After more silence he said, “I’ll wait until she leaves. Surely that isn’t asking too much. I swear on my mother’s grave she’ll never know you told me anything.”
Still more silence. He started naming hospitals while holding his breath at the same time. Halfway down the list she winked. His body sagged with relief. San Marco Hospital, five miles away in Lanz. Near the airport and several luxury hotels. It all fit.
“Bless you, Angelina. One day soon you’ll know my gratitude with a bonus that will set you up for life.”
As she rushed away, he phoned his personal driver. “Giovanni?”
“Congratulations on your son, Your Highness.”
“Thank you. I need you to perform a special service for me immediately.”
“Anything.”
He’d been doing a lot of undercover services for Vincenzo since the pregnancy. “I hope you mean that. My red sportscar is yours if you do as I say.”
His driver laughed. Giovanni came from a poor family.
“You think I’m kidding?”
“You are serious?”
“Do as I say and you’ll find out. I want you to round up all your cousins pronto and have them drive to San Marco Hospital in Lanz. Signorina Loretto is there recovering from the delivery. She’s being watched by her father’s security people. Fortunately they don’t know your cousins.
“I want them to cover all the hospital exits leading outside. She’ll be leaving there by private limousine. I suspect it will happen by this evening if not sooner. When your cousins spot the limousine, they’ll follow and report to you when her limo reaches its destination, which I believe will be a hotel, possibly the Splendido or the Moreno. Then you’ll phone me and drive me there. Any questions?”
“No, Your Highness. You can count on me.”
“There’s a healthy bonus waiting for each of them. My life depends on your finding her, Giovanni.”
“Capisci.”
Vincenzo hung up and hurried down to the nursery to spend time with his precious son before his father and sister arrived. He had to stop Abby from leaving the country. If she got away, he’d track her down, but it would be much more difficult with the baby. He wanted her here. Now!
He played with his baby and took pictures with his phone. While the family took turns inspecting the new arrival, he took a catnap. Bianca and Valentino would be flying in tomorrow morning.
At five in the afternoon, his phone rang. He saw the caller ID and picked up. “Giovanni?”
“We’ve done as you asked. She was driven to the Moreno under heavy guard.”
“I’ll be right down.” After telling Marcello his life wouldn’t be worth living if he told anyone where Vincenzo was going, he put on sunglasses and rushed down to the limo in a Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts, sandals and a droopy straw hat.
Giovanni took off like a rocket. “You look like all the rich American businessmen walking around the gardens. No one would recognize you in a million years, Your Highness,” he said through the speaker.
He bit down hard. “If I can make it to her room before someone stops me, it won’t matter.”
* * *
Carlo had made Abby comfortable on the couch in their hotel suite. This would be their home for a few more days before they left the country. The painkillers they’d given her were working.
“Is there anything you want, honey?”
She kept watching the news on TV to see Vincenzo and the baby. “Would you mind picking up a few magazines for me to look at?”
“I’ll get them. Anything else?”
“A bag of dark chocolate bocci balls and a pack of cashews.” She’d been starving for foods she couldn’t eat during the pregnancy. They wouldn’t take away her depression, but she needed to give in to her cravings for some sweets or she’d never make it through the next few days.
“I’ll have to go down the street for those.”
“Dad—take your time. I’m fine and you need a break. Thank you.”
A few minutes after Abby’s father left, there was a knock on the door. “Room service.”
She hadn’t ordered anything, but maybe her father had. “Come in.”
“Grazie, Signorina.”
Abby knew that deep male voice and started to tremble. She turned her head in his direction, afraid she was hallucinating on the medicine. The sight she saw was so incredible, she burst into laughter and couldn’t stop.
Vincenzo walked around the couch to stand in front of her. “What do you think?” he asked with a grin, showing those gorgeous white teeth in that gorgeous smile. “Would you recognize me on the street?”
She shook her head. “Take off the glasses.” She was still laughing.
He flung them away and hunkered down next to her. His eyes blazed black fire. “Do you know me now?”
Her heart flew to her throat. “Wh-what are you doing here? How did you find me?”
“You’d be surprised what I had to go through. Giovanni’s my man when I need him. Did you really think I was going to let you go?”
Tears stung her eyes. “Don’t do this, Vincenzo.”
“Do what? Come to see the woman who has changed my entire life?”
She looked away. “You have a beautiful son now. We had an agreement.”
“I hate agreements when they don’t give me the advantage.”
Abby couldn’t help chuckling, despite her chaotic emotions. “Is he wonderful?”
“I’ll let you decide.” He pulled out his cell phone to show her the roll of pictures.
“Oh, Vincenzo—he’s adorable!”
He put the phone on the floor. “So are you. I love you, heart and soul, Abby.”
The next thing she knew, his hands slid to her shoulders and he covered her mouth with his own. The driving force of his kiss pressed her head back against the pillow. His hunger was so shocking in its intensity a moan escaped her throat in surrender.
A dam had burst as they drank deeper and deeper, but Abby’s need for him was out of control. She had no thought of holding back. She couldn’t.
“For all my sins, I love and want you to the depth of my being, Vincenzo, but you already know that, don’t you? I tried not to love you, but it didn’t work. Everything your sister said to me that day in the drawing room was true.”
His lips roved with increased urgency over her features and down the side of her neck to her throat. “I fell for you years ago when you almost drowned, but I would never admit it to myself because a relationship with you was out of the question. No matter how hard I tried not to think about you, you were there, everywhere I looked. You’re in my blood, bellissima.”
They kissed back and forth, each one growing more passionate. “It seems like I’ve been waiting for this all my life,” she admitted when he let her up for breath.
“We’ve paid the price for our forbearance, but that time is over. I’m not letting you go.”
Abby groaned aloud and tore her lips from his. “I can’t stay in Arancia.”
“There’s no such word in my vocabulary. Not anymore.”
“She’s right, Vincenzo.”
Her father had just walked in the hotel room, carrying some bags. Her breath caught as she eyed him over Vincenzo’s shoulder.
“Carlo.” He pressed another kiss to her mouth and got to his feet. “I’m glad you’re here so I can ask your permission to marry Abby. She’s my heart’s blood.”
Rarely in her life had she seen her father look defeated. He put the bags on the table and stared at the two of them.
“I don’t want an affair with her. I want her for my wife. Since you and I met when I was eighteen, you can’t say you don’t know me well enough.”
Her father moved closer. “That’s certainly true.” He looked
at Abby. “Is this what you want?”
“Yes.” Her answer was loud and instantaneous.
Vincenzo reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I have no idea if the parliament will allow my marriage to a commoner and still let me remain crown prince. If not, then I don’t intend to be in line for the crown and my sister will take over when the time comes.”
“Are you prepared to be the targets of malicious gossip for the rest of your lives?”
“If necessary we’ll move to the States with our son. He is our son. One way or another, she and I have been in communication whether in person or skyping. Max is every bit a part of her as he is of me and Michelina.”
Carlo swallowed hard.
“I love Abby the way you loved your wife. The state you were in when you lost her altered my view of what a real marriage could be. If Abby leaves me, I’ll be as lost as you were.”
Vincenzo was speaking to her father’s heart. She could tell he’d gotten to him.
“I know the king’s feelings on the subject, Vincenzo. He was hoping you would follow after him.”
“I was hoping I would fall in love with Michelina. But we don’t always get what we hope for. If it’s any consolation, Gianna always wished she’d been born a boy so she’d be first in line. She’ll make a great ruler when the day comes.”
“Are you two prepared to face the wrath of your mother-in-law?”
Vincenzo glanced at Abby. “We’ll deal with her. When she sees Michelina’s likeness in Max, her heart will melt. I know she’ll secretly be full of gratitude to Abby, who put her life on the line for Michelina and me to give her a grandson.”
“Dad?” Abby’s eyes pleaded with him. “What do you think Mom would say if she were here?”
He let out a strange sound. “She always did say it was sinful that Prince Vincenzo had been born with every physical trait and virtue any red-blooded woman could want. Since she loved films so much, she would probably say yours is one of the greatest love stories of this generation and should be made into a movie. Then she’d give you her blessing, as I give you mine.”
“Carlo...”
Vincenzo was as moved as Abby, who broke down weeping. He finally cleared his throat. “I want her to move back into the palace tonight in her old room until we’re married. Max needs his mother tonight, not a nanny or a nurse.”
“In that case a quiet, private marriage in the palace chapel needs to be arranged within a week or two. Just as soon as you’ve talked to the king.”
“I don’t want you to take that job back in Rhode Island, Dad.”
He broke into a happy smile. “Since I’m going to be a grandpa, I guess I’m stuck here.”
“That’ll be music to my father’s ears.” Vincenzo put his hands on his hips. “Do you feel well enough for the trip back to the palace now?” he asked Abby.
She stared at him. “I feel so wonderful, I’m floating. I want to see our baby.”
“Do what you need to do while I help your father get everything packed up. Then we’ll go out to my limo for the drive back.”
“I’ll just run to the restroom and grab my purse.” Except she walked slowly and looked back at Vincenzo. “I’m waddling like a goose.”
His laughter resonated off the walls.
In a few minutes she was ready. When she came back into the room, she found he’d donned his hat and sunglasses. When she thought he would take hold of her hand, he picked her up like a bride, as if she were weightless.
“You and I have done things differently than most of the world. Now we’re about to cross the threshold the other way.”
“And me looking such a mess.” She didn’t have on makeup and her hair hung loose, without being brushed.
“You’re the most beautiful sight I ever saw in my life.” He gave her a husband’s kiss, hot with desire.
“So are you,” she murmured, resting her head against his shoulder.
Her father opened the door. “The men have the hallway closed off to the exit. Let’s go.”
* * *
After leaving his stunned father and sister in the king’s private living room, where he’d announced he was getting married, Vincenzo headed for the nursery. He found Max sleeping and gathered him in his arms. The nanny left for Abby’s apartment, wheeling the bassinet on its rollers down the hall. He followed and carried his son through the corridors of the palace. One day their little boy would run on these marble floors.
The staff all wanted to steal a look at Max, but Vincenzo was careful not to let them get too close. Dr. DeLuca had warned him to keep Max away from people during the next few weeks. He found Abby on top of the bed with her eyes closed. After fifteen hours in labor, she had to be exhausted. She was wearing a blue nightgown and robe and had fastened her gilt hair back at the nape.
Their nanny put the bassinet with everything they would need to one side of the queen-size bed and left the apartment. Since both were asleep, Vincenzo put the baby in the little crib on his back. Then he got on the other side of the bed and lay down facing Abby.
It felt so marvelous to put his arm around her. He’d wanted to do this on the yacht and had been aching for her ever since. While she slept he studied the exquisite oval mold of her face. Her lips had the most luscious curve. He had to pinch himself this was really happening. To have his heart’s desire like this was all he could ever ask of life.
Abby sighed and started to turn, but must have felt the weight of Vincenzo’s arm. Her eyes flickered open.
“Good evening, Sleeping Beauty.” The famous fairy-tale character had nothing on his bride-to-be.
Her eyes looked dazed. “How long have you been here?”
“Just a little while. Viene qui tesoro.” She was his darling.
He pulled her closer and began kissing her. Abby’s response was more thrilling than anything he’d ever dreamed about the two of them. Vincenzo had promised himself to be careful with her. The kind of intimacy he longed for wouldn’t happen until her six-week checkup, but he already knew she was an exciting lover.
They didn’t need words right now. There’d been enough words expressed to last months, years. The kind of rapture they derived from each other had to come from touch, from her fragrance, from the sounds of her breathing when she grew excited, from the way she fit in his arms as if she were made for him. She was the fire, giving off life-giving warmth. He couldn’t get close enough.
In the throes of ecstasy, he heard newborn sounds coming from the other side of the bed. He planted one more kiss to her throat. “Someone’s waking up and wants to meet his mama.”
With reluctance, he rolled away from her and walked around to the crib. “I’ve got a surprise for you, piccolo, but let’s change your diaper first.” Practice made perfect.
Abby sat up higher on the bed, her eyes glued to the baby he placed in her arms. “Oh—” she crooned, bending over to kiss his face. “You darling little thing. You’re already a kicker, aren’t you? I’ve been feeling your father’s legs for several months and thought you had to be a boy. Are you hungry? Is that why you’re getting all worked up?” Her soft laughter thrilled Vincenzo’s heart.
He handed her a bottle. She knew what to do. It fascinated him to watch her feed him as if she’d been doing it every day. A mother’s instinct. Deep down he knew she’d been thinking about it from the moment she found out she was pregnant.
“Give him about two ounces, then burp him. Here’s a cloth.”
What took him awhile to learn she seemed to know instinctively. When she raised Max to her shoulder, their little boy cooperated and they both chuckled. She raised a beaming face to him. “I’m too happy.”
“I know what you mean,” he murmured emotionally.
“I hope you realize I wanted to talk about the baby for the whole nine months, but I didn
’t dare.”
“You think I don’t understand?” He sat down on the side of the bed next to her and watched a miracle happening before his eyes. “We’ll take care of Max all night and feed him every time he wakes up.”
“I can’t wait to bathe him in the morning. I want to examine every square inch of him.”
Vincenzo leaned over to kiss her irresistible mouth. “Once the doctor gives you the go-ahead, I’m going to do the same thing to you.”
Blood rushed to her cheeks. “Darling—”
* * *
Abby had just put the baby down in the nursery when her cell phone rang. She hurried out of the room, clutching her robe around her, and slipped back in the bedroom she shared with her husband to answer it. “Carolena!”
“You’re a sly one.”
Her heart pounded in anxiety. “I was just going to call you. I guess the news is officially out.”
“Out? It’s alive and has gone around the world. I’ve got the Arancian morning news in front of my eyes. I quote, ‘Crown Prince Vincenzo Di Laurentis marries commoner surrogate mother Abigail Sanderson Loretto in private chapel ceremony with only members of the immediate family in attendance. The question of the prince stepping down is still being debated by the parliament.
‘The twenty-eight-year-old first-time mother, an American citizen born in Rhode Island, attained Arancian citizenship six years ago. At present she’s an avvocata with Faustino, Ruggeri, Duomo and Tonelli.
‘Her father, Carlo Antonio Loretto, a native of Arancia who served in the Arancian Embassy in Washington, D.C., for a time, is chief of security for the royal palace. His American-born wife, Holly Sanderson Loretto, is deceased due to a tragic sailboat accident eleven years ago on the Mediterranean.
‘Prince Maximilliano Guilio Cavelli Di Laurentis, the son of deceased Princess Michelina Agostino Cavelli of the Kingdom of Gemelli, is second in line to the throne.
‘The spokesman for the palace reports that Prince Vincenzo’s wife and child are doing well.’”
Abby gripped the phone tighter. “This day had to come, the one the three of us talked about a year ago, when I first met with Michelina and Vincenzo. But I didn’t know then that she would die.” Her voice throbbed before breaking down in tears.
Expecting the Prince's Baby (Harlequin RomancePrinces of Europe) Page 15