“You do that. Now, how can I help you?”
“How much are these, Ellie?” Lily lifts one of the trays.
“Um… they aren’t for sale, I’m afraid. They’re there to display the décor that is for sale.” Ellie pushes her glasses back up her nose.
“That’s a shame.” My face falls. Damn. I already pictured them on the couch. And now I want them. “Can I persuade you to sell them?”
Ellie laughs. “Well, I can’t sell them. But… a well-known Swedish furnishing house does.”
“Ikea? I’ve never seen them there before. What are these called?”
“You go to Ikea?” Lily’s eyes open wide.
“Hey, I’m not a snob.” I frown at her.
“Sorry. You aren’t. It’s just, your family has so much money….”
“I like Ikea. They have cute accessories. And I like their food. So, where can I find the trays?” I turn back to Ellie.
“It’s actually a life hack. They’re pull-out trays. I use the little felt stickers that you put underneath furniture to protect your floor to hide the drill holes. If you turn them around, you can see them, but I always turn this side to the back, so no one recognizes them. You can buy similar trays that are actual trays, but those are expensive, and my budget isn’t that big.”
“That’s brilliant. I love your shop, Ellie. You’re a clever businesswoman.” She blushes and pushes her glasses back up. I turn back to the trays and let my hand glide over the smooth surface. “I really want them. What do you think about a trip to Ikea later, Lily?”
“Maybe we should call Tyler and Matt to take us there. It’s crowded, and you’re all over the news these days.”
I frown. I hate that I can’t go out like an average person and buy stuff. Matt didn’t want me going shopping with Lily today and was only satisfied when Tyler told him Ellie’s shop was a safe place and not crowded at all. In Rome, I knew how to hide from paparazzi. In Boston, I haven’t found ways around them yet.
“I need to go to Ikea anyway today,” Ellie chimes in. “If you tell me how many you need, I’ll buy them and either have them delivered to your address or you can pick them up here.”
“Thank you, Ellie. That’ll be awesome. Please have them delivered.” I place a hand over my abdomen.
“Can you feel the babies moving?” Lily’s eyes follow my movement. My belly has rounded, and I feel a connection with the little ones whenever I place my hand there. So, I do it a lot—unconsciously.
“No, I don’t think so. I may have felt a little flutter, but I’m not sure whether it was the babies or a rumble in my stomach.” I laugh and take the hand away.
“It does feel a little surreal, having a baby inside you, doesn’t it?” Ellie asks.
I nod. “If it weren’t for the ultrasound pictures and the nausea, I wouldn’t believe it.”
“You’ll believe it soon enough. Enjoy your sleep and time alone now. Kids are great, but they can be a challenge and exhausting.” Ellie winks and nods but then moves on. “Is there anything I can help you with, other than the trays?”
“Yes, actually. Let me show you. My… my husband and I, we bought a furnished apartment and want to redecorate. The first thing I want to change is the living room. Here, see for yourself.” I hand my phone over.
“Uh… I see. That’s what I call a statement couch,” Ellie says, with a twinkle in her eyes.
“Brothel couch,” I say, and she doubles over with laughter.
“Yup, brothel couch it is. Do you want to keep it?” She lifts an eyebrow.
“Yes. The thing is, it’s super comfortable. I already checked if we could change the covering. But that’s difficult, if not impossible, and I haven’t found a similar couch in a different color yet.”
“Well, we can work with that. What about we cover the couch with blankets? At least partially. That way it won’t be as prominent in the room anymore? I have some nice blankets over here.”
I nod. “I like that idea.” I follow her and touch the fluffy material. “White blankets and babies probably will end in me washing them every day. Do you have other colors?”
“I do. I haven’t had time to unpack them. Give me a second.” Ellie turns and walks through a door with the sign Private.
“She is amazing. This shop is so cute.” I motion around the little store.
Lily chuckles. “Even Tyler likes coming here. But only to flip through the magazines. The table over there is for the men waiting for their significant others to make their purchases. That way the men are occupied, and Ellie can sell more. She knows so much about décor and what works and what doesn’t. Just let her do her thing.”
“I’ll do that. It’s a brilliant idea. Maybe we should introduce the man corner concept in Ravelli shops.”
Ellie returns with a stack of blankets in her arms. “Here you go. I have them in dark brown, which would work well with the couch, and in black, which is a stark contrast, but it also works with red. If you want, you can take one of each and test it with the lightning in the room. I need samples anyway, and that way you know how it’ll look. It’s always difficult to make a decision solely on a photograph.”
“Thank you. I’ll do that. I like the brown. Looks like dark chocolate, doesn’t it?”
“Yum. Dark chocolate.” Lily points at a blanket on the bottom. “Is that the blanket in dark blue?”
“Yes. But the blue won’t work with the red couch.”
“But it does with a black leather couch.” Lily winks. “Tyler and Danny are going to hate me, but I’m so going to buy two of these.”
“I’m not going to stop you.” Ellie chuckles. “So, we have blankets to cover the couch. What else did you have in mind for the living room?”
“Damn, these things are heavy.” Matt curses as he hangs up the pictures, replacing the abstract yellow paintings and wooden wall décor.
“We should have waited until Tyler had time.” I hand him another nail.
“I can hang up our goddamn décor without help.”
I take a step back. I’ve never seen Matt angry before. He’s been brooding and silent, but he’s never lost his temper in front of me. Well, other than shutting the door in my face the time I went to tell him about my pregnancy. But I wasn’t living with him back then. I’ve been living here for one week now, but I hardly know my husband as it is. Team functions and the media storm after our interview have kept me super busy. In addition to American TV stations, the Italian press has been all over the place, following me wherever I go, causing some awkward scenes. I’ve been followed by paparazzi for quite some time now, but never to this extent.
A team owner’s family member marrying their first line forward, that’s unheard of. No one believes my grandfather bought the team solely for marketing reasons anymore, but rather to allow me and Matt to be together. According to the press, he’s the true hero in this story, buying a hockey team for his beloved granddaughter. If only they knew the truth. Whatever his reasons were, they had nothing to do with me and everything to do with supporting the Ravelli Group.
He scratches his neck. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you. It… it has been a lot lately. And… I tried to call my dad, but he refuses to talk to me.”
“I know. I accept your apology. But why is your dad refusing your calls?”
He sighs. “It’s… complicated and a long story. Me and my brother… we don’t get along anymore. My dad wants us to reconcile, but too much has happened.” He scratches his neck again. “Are there more things we need to hang up?”
“Nope, that’s all.” What’s the deal with his dad and his brother? And why is he bringing it up when he doesn’t want to talk about it? Baby steps, Emilia. One day he’ll open up to you. Maybe.
He climbs down the ladder. It took us over two hours to redecorate the living room with Ellie’s pictures, wooden wall sconces, and candles, but the effect is well worth the effort. What once looked like a room in a high-class brothel now looks like a homey
living room, inviting us to spend our time at leisure here. The couch is covered with the chocolate brown blankets and pillows in the same color, hiding the red for the most part, but not covering it completely. The red is now a highlight and not the dominating color. Together with ivory and white candles in the light brown wall sconces, the living area has an elegant yet cozy feel to it.
Matt hated every second of it, but I wanted to change the décor on my own. As much as I like Ellie, I enjoy decorating. And spending time with Matt. Unfortunately, now he is about to head to his room, and I don’t want our time together to end. It’s my only free day this week. Managing a hockey team is a twenty-four-seven job, and I only get the occasional off day. Combine that with a hectic game schedule, and my husband and I could live separate lives and never see each other… but that’s not what I want. I still haven’t given up on what we could have. And the more time we spend together, the more I’m able to understand my complicated husband; at least I’d like to think so. “Hey, do you want to go outside for a while? I really haven’t seen a lot of Boston yet, and you could show me your favorite places?” And it would help me to get to know him better, but I don’t say that.
“I’m not sure. The paps—”
“We can’t hide forever. And I want to go outside. Please?”
He hesitates but then nods. Whether it’s his guilty conscience or something else, I’ll never know. Not that it matters. “Can you be ready in ten?”
“Sure. Just let me put on jeans and a clean shirt.”
He lifts an eyebrow. Yeah, Mr. Hockey God, believe it or not, I don’t run around in business suits in my free time. They’re way too uncomfortable. Putting on my clothes takes me five minutes, giving me time for a quick trip to the bathroom where I pull my hair up in a ponytail. I look different with no makeup on, and if there are paparazzi outside, they won’t recognize me right away. At least, that’s what I hope.
After nine minutes and thirty seconds, I put my shoes and coat on in the hallway and wait for Matt to open the door for me. My gallant knight is old fashioned when it comes to manners. As rude as he behaved when I first arrived here, he’s as equally polite now—ignoring his outburst when we put up the new décor in the living room earlier.
“What’s your favorite place in Boston?” I turn to him in the elevator.
“I like the Charles River Esplanade. It’s a beautiful park. I do most of my runs there, and it isn’t as crowded as other spaces when you know which areas to avoid.”
“Sounds great. Is it far from here?” I take in Matt’s features in the neon light. Most people look horrible, but his strong features are enhanced by the unforgiving light.
“Not really. But we could also walk the Freedom Trail. All the historic sites from the American Revolution are located there, and I haven’t had the time to do the walk yet myself. It’s something around two and a half miles, though. Do you think that’s too much for you?”
I laugh. “Matt, I’m pregnant, not sick. You might have to slow down to my pace, but I’m sure I can handle the walk. It sounds interesting. To be honest, I only have basic knowledge about the War of Independence. I know about the Boston Tea Party, of course, but I might have not paid enough attention to the rest in school.”
“They teach that in Italy?”
The elevator pings, and I follow him outside, greeting the doorman as we head outside before I answer. “I went to an international school, and American history was taught to some extent, but history wasn’t my favorite subject.”
“Mine neither. What was yours?”
“I liked art and… psychology.”
“Psychology?” His eyebrows squish together.
“Yeah. I think it’s interesting how the human mind works, and given the choice, I might have aimed for a degree in psychology. What was your favorite subject?”
“Wait, what do you mean given the choice?”
“My grandfather made it clear since I can remember that I was to learn how to manage a business and take over the reins from him one day. I was sent to a business school in Switzerland after I finished high school. When I returned with my master’s degree, he expected me to know everything, but a school can only teach you things in theory and show you case studies, but it cannot give you the necessary experience. So, I failed pretty much every task he set for me. Most of the employees at the headquarters in Rome must think me utterly incapable and dumb.”
“You aren’t dumb, and from what I’ve seen, you’re very capable of managing a hockey team.”
“Thanks to your Hockey Lectures for Beginners.” I wink. Holy Crap. Are we talking to each other for real?
He shakes his head. “But I didn’t tell you how to manage the team. That’s all you.”
“Rob is a massive help.”
“Now, let me tell you something about Rob. The day before you arrived, he was sweating buckets when he told us the team was sold, and quite frankly, to my knowledge, he always did what Mr. Williams told him to do. He never had an opinion of his own.”
“Maybe he needed someone to believe in him and in his abilities. It’s hard to succeed when people expect the worst from you and think you incapable.” Add to that the company’s last name and you know how I felt, but I don’t say that to Matt. I’ve already said more than I wanted to say. “He has a lot of experience and supports me in every way he can. Mary is a massive help too.”
“Sure she is. That woman knows everything that’s going on. But, Emilia, since you arrived… things have changed for the better. You should be proud of yourself. I’m not saying that because we’re married or because you’re pregnant with my children, but because I mean it.”
Wow. He’s never said anything like that to me. No one has. Shit, the first tear slips out of my eye and runs down my cheek.
“Thank you.” My voice breaks.
“Why are you crying?” He looks so forlorn I want to hug him.
“Just…” Because you’re so sweet, and I can’t fall for you. If it isn’t already too late…. “Just pregnancy hormones. Happens all the time now. Dr. Peters said it’s normal.” I sniffle.
“Can I do something to help?” His voice cracks.
You could fall in love with me. “I’m fine. Just pretend it didn’t happen.” I pull a tissue out of my bag and dab the tears from my face.
He swallows visibly. “Do you have more symptoms? From the pregnancy, I mean?”
“Not really. I have these weird cravings for ice cream I can’t have.”
“Why can’t you have ice cream?” He frowns.
“I crave a flavor called Crema di Firenze, which means Cream of Florence. It’s… do you know amaretti biscuits?” He shakes his head. “They’re little cookies with an almond flavor and taste a lot like amaretto. You do know amaretto, right?”
“It’s a liqueur?”
“Yes, an almond-based liqueur. But the biscuits aren’t made with liqueur. This particular ice cream parlor uses almond extract to make the cookies and then grinds them and makes ice cream out of them. It’s heaven on earth. They have a second flavor I love. It’s called torta della nonna, which is actually a cake. Basically, every Italian grandmother has her own take on the cake. They use a vanilla-lemon pudding as a filling for the cake and then use the cake to make the ice cream. So, you have actual cake pieces in the ice cream.”
“Sounds delicious. These flavors are only sold in one ice cream parlor in Rome?”
I nod. “Yes. Others have tried to copy the flavor, but nothing comes close to the original. My cravings are pathetic. Even if I were in Rome right now, they close at the beginning of October and reopen in March for the summer season. Do you have a guilty pleasure when it comes to food?”
“I like chips. And Tyler introduced me to these dark chocolate bars. They’re actually Lily’s favorite, but now I can’t get enough of them.”
I laugh. “I have no idea where Lily puts all that chocolate. I hate people who can eat everything and are super slim.”
Mat
t laughs. A deep rumble, making my skin tingle. “She’s a phenomenon. I can’t eat as much junk food and stay fit.”
“You look great, Matt, and according to the medical stats, you’re a freak. But I’ll probably look like a whale at the end of this pregnancy.” I look at my rounded belly.
“You’re growing two lives, Emilia. You look… radiant, and you will look even more beautiful in a few months.” Did he just call me beautiful? He looks away when he catches me looking at him. Did he just blush? Can Matt actually blush? It looks cute on him. This rugged man with a hint of a blush creeping up his cheeks.
We walk on in silence, but it isn’t an uncomfortable one. I’m walking on clouds and wish I could jump high in the air and high-five whoever was there. He said I’m beautiful. Or will be. But I’m radiant now. He wouldn’t say things like that if he wasn’t a teeny-tiny bit affected by me, right? Could it be that my baby daddy has it in him to fall for me? How do I make my fake husband fall in love with me?
I wish I was more experienced, but I’m prepared to learn. And to fight.
Chapter 17
Emilia
My nonna used to say the easiest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Here’s the thing; I have a hard time imagining my strict grandfather being wooed by penne marinara and tiramisu, but at some point, they were very much in love. She must have done something that worked and known a thing or two about men. When I was little, I loved to look through their wedding album while my nonna told me stories about herself growing up. I love how my grandparents beamed at each other in most pictures. Like newlyweds. Like they couldn’t live without the other. Like I imagine a couple in love should look.
I’ve never seen my grandfather look at me the way he looked at my nonna and later my mamma in these pictures. At some point in his life, he was capable of love, but I’ve never been the recipient—or I don’t remember it anymore. My memories before I was five are blurry. What I know for sure, though, is my childhood ended with a car crash when I was five years old. From that point on, I was handed from one nanny to the next. They all quit working for “Signore Ravelli” after a few weeks, and I’m the last person to blame them. His temper could erupt at any time. Nothing was good enough. He found faults with all of them. One thing stayed the same with all of them—they looked at me with pity when they left our villa. I had to stay behind. Every single time.
Center of Gravity: An Accidental Pregnancy Romance (An Ice Tigers Hockey Romance Book 2) Page 19