Page 16 of His Willing Wife

“Yes.”

“You’re sure?”

She laughed, but it was a forced one thatdidn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yes, I’m sure. I told you, being around mygrandmother, I loved her life, but then Grandpa loved her, and sheloved him. They had a wonderful marriage.”

Luca heard exactly what she wasn’t saying.Her grandparents had a happy marriage because they wanted to bemarried, while they did not. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her,really looked at her.

It would explain why therewas not a lot of informationabout her in the public eye. He couldn’t help but wonder if herfather was embarrassed by her. Where the whole world talked aboutequal opportunities and women having the same as men, equal pay,his own daughter just wanted to stay home.

Luca wasn’t disappointed in what she’dtold him. He was intrigued. In all honesty, untilTillie had walked into hisoffice a few months ago, he never planned to get married. He didn’ttrust women. Tillie was different. From the moment she walked intohis office, he couldn’t deny his overwhelming need to possess her,to take her as his.

He didn’t know the first thing about being a husband. In his life,he’d not seen many happy, loving couples, just men and women whowould gladly use children to make a quick buck.

This certainly opened something up for thetwo of them. “Why don’t we try it?” Luca asked.

“Try what?” Tillie was a little distractedas she carried her large pot of boiling water over to the sink andbegan to drain it.

“Being married.”

She finished draining the pasta and pouredit back into the pot before returning to the stove. “I don’tknow what you mean. Weare married.”

“I know, but we’ve not been acting like it,have we? We’ve been living pretty much separate lives. You spend alot of your time in the kitchen and wandering the house. I go towork, I come home, and we’re apart.”

“Yeah, but I figured that was what youwanted.”

Luca had never been open with anyone, but hehad a feeling he could trust Tillie. She was, after all, hiswife.

“Look, Tillie, I’ve never been married. Idon’t even know what marriage is supposed to mean. I’m trying my best with whatI know, and trust me, it’s not a lot.” He ran fingers through hishair, and then in that moment he knew he needed to tell her abouthimself.

****

Tillie finished preparing their meal, andwas still a little taken aback by the fact Luca was there, helping.Other than their wedding day, and of course the day in his officewhere she decided to make the change, they’d never shared a meal.Oh, there was also today at lunch, but for some reason, that didn’tseem to count. Her father’s disappointment put a damper on everything.

They moved into the dining room, and shenoted Luca putting her food on the place next to his.He held her chair out for her,and she lowered down and offered him a smile before he took hisseat. She waited for him to pick up his fork, and then when theywere both ready, they started to dig into their meal.

Luca reached out, and she didn’t pull awayfrom him as he wrapped his fingers around her hand and held ontoher.

“I was never raised in a loving home, northe same home for longperiods of time. I was moved around.”

She didn’t dare speak. There was not a lotof personal information about Luca online, only what he wasprepared to do when it came to the business side of everything. Shewaited patiently.

“I was in the foster system. I don’t knowwho my parents were. Bythe time I got out, I wasn’t interested in looking for them. Idecided if they didn’t care about me and were willing to leave mein that place, then I didn’t need to know who theywere.”

Tillie held onto his hand as best she could, trying to show himsupport.

“Some of the kids got adopted and I believewent on to have amazing lives. I wasn’t so lucky. I wasnever chosen by parentsand I was moved from place to place, never getting the home theyalways told me I would. At least, that’s what they told us when wewere kids, not so much as teenagers. I think it became commonknowledge that no one wanted teenagers, and they were right. Someof us got chosen, others didn’t.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t need pity,” he said. He didn’t sound cruel or mean,just being honest, and she could live with that.

She couldn’t imagine growing up like that.She had a lot of difficulty with her mother because they wanteddifferent things, but it wasn’t hard. Awkward at times, but nowherenear what Luca described.

“I’m not offering you pity,” she said. “It’sawful what you must have gone through.”

“It made me what I am today. From a youngage, I knew I couldn’t rely on anyone, so I didn’t.”

Tillie wanted to tell him that itcouldn’t have been agreat way to grow up, or to feel. She’d witnessed true love withher grandparents, and lived in a good home. Her parents, althoughnot on the same level, loved one another. She was close with herbrother. She couldn’t imagine waking up every day knowing youweren’t wanted.

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