He nodded.
“I can’t imagine losing Dino’s mother the way you did,” she said.
“It was horrific, but what would have made it worse was to lose Dino, too.”
She shook her head. “Was there no warning?”
“Yes. A crack, like the loudest thunder you’ve ever heard in your life. It shook the ground and reverberated throughout the entire valley. I knew what it meant because I’d lived through several avalanches both in France and Austria.
“In an instant I picked up Dino and shouted to Catarina that we had to get off the mountain now. But we still couldn’t move out of the way fast enough. This one came shooting down with the speed of sound and swallowed everything before you could even think. We were buried alive and I had to swim through it, trying to hold on to Dino.
“The ski patrol had to dig down through ten feet to find my wife’s body. I’d swum near the top of the cascading snow with Dino in order to ride it out. There was no way I could have found her.”
Gabi shuddered. “No wonder he has nightmares.”
“He’s not the only one.”
She reached out to touch his arm. “Edda heard about it on the news and said Dino got injured.”
“That’s right. Somehow the tip of my ski pole punctured his scalp.”
“Oh, Luca—I can’t believe it.”
“Neither could I. You probably know the rest. The wound healed, but the X-rays they took showed a tumor of all things and another nightmare began. The doctor felt it best to wait for an operation until he turned seven.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know why some people are forced to live through so much tragedy. I can’t comprehend it. Edda told me it made the world news for days, but that was at the time when I was going through a divorce and wasn’t aware of anything else.”
“Which is understandable.”
“There are degrees of pain, Luca. Yours has to be the worst. I’m so sorry for what happened to you. Your poor families. All the agony and suffering you’ve gone through while you’ve been waiting for Dino to have the operation.”
He covered her hand still touching his arm. “You’ve been through agony, too. My friend Giles, a ski buddy, got divorced recently. He said it’s worse than death.”
“It felt that way to me, too, at first, but no longer.”
“Ever since Dino told me you’d been married, I’ve wanted to ask you about it, but we haven’t had time alone to talk like this before now. My son would monopolize your time every second if he could. Half the time I have to fight to get a word in.”
She laughed.
“He said you’d wanted children.”
“I did. What I didn’t tell him was that I had a miscarriage before I learned Santos had been unfaithful to me.”
“Gabi—” He reached across the seat to cup her neck. “I had no idea.”
“We’d only been married ten months, but it didn’t matter. I filed for divorce and moved back with my mother.”
“You’ve had so much pain with his betrayal, I don’t know how you’ve survived it. I want to hear more, but if you look out the window right now, you’ll see our time is up because it appears school has ended.”
Luca had been so involved in their conversation, the boys had almost reached them without his being aware of anything. Quickly he levered himself from the driver’s seat. But Dino only had eyes for their visitor.
“Gabi—”
She got out and was almost knocked over by the hug he gave her. “I thought I’d come and surprise you. This must be Paolo.”
“Buongiorno, signora.”
Dino’s friend, who was an inch shorter with chestnut-colored hair, was on his best behavior for the moment, but he could get rambunctious. His mother must have had a talk with him. Luca could only wonder how long it would last.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Paolo. I’ve heard you’re a good swimmer. I can’t wait to watch both of you in the water one day.”
Trust Gabi to say something to make everyone feel better. There was no one like her.
“Papà says I swim like a tadpole.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me, Dino.”
Luca put a hand on their shoulders. “What do you say we get in the car and go home for lunch.”
“Cook is making us pizza!” Dino announced as they drove home.
Gabi looked over her shoulder. “We have some special snacks for Paolo, don’t we, Dino?”
Luca started to chuckle. He couldn’t help it.
Nonstop commentary continued from the backseat to the villa. Once Dino dragged Gabi’s suitcase into the house, they all headed for the bathroom to wash up. Then they sat down at the table to eat.
Halfway through the meal Luca’s phone rang. He’d told his secretary not to call unless it was an emergency. Maybe it was his mother. When he checked the caller ID, it surprised him to see that Dr. Meuller was phoning. For some reason it unnerved him. The neurosurgeon was supposed to be in Kenya right now.
Luca looked at Gabi, who eyed him with concern. “Excuse me. I’ve got to take this call, but I’ll be right back.”
After getting up from the table, he hurried into the living room and clicked On. “Dr. Meuller?”
“Hello, Luca. How is my patient?”
“Remarkably well all things considered.” All of it due to Gabi.
“That’s good news. I have some, too. My work here in Nairobi finished up sooner than I’d anticipated. What I’d like to do is move up Dino’s operation a week. Would that be possible for you?”
His hand tightened on the phone. “You mean this coming Saturday?”
“This Friday actually. You’ll have to be at the hospital by six in the morning.”
That was the day after tomorrow!
CHAPTER SEVEN
“IF THAT WON’T work for you, I understand. I haven’t given you much notice.”
“No, no. I’m thrilled with this news. The sooner you remove that tumor, the sooner my son won’t get those headaches anymore. We’ll be there Friday morning on the dot.”
“Excellent. I’ll make all the arrangements so the staff is ready for you when you check in.”
“Thank you, Doctor. See you soon.”
Luca hung up in a daze. After two years, the operation they’d been waiting for was really going to happen! He needed to inform his work that he was going to be out of the office for an unknown period of time. Before the day was out, Dino’s teacher would have to be told he might not be back to school until after the new year. The doctor couldn’t give him a timetable for a full recovery. Luca refused to believe Dino wouldn’t be cured.
But most important of all, he had to tell Gabi what was happening and ask—beg her if necessary—to take the time off to be with them. Luca would call Edda Romano and explain why it was so vital Gabi had to be there for Dino. Luca couldn’t imagine getting through this experience without her.
He knew it was a lot to ask. Too much. Luca realized it depended on how much she loved Dino. She did love him. Luca had seen it and felt it in a dozen ways.
After calling his mother, who would alert Maria and Tomaso that the timetable for the operation had changed, he phoned the school to leave a message with Dino’s teacher. Once he’d hung up, he followed the children’s excited voices to the family room. Gabi was playing charades with them, acting out a movie or book title. She exchanged a secret glance with Luca while he stood there and watched for a few minutes.
What would life be like a week from today? A month? He didn’t have an answer for that. What he did know was that there would be a huge change and he had to be ready for it no matter what. If Gabi only knew she was the magic dust to help them navigate through the uncharted section of their universe.
They played a few more
charades before she said, “You’re both tied for first place! Dino? If you’ll bring my suitcase in here, I have prizes to give out.”
“Evviva!” He was off and back like a shot.
“Put it here on the couch.”
The boys clustered around her as she opened the lid and pulled out two Christmas-wrapped boxes the size of a big game. They took up most of the suitcase. At this point, Luca’s excitement to see what she’d brought them was greater than theirs.
Within seconds they’d ripped off the paper and out flew twin Roman gladiator outfits: brown tunics, arm shields, armor, swords, daggers, axes and helmets with red gladiator feathers on top. But there was more. Each box contained a bag of fifty small Roman soldiers so they could play war.
No doubt about it. She’d broken the bank with these gifts. Luca didn’t need to remind his son to thank her.
Dino flung himself at her and clung. “Ti amo, Gabi.” The love in his voice was so tangible, you could pick it up where it had dripped onto the area rug covering the slate tiles. Paolo lifted a beaming face to her. “Grazie mille, Gabi.”
She gave them both a hug. “I want you to get dressed up so I can take your pictures.” While they hustled to do her bidding, she pulled the phone out of her pocket and started snapping photos.
“Woo-hoo!” she cried out. “You guys look terrific. Why don’t you run to the kitchen? Pia and Ines won’t know who you are.”
“Come on!” Dino called to Paolo, and they ran out of the family room holding their weapons.
She turned to Luca. “Now that they’re gone for a minute, tell me what caused that sudden dark expression to break out on your face earlier.”
Gabi didn’t miss much. “It was Dr. Meuller.”
Her eyes grew anxious. “Is something wrong?”
“No. But he has come home sooner than planned and is going to do the operation on Friday morning.”
“This Friday?” she murmured, visibly shocked.
“It means he has to be there by six in the morning.” He had trouble swallowing. “Gabi—”
“I know what you’re going to say,” she interrupted him. “For the operation to happen this soon instead of a week from now, naturally you’re facing this moment you’ve been worrying sick over and now it’s become real.”
Grim lines broke out on his face. “Anything could go wrong. Dino’s life could be altered. He might not be able to have the normal life I’ve wanted for him, or worse.”
“Don’t go there, Luca.”
Without thinking what he was doing, he reached for her and pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her hair. “I can’t do this without you.”
She lifted her head and stared into his eyes. “You won’t have to. Don’t worry. I’ll talk to Edda. She’ll understand I have to be here for him. I want to be here for him and you. I love him.”
“There’s no doubt how he feels about you. His declaration moments ago said it all.”
“He’s so precious.”
“So are you,” Luca whispered against her lips before urging them apart. He needed this more than he needed air to breathe and started drinking from her mouth. He’d been waiting to know this kind of rapture again. Her passionate response only fueled his hunger. His world reeled as her body melted into his like she was made for him. He couldn’t resist caressing her back and womanly hips, unable to get enough of this marvelous, giving woman.
Gabi must have heard the patter of feet before he did. By the time the boys burst into the family room, she’d eased herself away from him. But her breath was coming in short spurts and her lips looked swollen.
She could tell the shape he was in and had the presence of mind to start cleaning up the wrapping paper strewn over the rug. “Did you scare Ines?”
“No, but Pia screamed.”
Both Luca and Gabi laughed. “Come on over to the table and set up your army, ragazzi. Then we’ll have a great war.”
“Si!” they shouted in a collective voice.
Luca decided she could have been the original Pied Piper. When they were all ready to play, she eyed Dino. “Why don’t you give Paolo a snack.”
Dino flashed her an impish grin that caught at Luca’s heart. His son hurried over to the bookcase with the red feathers bobbing on the top of his helmet. Then he put the open box of chocolate insects next to his friend. A few were missing.
“Cioccolato!” Paolo bit into one of the worms. “Mmm. It’s pretty good.”
When he’d eaten it, Dino broke down laughing. “Look what he did, Papà.”
Luca nodded. “Don’t you think it’s time you had one, too? Gabi was so nice to bring them.”
“I know.”
“Gladiators loved them,” she teased. “But it doesn’t matter if you don’t want one.”
To his surprise her gentle goading forced Dino to reach for a worm and eat it. There was nothing like a little peer pressure, too.
Gabi clapped. “Bravo!”
“Hey—that wasn’t bad.”
Thanks to Gabi, this was a great victory for Dino. Luca was proud of him and hoped it was a good omen to overcome his fear for the operation.
The boys settled down to a game of war, then everyone got busy finishing the building blocks project. This was followed by a game of cops and robbers. By then dinner was ready. After they’d eaten, Paolo’s parents came to get him. Already it was dark out.
Everyone assembled at the front door. “I had the best time of my life!” he told his mother, still dressed in his costume.
No surprise there. He sounded just like Dino.
Paolo looked at Gabi. “Are you going to be here again?”
“Yes!” Dino answered for her. “Ciao, Paolo.”
“Ciao, Dino. Thanks for the gladiator game, Gabi.”
“You’re so welcome. See you again soon.”
“Ciao, Signor Berettini.”
After Luca shut the door, they went back to the family room to clean up everything. Luca eyed his happy son, who was still dressed in his costume. It had been another perfect day. “Guess what?”
“I know. I have to get ready for bed.” They started up the stairs. “I wish you didn’t have to go back to Padova in the morning.”
“We’ve had this discussion before, figlio mio. Come on. I’ll run your bath.”
* * *
Gabi took advantage of the time to freshen up in the guest bedroom. Then she called her mother to tell her about the change in plans for Dino.
“I need to phone Edda and tell her what’s happened, but I think I’m just going to stay here until the operation is over. I’ve packed enough things to last me for a few days. It seems ridiculous to drive all the way home for more clothes just to come back again.”
“I agree. While you’re in Padova for the operation, you can drop by the house for anything else you need. If you want my opinion, this time change for the operation is a good thing.”
“I know it is. Luca has been on a countdown for too long.”
“The situation has been hard on you, too, darling.”
“You can hardly compare two weeks of worry to two years.” She let out a deep sigh. “Today he told me about the avalanche. It was so horrific, I don’t know how he has functioned since. He’s a remarkable man, Mamma.”
She shared some of things she’d learned with her mother. “I’d love to talk longer, but I need to get in touch with Edda.”
“Go ahead and call her. We’ll stay in close touch.”
“I love you. Thank you for always being there.”
She hung up and phoned her boss. Edda answered and was absolutely wonderful about everything. “That child needs you to cling to. Your presence will represent all of us from the foundation. You know our prayers will be with him, his doctor, his father
and everyone who loves him.”
“Thank you, Edda. I’ll say it again. You’re a saint. Buona notte. I’ll keep you posted around the clock.”
Gabi got off the phone and was reduced to tears. The relief of knowing the operation was coming a week sooner had opened the floodgates. She loved Dino like he was her own son.
For so long she felt like she’d been walking on eggshells, trying to do the right thing, hoping she didn’t say or do the wrong thing. And all the time she’d been falling hopelessly in love with Luca, who was facing an uncertain future once the operation was over. Gabi’s future was uncertain, too. The fear of losing Luca once everything was over had grabbed hold of her.
After forcing herself to calm down, she went into the bathroom once more to wash her face and brush her hair. Then she hurried down the hall to Dino’s bedroom. The door was open. Luca sat on the side of the bed while his son knelt to finish saying his prayers. “...and please bless Edda that she’ll let Gabi have a vacation.”
After hearing his heartfelt plea, Gabi tiptoed in the room and sat down next to Luca, who put his arm around her waist, filling her with warmth. When Dino lifted his head, she said, “I just talked to Edda.”
“You did?”
“Yes. She’s giving me time off so I can spend it with you.”
“When?”
“Starting right now.”
He blinked. “For how long?”
Luca squeezed her side. “For as long as you need me.”
“So you don’t have to leave?”
“No. How does that sound?”
She could tell it was a lot for him to take in. He looked at his father. “What do you think, Papà?”
“I think it sounds wonderful.”
“So do I!” He leaped to his feet and threw his arms around her neck.
Luca stood up. “You still have to go to school in the morning,” he reminded him. “Come on. Climb under the covers.”
Gabi smiled down at him. “I liked Paolo.”
“More than me?”
“What do you mean, more than you?” She tickled him until he was laughing. “I couldn’t love any boy the way I love you. Now it’s time to go to sleep. See you in the morning.”
The Magnate's Holiday Proposal Page 9