  A muscle twitched along his jaw before he spoke again. His shoulders visibly tensed. “As far as my role, I want you to know that I’ll respect your discretion. To a point.”

  Okay. “What does that mean?”

  “I’d like to be a part of this child’s life. I’m willing to be flexible, and I’ll bend over backward to make sure you’re completely comfortable with my level of involvement. But I do plan to be involved.”

  “I understand.” What kind of woman did he think she was? Of course, she had no intention of keeping him from his child. If anything, the more likely possibility was that eventually he would see both her and the child as more of a remnant from a past life.

  He’d been so clear and adamant about not wanting a family. Or children of his own. He was saying all the right things now but would he eventually grow resentful that one had been forced on him and turn his back on her and their child?

  Pain seared through her chest at that very real possibility. Then she’d have the Herculean task of making sure her child remained sound and whole afterward. Maybe it was the hormones, but the thought of her baby’s father simply moving on with his life and leaving them behind as the unintended consequences from his past fling felt like a gut punch. It took all she had not to double over.

  “I can have paperwork drawn up which outlines specific details if you like.” He was back to being all business again. Not that he’d ever completely stopped.

  “I don’t think that’s necessary. But go ahead if it makes you feel more comfortable, Gianni.”

  He leaned back against the couch, rubbed his jaw. “There is one other option I feel we should consider.”

  “And that is?”

  “We could always get married.”

  * * *

  Laney stared at him as if he’d grown horns atop his head. She gave a brisk shake of her head before speaking. “I’m sorry. I could have sworn you said we might want to consider getting married. I’m sure I must have misheard.”

  She looked so cute when she was taken aback. Clearly, she hadn’t been expecting such a suggestion in the least. But it made sense, even if it was a rather unconventional marriage proposal. He’d thought about it over and over and kept coming to the same conclusion. Despite how he felt about the so-called sanctity of marriage, there was more at play here. He wanted his son or daughter to feel accepted and loved. He wanted this baby to know exactly who they were and who their parents were. If Gianni had his way, his child could grow up in a home with two loving parents. Legally, all the red tape and financial issues would be so much easier to address. Why have a child grow up in a broken home if there was an alternative? All logical. “That is indeed what I said.”

  Laney cupped her hand to her mouth and chuckled. “Right. Ha-ha.”

  She thought he was joking. “Laney, I’m being serious. Think about all the ways it makes sense.”

  Dropping her hand, she slowly shook her head. “You and I know it only makes sense for one reason. The only reason you’re even suggesting it. You’re only doing this because I’m pregnant.”

  “I can think of worse reasons for a couple to tie the knot.”

  She suddenly stood, waving her arm in clear frustration. “You wouldn’t have even considered getting married if we didn’t find ourselves in this predicament. Why would you change your mind?”

  He would have thought that was obvious. “I think you know why.”

  Her shoulders suddenly slumped. “This isn’t the middle ages, Gianni. Couples who are expecting together are perfectly capable of co-parenting without tying themselves down to each other forever through marriage.”

  Ouch. Quite a strike to his ego. The thought of marriage to him was obviously not a palatable one for Laney Taytum. Not that it should surprise him, anyway. Her thinking made sense. They had nothing in common. He knew full well she was in a completely different league. A much higher one. Still, there was a child to consider now. It wasn’t about just the two of them.

  “First of all, marriages don’t always have to be based on some kind of emotion. Lots of unions are made simply because they’re beneficial for both parties.”

  Something shif
ted behind her eyes. “I’d like to think mine will mean more than that. Or at least I plan on approaching my own marriage that way.”

  He didn’t voice out loud what he was thinking. Unlike him, Laney appeared to harbor the illusion that love and affection had to be the impetus behind a proposal of marriage. He had no such delusion. “Look, I’m simply putting forth all our options. I think we should be open-minded, that’s all. Just give it some thought.”

  She crossed her arms in front of her chest, studied him up and down. “You really are serious.”

  He stood too, strode over to her across the room and gently lifted her chin. “Think about it, Laney. We tend to get along for the most part. Think of all the fun we had together in Italy. The spark between us the night we met.” He didn’t imagine the way her body shuddered. She knew what he said was the truth, so he pushed further. “We certainly seem to be compatible in bed.”

  Her lower lip quivered and it took all he had not to lean down and take that lip with his own, to kiss her until that strained, incredulous expression melted off her face and all she could think about was just how compatible they’d been. Not the time.

  “That’s hardly a foundation upon which to start a marriage,” she argued.

  He dropped his hand from her chin. “Maybe. But it’s a fairly strong start, I’d say. More than what a lot of couples have.”

  Couples like his parents for instance. What good was their intense love for each other when the very crux of their relationship depended on one big lie?

  * * *

  Of all the ways she’d imagined being proposed to—on a whirlwind trip through Italy, over a romantic dinner, maybe during a lazy stroll through gentle waves along a Cape Cod beach—that it might happen sitting in a living room in South Boston amidst a clutter of wooden preschool puzzles hadn’t occurred to her once.

  “Please don’t answer right away. I want you to give it some real thought. In a logical and responsible way.”

  There was that word again. Responsible.

  He really thought she might be able to accept a marriage proposal that had only been offered out of a sense of duty. Simply gravy or icing on the cake that they happened to be physically drawn to each other. It was all so wrong.

  There was no point in telling Gianni, but she already knew her answer. She’d been living in a loveless family her whole life. She had no intention of starting her own family with a loveless marriage. Especially given that even the mere potential for developing any kind of love was completely one-sided.

  The word hadn’t so much as crossed Gianni’s lips.

  “What exactly did you have in mind?” she asked, genuinely curious about just how much thought he’d even given this whole suggestion. “That we find a justice of the peace, sign some papers and then be off on our way?”

  He gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. “That seems to be the most feasible way.”

  He really hadn’t given this much thought at all. He was asking her practically on a whim.

  He rubbed his jaw. “If it’s the thought of missing out on a wedding that you’re concerned about, I’m sure we can think of a way to throw some kind of party.”

  He thought she was worried about a lack of celebration behind their mock nuptials. Granted, they hadn’t met that long ago but she’d really thought he knew her better. That did it. For such a smart, successful man, he certainly could be rather clueless. She began to turn on her heel, at a complete loss for words when he gently took her by the forearm.

  “Whatever you decide, it won’t change anything else we talked about. I plan on being a father to this child in every way that matters.”

  At least there was that.

  “You can be as involved in his or her life as you want to be,” she reassured him. “I promise you that.”

  “Thank you,” he said simply. “Just promise me you’ll think about it. Getting married.”

  That much was an easy promise to make. No doubt, she wouldn’t be able to think of much else. She could only nod in response.

  * * *

  Gianni knew he had to give her time and some space. But it was really hard to focus on any kind of business—or anything else, for that matter. He’d been so distracted in the ring while sparring this morning he’d failed to duck a powerful right hook and currently sported a nasty bruise right below his cheekbone.

  Laney wasn’t exactly ignoring him; she responded right away to his texts and calls. But her answers were short and to the point. Bordering on curt. He had no idea if she’d given his proposal any thought whatsoever. It had been close to a week. Maybe the length of time was answer enough in itself.

  He picked up his phone with the intention of calling her for the umpteenth time that afternoon only to slip it back into his pocket. He didn’t want to pressure her in any way. But the truth was, he had to admit he missed her. An hour didn’t go by where he didn’t think about her and how she must be doing. Was their baby okay? Was she getting enough to eat?

  Weren’t pregnant women supposed to be taking some kind of vitamin regularly? He needed to be sure to ask her about that at some point. In fact, he could do so right now. For his own piece of mind, if nothing else. He pulled his phone back out and this time actually clicked on her number.

  She answered but not until so many rings passed that he was convinced he was about to land in her voice mail.

  “Hi, Gianni. Sorry, I almost didn’t hear the phone. It’s really loud here.”

  “Where are you?” And what was all that shrieking in the background? It sounded like she could be in the middle of a rowdy soccer match.

  She chuckled softly into the phone. He barely heard it. “Impromptu trip to the aquarium. Mabel had some research she needed to do before returning to school. Asked me to come along.” That explained all the noise.

  “Sounds very busy.”

  “There appear to be at least three different school field trips.”

  “Does that mean you’re having fun?”

  “Yes and no. Mabel’s been in the lab for about an hour now. At the moment, I’m admiring the jellyfish exhibit by myself.”

  He heard the shriek of a child in the background. Or maybe it was several shrieking children, he couldn’t even tell. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d visited the aquarium but he certainly remembered how loud it had been while he was there. And also the headache he’d been burdened with afterward. So he surprised himself when he asked her the next question.

  “I’m not too far from there. Want some company?”

  She paused so long that he peeked at the screen to make sure the call hadn’t disconnected somehow. When she finally answered, he could hardly hear for all the noise.

  “Sure. Why not? I’ll probably have moved on to the penguins by then. I’ll see you in a bit.” With that, she disconnected the call.

  Less than half an hour later, that’s exactly where he found her. Leaning up against the rail, staring at the variety of penguins in the faux Arctic below. A group of schoolchildren rushed by them, two very harried looking chaperones fast on their heels. Aside from the crowds and the noise, Gianni remembered the other thing he didn’t enjoy about the aquarium—the aroma in this particular area of the building.

  “Cute little guys, aren’t they?” he said, reaching her side. “If you can ignore the smell.”

  She tapped the informational plaque in front of them. “It says here some penguin species mate for life.”

  They’d be the select few. He wondered if any of the penguin pairs ever cheated. The ridiculousness of the question had him chuckling out loud.

  “What’s so funny?” Laney wanted to know.

  “Just penguins in general, I guess,” he hedged.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “What happened to your face?”

  Gianni touched a finger to the bruise on his cheek. “Nothing. Just a hazard
of my sport of choice. It’ll be fine.”

  She studied him some more but made no further comment. “Right. Should we head over to the central tank? They just announced it was feeding time.”

  That he could handle. The central tank contained large sea turtles and a few sharks. He gently took her by the elbow and led her to the circular ramp that wrapped around the Giant Ocean Tank in the middle of the building that towered over four stories. They stopped to admire a school of zebra fish that swam near the glass.

  Crowds of children bustled by them. Hard to believe that in just a few short years he’d have a school-aged child himself. He imagined visiting a place like this, the wonder it would hold for a child seeing it for the first time. The picture in his head included the woman next to him. What that meant exactly he didn’t want to examine too closely. But a nagging sensation told him he wasn’t going to be able to ignore the implication behind it much longer.

  They reached the top of the tank just as an aquarist in full scuba gear lowered herself into the water with a bucket full of fish feed. Unbelievably, the crowds were even thicker up here. How was the place so busy in the middle of the week? They were jostled more than once. Laney didn’t seem to mind. Though she’d definitely slowed down as they reached the higher floors. He couldn’t begin to imagine the toll pregnancy must take on a woman’s body.

  Laney turned suddenly to catch him staring at her. “What is it?”

  “Nothing. Just admiring you as you admire the sea life.”

  She blew out a long breath. “You shouldn’t say things like that to me, Gianni.”

  Before he could respond to ask why, she’d already turned on her heel and was heading back toward the ramp. “I think I’d like to go pet the starfish and rays now.”

  The petting area was all the way back on the first floor and was nowhere near as interesting. But he wasn’t going to argue. With a resigned sigh, he turned to follow her just as a small toddler ran smack into Laney’s thighs nearly toppling her over. Gianni reached her side just in time to catch her before she tripped over the child.