by Holly Rayner
“Oh, really?” Ashley asked, her eyes narrowed.
He met her gaze straight on, and when he didn’t answer further, she gently slapped his shoulder.
“You’re going to have to tell me things about yourself sooner or later, you know,” she said.
He nodded, but his expression was curiously solemn. “Yes, you are right about that. Why don’t we go in and eat? The conversation flows better with good food and wine.”
“I can’t argue with you there,” Ashely said. She moved to open her door, but Matteo held out a hand.
“No, wait. I can get that for you.”
“Matteo, you are more of a gentleman than any man I’ve ever known!” she said with a laugh.
He frowned as he opened his door. “That is sad to hear. You deserve to be cared for.”
It was a simple statement, but a powerful one.
As Matteo walked around the car, Ashley realized just how little she had really been cared for. Sure, Sarah was there for her as a friend, and David provided her the love that only a child could, but she was more often than not doing things for others. When had she ever been truly cared for by another person?
Matteo opened the door and held out his hand for her to take. She reached up and slid her fingers against his palm, savoring the sensation as he lifted her to her feet, and she stood facing him, close enough to reach up to her toes and plant a kiss on that luscious mouth of his.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
He leaned down and pressed his cheek against her ear.
“You’re welcome,” he whispered back.
Ashley shivered as he stepped back, sliding her hand along the crook of his arm as he escorted her into the upscale restaurant. He approached the hostess, whose eyes widened as she took him in.
“Hello,” she said, with eyes only for Matteo.
Ashley felt a twinge of jealousy, but then she remembered that Matteo was on her arm, and his expression held none of the warmth that it did when he looked at her. Instead, he was politely distant with the hostess.
“Endrizzi, party of two,” he said.
If it were possible, her eyes widened even further. “Mr. Endrizzi, of course. Please, right this way.”
She picked up a pair of menus and led the way toward the back of the restaurant. To Ashley’s surprise, she then opened a door and led them to a private dining room overlooking the ocean. The lighthouse beamed from a small cliffside in the distance.
“Your server will be right with you,” the hostess said.
“Thank you very much,” Matteo said before the woman shut the door behind her. He then released Ashley’s hand and walked around a chair, which he pulled out for her.
Ashley grinned at him.
“You really are a gentleman at all times,” she said, and he smiled ever so slightly back at her, the sexy dimple popping right upon his cheek.
Double swoon.
“I should hope so,” he said. “I have been brought up to be, in any case.”
She sat down, Matteo’s arms encasing her for just a moment as he pushed in the chair behind her. As he walked around to take his own seat, a waiter arrived from another door that must have purposely blended into the wall.
“Good evening, Mr. Endrizzi. It’s an honor to have you with us tonight,” the young man said, practically bowing.
What was that about?
“Can I start you off with some drinks?” he said.
Matteo and Ashley quickly agreed on a wine and entrée combination that included clams, oysters and lobster. She felt bad ordering so much, but Matteo insisted that they splurge.
“Please, allow me to spoil you,” Matteo said.
“Well, if you insist,” Ashley purred.
The waiter poured them two glasses of white wine, and Matteo held up his glass.
“To us. May our friendship continue to grow,” he said.
“Absolutely,” Ashley agreed, secretly hoping that he meant that their friendship might one day lead to something more.
She took a sip of the cool, crisp wine and set down her glass. Being at the high-end restaurant with handsome Matteo was like being in a dream. A dream with the best wine she’d ever tasted.
Ashley was enjoying having an adult conversation with Matteo while they waited for their dinner, when their server arrived at the table.
“Compliments of the chef,” he declared.
An assistant placed a platter of delectable seafood appetizers on the table. Another server set a small empty plate in front of Ashley, and then Matteo. Ashley’s eyes went wide at the beautiful assortment of food, some of which she’d never had but was excited to try.
“Grazie,” Matteo said. “Please give the chef our regards.”
After the servers left, Ashley and Matteo shared the appetizers, with Matteo giving details about the ones that were new to her. He never made her feel inept for her lack of knowledge. Instead, he smiled, his dimple on display each time she made a sound of delight at a new taste sensation.
When they were done with the appetizers, Ashley took another sip of her wine. She wanted to find out more about this mysterious man who made her heart beat faster.
“So, how is your promise to your father going? Have you walked the path he laid out for you? Did you find what you needed to find?”
Matteo’s expression grew stony at her question, and Ashley wondered if she had somehow overstepped. Still, wasn’t the whole point of going on a date to learn about one another? Surely it couldn’t be bad to ask him about the reason he was here, when he had been so open about that information when they met, right?
Matteo drank from his glass and set it down, as though bracing himself.
An uneasy feeling crawled along Ashley’s shoulders and settled at the back of her neck as she waited for him to say something.
“I’m afraid I haven’t been entirely forthcoming with you, Ashley, and I am sorry about that.”
“What haven’t you been forthcoming about? We’ve had great conversations,” she said.
He nodded. “Yes, and I am grateful for your openness and warmth. The truth is, I have a confession that I need to make.”
She reached across the table and placed her hand on his. When their eyes met, she held his gaze.
“You can tell me anything, Matteo. What is it?”
He gripped her hand in his and then began gently stroking her fingers, making it difficult for her to concentrate on his words. His gaze was distant as he began his confession.
“When I was younger, I led a careless, reckless life. I went to parties every night, and I was very, er, irresponsible when it came to matters of passion.”
Ashley continued to hold onto his hand, but his words took a moment to process. What was he trying to say?
“Two years ago I learned something that changed my outlook on life forever. My father and I always had a pretty rocky relationship, and I think a big reason I spent so much time away was to be free from his control. When I discovered that he was dying, I immediately returned home to be by his side. That was when he told me that I had a son.”
Ashley blinked. She couldn’t focus with his fingers on hers, so she gently pulled her hand away and sat back, staring at him.
“How could your dad know about you having a baby when you didn’t?” she asked.
Matteo actually blushed, shame-faced, and he lowered his gaze.
“It’s as I said. I was careless and reckless. I didn’t know that one of my…interactions…had resulted in a child. The woman died shortly after the birth, and the child was brought to my home while I was away. My father took it upon himself to hide the child from me and keep it a secret to spare the family embarrassment.”
Ashley’s hand shot to her lips as she absorbed that information.
“No,” she whispered. “What kind of person would do such a thing, to you, to the child? Clearly the boy deserved to be with his father, above all else,” she said.
Matteo nodded. He sat back in his chair as a ser
ving staff came in and set the table with deliciously fragrant food. At the moment, Ashley couldn’t fathom taking a bite, waiting for everyone to leave so Matteo could finish his story.
No, not a story. A confession.
What would he need to confess to her? He must know by now that she loved children… Was he about to tell her a story of how his son was lost? Her eyes welled with tears just thinking of the terrible possibilities. The waiter left, and Matteo took another drink before continuing.
“I do harbor resentment for the man, even though he has passed on. I do not believe that it was his decision to make, and while I know he was sorry for it, it doesn’t give me back the years I lost with my child.”
“Do…do you know where he is?” Ashley asked.
Matteo’s gaze was intense as he stared at her.
“Because of his confession I was able to start a search for the boy and find him, albeit five years later than I would have hoped.”
“He’s five?” Ashley asked.
Matteo’s gaze searched hers as he nodded. “Yes. I found out about him just a few days ago. I came to find him immediately.”
Ashley considered herself to be a smart woman, but as she stared into his eyes—eyes that were so desperately trying to tell her something—it took longer than it should have for her to realize what he was confessing.
David.
David was Matteo’s son.
Chapter 11
Matteo
“No,” she whispered.
Ah, so she’d caught on. Matteo’s heart was in his throat as he fought the urge to reach out and grasp her hands, to convince her that he wasn’t there for nefarious purposes. He truly hadn’t thought past step one: find David. Even though he’d imagined having his son with him at the palace, he hadn’t thought through how that might be possible. Now that he’d found David, he had no idea what to do next.
“I truly want what’s best for him, Ashley, you have to believe me,” he said. He reached down and pulled out the adoption paperwork from a small satchel he’d brought with him and slid the pile across the table, careful to avoid any possible food stains.
She stared at it, then looked back up at him.
“What does this say?” she asked. “I’d like to hear it from you.”
Matteo nodded. “Fair enough.” He tapped the dossier and plunged ahead.
“Before my father died, he did everything in his power to keep the knowledge from me that I had a son. Once he confessed, I took that power and put it to use in order to find him. I hired a private investigator who spent years tracking and searching in every possible nook and cranny. He was very often led to dead ends, and I could barely handle the disappointment every time he came back with no news.”
Ashley glanced back down at the papers. She pinched the corner of the folder and lifted it, perusing the documents that he knew clearly outlined the entire adoption process, from start to finish.
“This is impossible,” she said. “This was a closed adoption. I was told in no uncertain terms that David’s birth parents would never want to meet him, that they took every precaution to prevent it.”
Matteo nodded. “In a way, that much is true. Were it not for my father’s confession, I would not be here now, and he likely would have lived the rest of his life never knowing who he truly is.”
Ashley glanced up from the paperwork. Her eyes were like fire.
“And who is he really, then?”
Matteo admired the fierce protection in her voice, her countenance. She would go to hell and back for the boy, and he could have asked for nothing else from the person who had raised him all this time. Still, how could he convince her that he truly was no threat?
Matteo inhaled and released a breath before he spoke his truth.
“I mentioned that my father had considerable power, which I inherited. That power is given to us by the people of Golina in exchange for protection over their lives and lands. My family has been entrusted with it for generations.”
Ashley’s eyebrows shot up all the way to her hairline.
“You’re a prince?” she asked, incredulous.
“I was,” Matteo hedged. “When my father died, I became king. That was two years ago now.”
Ashley’s eyes were wide as saucers as she stared at him.
“You. You’re the king of Golina?”
He nodded once.
“How do you even know that David truly is your son?” she asked. “I mean, if your dad wanted to keep it so hush-hush, maybe your investigator took the wrong road and ended up here.”
The hope in her voice nearly broke his heart.
“There’s something my father told me about the baby, something unique that you likely won’t find in that pile,” he said, gesturing toward the table. “He told me that the baby had an unusual birthmark on his knee—apple-shaped. When I saw David that first day and saw the mark, that was when I knew.”
“Oh, you mean it wasn’t when you happened to bump into the person whose name is all over those documents, the very day you got here?” she asked, her tone laced with suspicion.
Matteo held up his hands in a placating gesture.
“I promise you, Ashley, I didn’t know who you were when we met. It truly was something that happened entirely by chance.”
He gave her a moment to process the bombshell he’d just dropped on her. He was certainly sympathetic. He’d also had quite the shock when he learned about the boy in the first place. Now, after five years, Ashley knew exactly where her son came from, which Matteo had to assume she’d been curious about on some level. She sat back and ran a hand over her eyes, allowing it to linger over her lips as she considered him once more. She let the hand drop as she gathered her thoughts.
“And his birth mother…she’s dead,” she said.
Matteo nodded once again.
“I’m afraid so,” he said.
“And you have no idea who she was?” Ashley asked.
Matteo frowned. The twinge of guilt that always pulsed through him arrived right on time as he once again considered the circumstances of David’s birth. He shook his head.
“I wish I did. I wish that I had been a better person, Ashley. I really do. I spent so much of my youth partying and getting into trouble, knowing that my father would always find a way to bail me out. I was reckless and foolish, and I know that now more than ever.”
“And your father turned away his own grandson, just because he was embarrassed by you?” she asked.
“Not of me, entirely,” Matteo said. “The scandal an illegitimate child would have caused could have harmed the entire royal family. To his way of thinking, he was protecting everyone involved, including David.”
“Don’t talk about him like he was a part of this,” Ashley said. She took a few breaths as she regained her composure.
“Ashley, he was a part of this. David is from Golina. He is a member of the royal family, and my son. He came directly from my palace, straight to here, without me ever knowing about it.”
“And what about you? Are you ashamed of him, too?” she asked.
Her eyes glistened with tears, and once again Matteo was hard-pressed not to reach out to her in some way. She sat there, alone and proud, a strong single mother, and he was tearing her whole world apart.
Matteo felt absolutely wretched.
“Of course not,” he said, his tone gentle. “Do you really think I would have searched for so long, left my kingdom behind and come all this way if I thought the boy an inconvenience? Had I felt that way, surely I would have left well enough alone.”
Ashley wrapped her arms around her middle, as though she could somehow keep herself together that way. She stared down at the table for what felt like an eternity, and Matteo was tempted to reach for his wine and down it in one gulp. He was frightened that if he moved she would startle, and that was the last thing he wanted.
When she looked back up at him, he could hardly stand the mistrust in her eyes.
“What
are your intentions then, Matteo?” she asked, her voice wavering.
“I would love to get to know him better,” Matteo said. “Now that I have found him, it is my greatest wish that David learn about his royal heritage and prepare himself for the possibility that he could be Golina’s future ruler.”
All the color drained from Ashley’s face at that statement, and if it were possible, her frown deepened. She leaned in, and Matteo considered leaning back. He had clearly struck some kind of nerve, but in the short time he’d known her, Ashley had been nothing but kindness. In fact, she was the loveliest woman he’d ever known. If things had been different…
“I would like you to listen to me very carefully, Matteo,” she said, her voice low. “I have been David’s mother since he was three months old. I have worried over every cough, cleaned up every spill, comforted him through every nightmare. I held him through teething. I was up with him through every sleepless night as a baby. I nurtured his love of learning and friendship. I am his mother, and I will not allow you to swoop in and take him away from me, like you have any right.”
She stood and tossed her napkin on the table, glaring down at him.
“This was a closed adoption, and as his guardian, I have every right to block you from his life forever. You try and take him from me, and you will be sorry you ever came to Virginia, Your Highness,” she said.
With that, she stormed out of the room, leaving Matteo without a chance to explain himself in any way. The door slammed behind her, and the resounding silence was deafening.
Matteo sat back in his seat and covered his eyes with the palm of his hand.
How had he managed to botch that so fully? He should have been more convincing, found better words to make it clear that taking David away from her truly was not his intention, whatsoever. Still, what did that even mean? Ashley had a good life here, with good friends and a school that David seemed happy to attend. They were a part of the community, and they were happy. Who was Matteo to come in and disrupt their perfect lives with his existence?
Silvio’s words rang in his mind, echoing around him as he finally did pick up his glass and take a bracing drink of wine.