Page 31 of His Willing Wife

It was his little comments over the pastthree months that had started her falling in love with him, and shecouldn’t help it.

Stepping into his office, Luca shut thedoor. Even though she brought him a homemade lunch nearly everyday, there were some days they didn’t get to eat together.

Tillie had lost count of the number oftimes they had made love on the desk, or the floor, or his sofa.There were days they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, and in truth, that wasall the time, but today she had something she wanted to tellhim.

Luca pulled her into his arms, and when hislips touched hers, she felt like she was melting for all the rightreasons, and she didn’t want him to stop.

Tell him.

It would be so easy for her to chicken out,but she refused to do that.

“There is something I’ve got to tell you,”she said.

“Tillie, is everything okay?” he asked.

“Yes, yes, everything is fine, andhopefully after what Itell you, you won’t hate me.” She held onto his hand and walkedtoward his desk, letting go, and missing his touch the moment shedid so.

She waited until he was sitting down, and then she reached intoher bag. Gripping the folder, tightly, she couldn’t help but feel alittle sick. She took a deep breath and smiled at him.

“I want you to know that … I have fallen inlove with you.” This hadn’t been part of her plan. Tillie hadn’ttold Luca how she felt, and it hadn’t exactly been on her mind todo so, but now that shehad started, she really couldn’t bring herself to stop. “I know wedidn’t have a conventional relationship, and we’re kind of justmaking the most of everything, and I accept that. I don’t mind atall. I think our marriage is good, but I just wanted you to knowthat I did this from a place of love, and I also felt you neededto, well, you know, get some closure, or at least know thetruth.”

His frown was deepening. “What’s goingon?”

“I did some digging, and I know that eventhough you didn’t needto know any answers, I did.” She licked her lips and tried not topanic, even though she could feel it rising inside her. She refusedto give in to it. Instead, she kept a smile on her face, and thenplaced the file she’d accumulated over the past few months on thedesk. She couldn’t help but wonder if her smile looked a littledemonic.

You did this because you loved him and youwant the best for him.

“What is this?” Luca asked as she slid thefile toward him.

“It’s a file about your parents,”Tillie said.

He jerked back without picking it up. “Itold you, Tillie, I don’t care about them. They didn’t love me enough to keepme, and this is all nonsense.”

“I know and I understand you feel hurt, butI just … it’s not quiteas simple that they put you in a home when you were a baby, Luca,”Tillie said. She couldn’t help but feel her own sadness overcomeher at what she had found out. “Please, just look at the file andyou don’t even have to read it. I’ll tell you what I foundout.”

Seconds passed where Luca looked at her and there was a strongfrown on his face. Her heart raced as she hoped he didn’t hateher.

“Olivia and Issaac Winters were married atthe tender age of eighteen. Issaac didn’t have any survivingfamily, as he’d been moved from place to place—a foster kid, until he was about twelve years old.Then, he settled in a small town and met Olivia Bergman. They weresweethearts, never parting, and considered the strongest couplewhere they lived. At eighteen, it came as no surprise to anyonethat the young couple were to marry. The only family Olivia had wasa younger sister, who she took care of. Olivia’s family perished ina fire a few months after they married, and Mildred, the sister,was the only person to survive. She moved in with Isasac, and hisadoptive parents died in a plane crash a year after they weremarried.”

“Holy fuck,” Luca said.

She had supplied the pictures, had evengotten DNA, and she’d put a lot of resources intolearning about Luca.

Olivia and Issac were married for five years, when they finallygot pregnant with you. After losing her family, Mildred seems tohave encountered a rocky past. She found drugs, and her sister andbrother-in-law did everything they could for her. The pregnancy wasa huge success, and they had you for a year.”

Luca looked up from the file and stared ather. “A year?”

“Yes. Mildred had gotten so bad that theyhad no choice but to send her to a good rehab, andaccording to the documents,Mildred had gone willingly. Her sister wanted to get clean. On theway back one night, it had snowed and the roads had gottentreacherous. The car veered off the road, colliding with a tree.Your mom and dad were killed instantly. You nearly died,” Tilliesaid. “It took them several hours to find you and with the cold,well, it wasn’t good. But, you survived and being the only member,you were given to Mildred, who was now an adult, and after rehab,she tried. She had you for six months, but … she ended up in thehospital. Losing her support structure of your parents and everyoneelse sent her over the edge. Mildred didn’t make it and there wasno one else to take you. Nearly two years old, you were sent intothe foster care system.”

Luca looked through the file. “I was nevertold any of this. I was never shown any of this.”

“Some of the documents were lost, and I hadto find a private investigator to locate the other information.It’s all in there,though. You were loved and wanted by everyone.” Silence fell overthe room as Luca looked at pictures and read a fewdocuments.

“What would you have done if you didn’t findthis out?” Luca asked.

“What do you mean?”

“That I had parents that didn’t loveme?”

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