From Wedding Fling to Baby Surprise

by Nina Singh

  “What? Of course not!” How could she even think such a thing, let alone voice it out loud?

  “It’s so clear from where I’m standing.”

  Her doorbell rang before he could respond. Without a word to him, Laney threw the afghan off and went to answer it. Her cousin Mabel stood across the threshold. She threw her arms around Laney and the two women embraced in a tight hug. “I came to check on you after getting your text. Are you okay now?”

  Apparently, Laney had filled Mabel in about the afternoon’s events at some point.

  As he watched the two women, Gianni felt the muscles of his jaw clench in frustration and disappointment. Along with another hollow feeling he didn’t want to label—the only word that came to mind was hurt. How little credit she gave him. She just assumed the worst of him. At this very moment, he had documents and proposals being drawn in order to walk away from the family business once and for all. A decision he’d made in no small part because of how she’d reacted that day he told her the truth.

  The idea of marrying him and focusing on the family they could have together was so unappealing to Laney Taytum that she would rather believe he was trying to dupe her for a mere business deal.

  It was just as well Mabel had arrived. For he couldn’t stay. Not after what Laney had just accused him of. He had to get out of here.

  With a short and somewhat terse goodbye to them both, he strode out the door.

  * * *

  Laney watched the door shut behind Gianni and heard his footsteps grow fainter and fainter as he walked away. For one insane moment, she wanted to run after him. To plead with him to come back and convince her that all the things she’d just said weren’t true. To somehow prove her wrong.

  Clearly, he couldn’t do that. Or he wouldn’t have taken off in the first place.

  Well, so be it. She could do this all on her own. She knew in her heart that she was going to be a good parent, regardless of whether or not she had the child’s father with her for any kind of support. This pregnancy and the events of the past few weeks had taught her one thing: she didn’t need anyone else’s validation to prove her worth. Not her parents’ or even Gianni’s.

  So why had watching Gianni walk away hurt so sharply? How often could she be so naive when it came to one man? Here she was, once again wondering what exactly between them was real and how much of it was her simply being blind and gullible where he was concerned.

  “He certainly left in a hurry,” Mabel commented. “Hope it wasn’t because of me.”

  Maybe it was the hormones, or maybe the harrowing events of this afternoon. Or maybe it was simply the toll their argument had taken. But Laney felt a wave of emotion so powerful crest through her core that it threatened to crash with a fierceness that made her tremble. The next thing she knew, she was sobbing in her cousin’s arms.

  “Laney. What is it? I thought you said you and the baby were okay.”

  Alarm and fear rang loud and clear in Mabel’s voice. That just made Laney feel worse. “We are. I’m sorry. I should be grateful for that fact alone. And I am. I really am.”

  Mabel led her over to sofa and sat her down, yanking a few tissues from the box on the counter along the way.

  “Tell me,” she coaxed. “And then I’ll go get the mint chocolate chip from the freezer.”

  At her cousin’s prompting, the words seemed to pour out of her in a torrent. Starting with Gianni’s proposal a week ago, to the harrowing scare at the aquarium and ending with the ghastly conversation they’d just had, which led to him storming out the door with barely a goodbye. By the time she was done, her throat felt raw and sore and her breath came out in raspy gasps.

  Mabel blew out a puff of air and handed her yet another tissue. “So, let me get this straight. The man flew all the way to Italy to apologize. He took care of you when you felt unwell. Then he pointed out to you that you had an option that would make it easier for you to take some time off during your first pregnancy. Before that, he asked you to marry him. And you were upset because he didn’t do it the right way. So you accused him of trying to fool you into a sham business deal. Do I have all that straight?”

  Well, when she put it that way. “He only proposed because he felt it was the right thing to do, Mabel. When and if I accept a marriage proposal, I don’t want it to be out of a sense of duty. Maybe I’m being foolish, but I want it to be born of affection. Of love,” she added on a hiccup that sounded pathetic to her own ears.

  Mabel nodded with enthusiasm. “Oh, I definitely agree with you there.”

  “You do?”

  “Absolutely. But there’s one thing you don’t seem to be taking in mind.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Consider everything you just told me. I’d say those were definitely the actions of a man in love.”

  Laney immediately began to protest, but an inkling of doubt began to sprout like a tiny seed. What if her cousin was right and she’d just made a colossal error? “That can’t be. He’s never so much as said anything to that effect.”

  Mabel shrugged. “Sometimes actions speak louder than words. And the fact is, he’s done more than enough to show you he cares about you, coz.”

  Did Mabel have a point? A small voice in her head began to nag at her. The facts were that Gianni had agreed to pretend to be her real date for her sister’s wedding, he’d flown across the world as a way to apologize to her after upsetting her and he’d been nothing but caring and attentive after finding out she was pregnant. And she’d simply discounted all of those deeds.

  “Oh, dear. What if I’ve made a horrible mistake?”

  “I’d say that’s a distinct possibility.” Mabel gave her arm an affectionate squeeze. “We’re gonna need that ice cream.”

  Mistake. The word echoed around Laney’s head and she knew she was simply making excuses for herself. What she’d done was more than a mere error. Rather than just tell him she hadn’t changed her mind about selling her club, Laney had lashed out and accused him of selfishly trying to con her out of it.

  She’d done it because she was afraid. So afraid of loving someone who might not love her back. Someone who might walk away from her and her child and leave her heartbroken and devastated.

  So she’d lashed out. Because losing Gianni would undoubtedly shatter her.

  And somehow, she’d probably just caused the very thing she feared.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Dad wants to see you.

  ANGELO’S TEXT FLASHED on the screen of his smartphone as soon as Gianni arrived at his front door. Great. Just great. As if this day hadn’t been enough of a nightmare already. To think, Gianni had only checked his phone in case it might be Laney reaching out. How foolish of him. She’d made it quite clear what she thought about his character.

  His phone dinged once more. Angelo again.

  Expecting you in his office sometime this afternoon.

  The floating dots below the last message indicated there was more.

  I wouldn’t miss it if I were you.

  Missing it was exactly what he wanted to do. But he knew Angelo was right. The sooner he made his intentions clear to his father, the sooner he could move on. He would have his own child soon to focus on. He wanted everything squared away before the little one arrived.

  Too bad part of the resolution wouldn’t include this child being born into a family with two married parents. But that was overrated. That’s what Laney had told him, anyway. She refused to marry him and she thought he was stringing her along for the sake of his family’s company.

  He cursed out loud as he unlocked his front door and threw his keys across the hallway, not caring that they hit the wall hard enough to leave a small mark in the paint.

  He needed a good hour or two alone with a punching bag. Seeing his father was enough of a chore under the best of circumstances. When he told him what
he intended, Gianni had no doubt all hell would break loose.

  Oddly, he could hardly find the will to care.

  Two hours later, after a punishing bout with the bag and a quick shower, he made his way to the building that housed Martino Entertainment Enterprises in Boston’s Back Bay.

  His brother was there when he reached the top floor and entered Franco’s office. Angelo stood immediately and headed to the door. “I’ll leave you two to it, then.”

  “You’re welcome to stay, Angelo. This concerns you too.”

  But his brother gave a brisk shake of his head. “Oh, no. I’ve got to be somewhere else. Anywhere else.” He wasted no time walking out of the room.

  Coward, Gianni wanted to shout to Angelo’s retreating back as he left and shut the door behind him.

  His father leaned back in his chair and motioned for him to sit. “Hello, son. How is your fiancée? And the baby?”

  So they were to begin with niceties. “They’re both fine. Thanks for asking. But she’s not my fiancée. We have no intention of getting married.” Not for lack of trying on his part, but his father didn’t need to know that.

  “I see. That’s a shame. Of course, she’ll always be family now.”

  “Of course.” That much was certain. He knew his mom and dad well enough to be confident that neither would see his child as any different from Angelo’s kids. For all their faults, he appreciated their loyalty. Even if his father’s had come at a cost to him personally, the way he’d never felt as if he belonged.

  But this was not the time. It was best to get right to the matter at hand. Gianni pulled out a chair and sat down, loosening his tie in the process.

  “I’m glad you called me in to talk.”

  “Do you know why I did?” his father asked.

  Now that the question had been asked, Gianni had to admit he wasn’t quite sure. He knew why he needed to speak to his father. But why had Franco insisted on seeing him today?

  His father took his silence as an answer. “I’ve been hearing rumors.”

  “What kind of rumors?”

  “That you’ve made moves to try and remove yourself as a VP of this company. That you’re looking to buy the fitness division and run it independently.”

  He should have known Franco Martino would be one step ahead of him. He shouldn’t have forgotten the wide network of associates and acquaintances Franco enjoyed. “I thought it might be prudent for me to take such steps.”

  His father waved an arm in dismissal. “You can’t buy something you already own, son. This company belongs to you and your brother. I’m looking forward to retiring soon and traveling the world with your mother. She says she’s tired of waiting.”

  Gianni would believe his dad was ready to retire when he saw it with his own eyes. But his mom was a strong woman; her influence with her husband was a force in itself. For all its trials and tribulations over the years, their marriage had somehow held. Gianni couldn’t figure out how for the life of him.

  Franco leaned over the desk, bracing his arms. “You are part of this family. You have had tremendous success growing the fitness and gyms branch of Martino Entertainment Enterprises.”

  He had to clear his throat before he could answer—a sudden lump of emotion had lodged at the bottom of his Adam’s apple. “Thank you for saying that.”

  “Gianni, you are my son. Nothing will ever change that.”

  Gianni let the words sink in, fully and deeply. His whole life, he’d led himself to believe Franco tolerated him for the sake of the woman he loved. But maybe it was more than that. Maybe too much had been left unspoken until now.

  Maybe his father had loved him all along. He’d just never been able to say it. “I understand, sir.”

  And he really did. Finally. Amazing the damage unspoken words could cause.

  “Good,” Franco said with a finality that made it clear he would say no more on the matter. “No more of this spin-off nonsense. Tell your lady she can hold on to her club if that’s what she desires.” He reached for the file lying on his desk and opened it. “Tell your brother to come back in here on your way out. I don’t understand these numbers he’s given me.”

  * * *

  Gianni didn’t bother to knock on his brother’s door before strolling into his office. His mind was a jumbled-up mess. Between the revealing talk with his father just now and the heated conversation with Laney earlier, he felt disquieted and unsettled. For all the teasing and mocking insults between them, his brother had always been a good sounding board. Gianni figured he could use one of that right about now.

  “When was the last time you bought me dinner?” he asked unceremoniously as he entered the room. “I’m feeling kind of hungry.”

  Angelo reached inside his desk drawer and pulled out a granola bar that he threw in Gianni’s direction. He caught it with one hand and rolled his eyes.

  “Never mind dinner,” his brother said. “How did it go with the old man just now?”

  “Fine. I think. I believe he just told me, in not so many words, that he cares for me.”

  Angelo scoffed. “That’s it? You mean to tell me you two were having some sort of greeting-card moment? Here I thought it was something important.”

  His brother was doing all he could to make light of the situation, but Gianni could tell by his tone that both men realized the import of what had just transpired in their father’s office. “He may have also saved me from pursuing an objective I didn’t need to pursue after all.”

  Angelo lifted one eyebrow. “Yeah? Might this pursuit have had anything to do with the young lady who happens to be carrying your child?”

  “It might. But it hardly matters now. We’re having a disagreement about whether she should marry me or not.”

  “A disagreement, huh? What? She didn’t like the ring or something?”

  Gianni chuckled. “I never actually got her a ring. Wanted to see what she’d say first.”

  “You seem to have it backward, bro. Sounds like a pretty lame proposal. No wonder she disagrees.”

  “It’s not like that. Not about the ring.”

  Angelo leaned back and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I have no doubt it isn’t.”

  “She just doesn’t seem to want to see what’s obvious.”

  His brother tilted his head. “What’s so obvious?”

  “That she and I make a good team. That we can parent this baby as a united couple. She doesn’t realize that I happen to have fallen in—”

  He stopped short. Whoa. Where had that thought come from? But he couldn’t deny it. He loved Laney Taytum. He didn’t even know when it had happened. He may have been well on his way the first night he met her.

  “You need to tell her, bro,” Angelo said. “The sooner the better.”

  His brother was right. He’d gone about it all wrong. How foolish and arrogant he must have sounded. Gianni had to let Laney know exactly how he felt. He had to tell her that he wanted to marry her because he loved her. And he had to ask her if she thought she might love him in return. Once and for all, they needed to get all of it out in the open.

  He was through letting words left unspoken navigate the direction of his life.

  * * *

  Laney looked up in alarm as a car pulled up to the parking lot and Louise Miller got out. She was quickly followed by three others. The regular Saturday morning exercise crew. This was not good.

  “Uh, Mabel? Did you forget to cancel the Zumba class? It looks like people are arriving ready to work out.” Which would be a disaster. She was in no shape to do any kind of fitness instruction. Her recent bouts with morning sickness had had her knocked off her feet for a good part of the early day.

  What she wouldn’t give for a strong cup of coffee. She desperately missed caffeine and hadn’t been sleeping well the past couple of nights. Ever since the
momentous conversation with Gianni. She had to find a way to say she was sorry. That she should have never doubted him. It was probably going to be the hardest apology she’d ever delivered.

  But right now she had a more immediately pressing matter. Louise and the rest of the group were making their way inside. “Mabel?”

  Mabel looked up from stacking the clean glasses behind the bar. “Oh, did I forget to mention? I was told not to cancel the class, after all.”

  That made no sense. “Who would have told you that?” And why would Mabel have taken direction from anyone but her? “I’m in no condition to run a Zumba class right now.”

  Mabel simply smiled at her. “Oh, I know. It’s not Zumba. And you won’t be running the class.”

  Before she could delve into that mystery, another familiar car pulled into the lot. Laney’s heart did a somersault inside her chest when Gianni stepped out of the driver’s side. Wearing sports shorts and a gray cotton T-shirt, he looked sexier than any man should dressed in simple shorts and a tee.

  “Gianni’s holding class today,” Mabel explained behind her, as if that made any kind of sense.

  “Why would he do that?”

  “He called me last night. Said he wanted to help out a bit around here. We talked about what a shame it would be if you had to cancel your Saturday classes as the pregnancy progressed.”

  Laney wouldn’t have been more surprised if Mabel had just told her that she’d purchased a unicorn and planned to go live with it in a castle in the clouds. Her jaw didn’t seem to want to close.

  “Gianni is going to teach an aerobics class to cover for me in my club?”

  Mabel rolled her eyes. “Of course not. That would be silly.”

  Right. As if Laney was the one being silly right now. “He’s going to teach a cardio kickboxing class, of course. I notified all the attendees who signed up about the change.”