by Holly Rayner
Ashley sighed and shrugged her shoulders with a small smile.
“Well, what’s done is done, and it’s made me who I am today. I was able to take that behavior and turn it into something good. A good home and a loving parent for David, who may not have gotten that otherwise,” she said.
Matteo flinched, and Ashley stared up at him curiously.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I, uh, was shocked by the chair. Static electricity.”
“Ah. Yeah, that’ll get you,” she said.
A clock on the wall dinged, alerting them to the time. Matteo stood, and Ashley followed suit.
“It’s late,” he said. “I should get going.”
I wish you wouldn’t, she thought.
“Of course,” she said.
They set their empty glasses on the table, and Ashley walked Matteo to the door. The air outside was cool and ocean-scented. The gentle patter of the waves could barely be heard in the distance. Matteo turned, a warm glow casting him in shadow from the streetlights behind him.
“Thank you again, Ashley. This day has been most memorable, thanks to you.”
“Anytime,” she said. “And good luck with that thing you’re doing in your father’s memory.”
“Thank you,” he said. He was close enough that she could see his chest gently move as he breathed, close enough to reach out and touch him if she were brave enough.
“Maybe we’ll see you around before you head back,” she said, hardly believing her own courage.
“I hope so,” Matteo said.
With that, he nodded and turned, walking away into the darkness. As Ashley closed the door behind her, she was met with a feeling she hadn’t experienced in quite some time, which certainly wasn’t unwelcome.
Desire.
Chapter 8
Matteo
Even though a chill danced along Matteo’s skin, he was anything but cold.
Being in such close proximity to Ashley, he realized that he needed to get a grip. At least twice during their time together, he’d thought about kissing her. Kissing her! He’d only met her that day, for heaven’s sake. If Matteo had learned anything from his past, it was to keep a rein on his desires in favor of rational thinking.
He wouldn’t be in Virginia if he’d been a more careful sort.
The thought confused him, because it implied that being in Virginia was wrong, that his son was some kind of mistake. Now having spent time with the boy, Matteo couldn’t be more grateful for his existence. He’d never really considered what parenthood would be like, but seeing Ashley’s masterful style at work showed him just how wonderful an experience it could be.
Matteo reached the end of the block and found himself face-to-face with the bay. A full moon cast a luminous glow on the ocean, and the resulting sparkles danced along the gentle waves as they reached for the shore and pulled back repeatedly. He allowed himself to relax, though there was much to consider as he made his way leisurely back to the bed and breakfast.
A flash of white caught his eye, and he glanced at the thick wooden pole of a street light. There, Ashley’s face smiled warmly out at him from a flyer. He stopped and read it.
Working full time? Worried that your dog isn’t getting enough exercise and fresh air during the day? Give me a call! Ashley Bedford, certified dog walker. I’ll help your dog get the love and attention it needs, while you rest easy at work. Call any time!
There was a phone number listed at the bottom, and Matteo pulled out his phone, entering the digits and saving them under her name.
Of course, that information was already readily available in his adoption paperwork back at the room, but he figured it could be helpful to have an alibi, were she to ask how he got her number.
Just another in a series of lies.
Matteo frowned as he continued on his walk, the B&B coming into view in the distance. He shoved his hands into his pockets and inhaled, feeling slightly homesick. He hadn’t left Golina in the two years since his father died, absorbed as he was in matters of state. Were he still a prince, he could have traveled and represented the country, but as a king there were so many pressing matters that he found himself constantly tied down to the palace. Or maybe he just told himself that so he had an excuse to bury himself in work to avoid having time to think.
Regardless, a very big part of him was glad for the chance to finally get away.
And yet. Matteo had become so adjusted to his new lifestyle that he missed the warm, gentle breeze that blew along the deck of his private balcony. He missed the view of his ocean, the beautiful aquamarine color of the water that was so different from the dark blue water in the bay. He imagined David playing on the beaches of Golina, and a smile tugged at his lip. That was his favorite thing to do as a boy. To share the experience with his own son…
Matteo pressed the front door open to find Gen seated at the main lobby desk. She wore a pair of thin, dark-rimmed glasses, which she peeked over as she eyed him walking in.
“Busy day, huh?” she asked.
Matteo nodded.
“Yes. I had a lot of sightseeing to do,” he said.
What he didn’t say was that the most beautiful thing he’d seen in Virginia was the warm hazel color of Ashley Bedford’s eyes.
Knock it off, he chided himself.
“I guess so, though usually most tourists finish up the town tour after about an hour or so. I’m glad you were able to find entertainment,” Gen mused.
“Yes, me too,” Matteo agreed.
“You were able to find dinner accommodations well enough?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said, his mind drifting back to the laugh he’d shared with David and Ashley. When was the last time he had laughed? Well and truly, from the belly kind of laughing? Once again he couldn’t remember, and that thought left him feeling forlorn.
“Great. Just a reminder, breakfast starts at seven tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Matteo said. “Good night.”
“Night,” Gen said, returning to her ledgers.
Matteo walked down the hallway and opened the door to his little space. Somehow, while Ashley’s humble home felt cozy and comfortable, this room felt constricting compared to the lavish quarters he was accustomed to. Matteo scooted his suitcase out from beneath the bed and opened a compartment, pulling out a small bottle of scotch and a crystal glass.
He needed something to help clear his mind. Or maybe fog it up a bit more. When his mind was clear, he could see the image of Ashley in her light sweater and jeans, and how perfectly they fit around her feminine curves.
Matteo popped open the bottle and poured a healthy amount of amber liquid into his glass, then swirled it around for a moment while he gazed out the window into the dark.
This was far more complicated than he anticipated. Over the past few years, he had been so driven to find his son, so dedicated in his efforts of simply discovering where he was, that he had barely put any thought into what he would actually do when presented with the boy. How had it not occurred to him that a five-year-old would have a well-established life? He had been vain enough to think that any child of his would need to be rescued, when in fact it was quite the opposite.
Perhaps it would be best if Matteo left them alone and returned home instead.
As Matteo took another sip, his phone rang. When he glanced at it, he inhaled, then tapped the button to answer.
“Carlotta,” he said.
“Matteo,” his sister replied, her tone cold. “I would like an explanation, please.”
“An explanation of what, dear sister?” he asked.
She huffed into the phone, and he bit back a grin. She’d know if he was smiling at her even from halfway across the world, and she liked being taken seriously when she was grumpy.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe why you decided to shirk all of your responsibilities to fly off to some secret location that no one will reveal to me? I have asked every single person in this palace that works for you, and all of them clai
m to know nothing. Can you please explain yourself, brother?”
Matteo hesitated as he considered his answer.
“I’m waiting,” Carlotta said.
Matteo sighed.
“I’m in the US,” he said.
“America! Matteo, there is a huge meeting today on the issue of foreign policy with our neighbors. That is not something you can be absent for.”
“I thought Silvio was to tell people that I am unwell,” Matteo said, ignoring the pang of guilt that ran through him. He’d forgotten all about that meeting when Gabriele had given him the news. He had not acted like the king his people deserved.
But didn’t he deserve to meet his son?
“Yes, he did say that, though it was very clear to me that he had been put up to lying. I instantly set off for your rooms and found them to be empty. Silvio refused to tell me what is going on, so here we are. Matteo, what are you doing in the States?”
Matteo took another drink, then decided on telling his sister the truth.
“I have found my son,” he said.
Stunned silence met him on the other end of the line.
“I know that is not what you were expecting to hear,” he said.
“Well that’s an understatement,” Carlotta said. Her anger surprised him, though he supposed he shouldn’t have been. Carlotta was never an advocate of this search.
“I thought you’d given up on this foolishness, Matteo! The child was lost to you years ago. You mean to tell me that the search never ended?”
“It did end. Yesterday, when Gabriele approached me with a folio documenting the entire adoption process and trail. The search has ended, Carlotta.”
“And now what? You’re going to steal the child from his adopted parents and expose him to the worst scandal this country has ever seen? Do you know what that could do to the child? You could destroy its life!”
“His name is David,” Matteo said, “And I’d appreciate it if you spoke of him like a human being.”
That doused some of her fire, though her tone was still terse as she responded.
“Fine, but Matteo, that solidified my point. You didn’t name him. Obviously the boy has been raised as an American. This can’t end well for anyone—not you, not the boy. You must come home at once and let him get on with his life. Is the boy safe?” she asked.
“Yes,” Matteo said, thinking of David cozy in his bed at home.
“Then you have your answer. Now please come home. You’re being absolutely irrational about this.”
“I will come home when the time is right. Please have Silvio go to the foreign policy meeting as my advocate and send me the notes so I can go over them. There is no need to halt progress simply because I have opted to take a vacation.”
“A king does not take a vacation, Matteo,” Carlotta said.
“Well then, consider this a personal business trip,” he said.
“I don’t like this. I don’t like this one bit,” Carlotta replied.
“You are entitled to your opinion. Now if there’s nothing else, I will leave you to your day. As it stands, it’s very late where I am now.”
“Matteo,” his sister said. He waited for her to continue, realizing that even she wasn’t sure what to say. “Just take care of yourself, okay? And come home as soon as possible.”
“I will,” he promised. “I know what I’m doing.”
He had never told a bigger lie in his life.
“I sure hope so,” Carlotta said. “For both your sakes.”
“Goodbye, sister,” he said and ended the call.
He sat back and ran a hand over his eyes as Carlotta’s words washed over him. Wasn’t he just thinking that it would be best to walk away and let the boy live a peaceful life in Virginia? Never knowing who he truly was, or the destiny he’d been meant for?
Matteo considered it. He thought about getting on the plane, taking his little bag with him, and burning the evidence that Gabriele had painstakingly collected over the years. He thought about living his life in Golina, always wondering what David and Ashley were up to, stuck in his lonely palace with advisors and economists and Silvio and Carlotta.
It sounded awful. Worse, it felt wrong. Matteo couldn’t imagine a life without his son in it, especially now that he had found him and instantly connected with the boy.
Matteo set his drink down and pulled out the adoption portfolio. He’d read it…well, most of it. The information on the location, on the side of the adoption agency, he was happy to read. There was a whole section of notes from the social worker assigned to the case—the person responsible for ensuring that the child was placed in a loving and peaceful home. He’d been scared to read those. What if the social worker had found the home to be toxic or unsafe for a child? What if he found something in the notes that made him worry for the child’s safety? He’d opted to leave those until he could find the courage to read them, but now knowing Ashley, he was ready.
He pulled out several pages of notes and began to read.
There was an interview with Ashley. The notes detailed much of what she had just told him, about why she had chosen to adopt as a single mother, and her past history being the child of a toxic relationship herself. The social worker noted that the home Ashley could provide was safe and stable, and that she was certainly able to bring up a child without struggle. As he finished the report, he noted that Ashley had passed with flying colors, and he wished he’d read it sooner.
Perhaps he would have saved himself a day’s worth of worry, which struck him every time he’d peeked through the dossier and brushed past those notes.
Which brought him to the present. What had been thoughts and daydreams and plans had now become a reality, and one he had to navigate with the utmost care. How was he going to tell Ashley that he wasn’t just some European tourist, but the birth father of the child she had come to love? It was very clear that David was her entire world, and he was a threat to that world. Perhaps the biggest one she could ever meet.
Matteo had no intention of making life harder for David or Ashley, but he would certainly have to find a way to tell them the truth without losing his chance at a life with his son. The documentation was airtight—Ashley had full custody of the boy, without question. In fact, with the adoption being firmly closed, she had no reason to believe that a birth parent could even find her, much less try and be a part of the boy’s life.
It would certainly take some finesse, Matteo realized, and more thought than he was able to give after such a long and busy day. He replaced the paperwork and set it back into the drawer, then brushed his teeth and took a quick shower to rinse off the day. He remembered washing his hands with David, and a smile came to his lips at the memory. Not even a full day with the boy, and he was already absolutely in love with the idea of being his father.
He had so deeply hoped that would happen.
Matteo turned off the shower, dressed, and slid into bed, tossing and turning as he tried to get comfortable. As he drifted off to sleep, his last thought was of Ashley and David, and how wonderful it had felt to be with them.
It was the happiest he’d been in a very, very long time.
Chapter 9
Ashley
Ashley was humming as she stared into her daydreams, her three charges trotting along happily in front of her as they made their way around town, walking lap after lap.
The previous night she’d dreamt of Matteo holding her in his arms. It was everything she could have imagined, really. He was the perfect combination of contradictions: strong yet gentle, warm while giving her the chills. Her awareness of him was surprising, though she didn’t know why. The man was a dreamboat, which was even more pronounced when he interacted with David.
She sighed.
“Wow, what did you put in your coffee this morning, and where can I get some?”
Ashley grinned at her friend Sarah as the woman fell in step next to her.
“Shop closed for the afternoon?” Ashley asked.
<
br /> Sarah nodded, and a strand of red hair danced across her freckled nose as a sea breeze blew over them. She replaced the hair behind her ear and cast her friend a sideways glance.
“Why do you look like a moony teenager?” Sarah asked.
“Oh, I do not,” Ashley said with a laugh.
“You do,” Sarah insisted, her blue-eyed gaze piercing. Sarah always had a way of seeing through her friend, and Ashley wasn’t one to hide her feelings very well anyway. She grew up being forced to repress her emotions for so long, the day she decided to allow herself to feel was one of the most liberating of her life.
“There may be a gentleman involved,” she hinted.
Sarah hooted with glee.
“How did I not know about this? You’ve been dating again? You don’t date, no matter how many times I tell you to!”
Ashley was grinning from ear to ear, the cat that ate the canary.
“I’m not dating,” she said.
Sarah stomped her foot.
“Girl, you have got to stop being so vague! Spill. Now!”
Ashley told her then about bumping into Matteo and giving him a tour of the town, how he helped her pick up David and then they enjoyed a nice dinner together.
“You should have seen how wonderful he was with David, Sarah. He’s so charming and handsome, and I’ve never met anyone that just felt right with us. I hope so badly that I get a chance to see him again,” she said.
Sarah opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by the ringing of Ashley’s cell phone. Ashley deftly pulled it out of her pocket, all while maintaining control of the three leashes in her right hand. When she glanced at the screen, she didn’t recognize the number.
“Hmm, might be a new client,” she said. With her flyers posted around town, Ashley was used to getting calls from strange numbers. She tapped the answer key and held it up to her ear.
“Hello, this is Ashley Bedford, dog walker,” she said in her most professional tone.
“Hello, Ashley Bedford, dog walker. This is Matteo Endrizzi. You might remember me as Bernie’s closest friend.”