Page 19 of His Unexpected Heir

“Might have? Or did?”

Antonio turned right, then right again as he pulled into the parking lot of the local pub. “It’s in the past,” he told her, then shut off the engine.

He slipped out of the vehicle and came around to the other side. By the time he was there, Astra was already out of the passenger seat and stared up at him. “I don’t think it’s completely in the past, Antonio,” she whispered.

He put a hand to the small of her back and led her into the pub. “It’s ancient history. The food here is excellent. My younger brother’s mother used to work here and they still use her recipe for their paella.”

The rustic warmth of the pub immediately charmed her. The castle boasted carved wood walls, stairs, and furniture. But this pub warmed the locals with rough-hewn wood tables, creaky floors, and stools that had probably been around since medieval times. There were modern appliances that looked sparkly and new, but everything else was old-world charm.

“Beunas noches!” the bartender called out, a large man with an over-stuffed belly and ruddy cheeks. “What can I get you, my lord?” he asked in Spanish.

Antonio waved to the man, then gestured to one of the empty tables. There were several locals already eating or drinking and every table had a loaf of bread in the center.

“I’ll have the paella,” she told Antonio. He put in the request for two orders of the rich, rice-based stew, then nodded his gratitude as he accepted the two pints of ale and brought them back to the table.

Astra looked around and realized that several of the locals were watching them curiously. So instead of rejecting the ale, she pretended to take a sip and smiled appreciatively.

Because of the stares directed towards them, Astra decided that this wasn’t a good forum for her to explain her pregnancy. She decided to wait until they were heading back to the castle. Or maybe after they arrived back at the castle. The road was windy and, although the sun was setting later now that spring was upon them, the road was still treacherous. She’d wait until they arrived back at the castle before telling him.

“Would you tell me more about your childhood?” she asked, then smiled when the waitress arrived with two bowls piled high with yellow rice, seafood, sausage, and vegetables. “Oh my, this looks delicious!”

“Why don’t you tell me about your childhood instead?” he suggested, handing her a rolled napkin filled with utensils.

“Because I don’t think that my childhood is as relevant as yours,” she countered, unrolling the napkin. She picked up the fork and stabbed a shrimp.

“My childhood is over,” he replied firmly. “Tell me about your ideas for bringing the villagers together. That’s a far more palatable subject.”

Astra tilted her head slightly and looked at him. He clearly didn’t want to discuss his childhood, even though, she suspected, that it was very relevant to what happened between them several months ago.

Still, perhaps it would be better if she backed off for now. They were talking, which was better than the horrible silence from before.

So she outlined her ideas, her head filling with options and additional ideas. He countered with some of his own suggestions and Astra pulled her phone out, taking notes because he had some great thoughts. Someone put a glass of ice water beside her bowl and Astra gulped down the cold water. At some point, Antonio must have realized she wasn’t going to drink the ale and he switched mugs with her. After a bit, a cup of coffee and a cup of herbal tea were set down beside them. Astra glanced at the chamomile tea, wondering who had thought to bring this to her versus a cup of coffee. But then assumed that the waitress had merely supposed that Astra wouldn’t be able to sleep if she drank coffee this late in the evening.

Antonio didn’t seem to be affected by the coffee and drank two cups while Astra took notes on a notebook someone else had set down on the wood table. It was just more evidence that the others in the pub were listening to their conversation and quietly helping with the overall plan.

By the time she and Antonio ran out of ideas to discuss, there were ten pages of notes between them. “This is completely different from what I’d originally planned.” She nodded, excitement bubbling up inside of her. “But this is great. The ideas are…very different but I think this is going to be fun!”

He sighed, leaning back and draining the last of his coffee. “I want the events to be fun, but I also want them to bring everyone together. During my grandfather’s time, people were much more aware of their neighbors. People gossiped a great deal, but I heard my grandfather talking about how everyone came together when someone had a problem.” He paused and looked around. “We should leave so that Manuel and his wife can close up.”

Astra looked around as well, startled to find they were the only ones still in the pub. Even the chairs were flipped over on top of the tables, so that the owners could sweep and mop. But the owners were already gone. They were literally the only two left in the pub!

“Did Manuel and his wife leave?”

“I think they left the keys on the bar,” he said. “You must be exhausted.”

Astra thought about it for a moment, and nodded. “Yes, but not as bad as I would be normally. The nap I took earlier took the edge off the jet lag, thankfully.”

She stood up and he put a hand on her arm. “That was only to catch up from the lack of sleep on the flight over here from Philadelphia. You need to get extra sleep over the next few days to properly counter the jet lag.”

Astra smiled quietly, warmed by his concern. She traveled all over the world to help her clients. So she was very aware of the various ways to counter jet lag. But it was sweet of him to be concerned. At least he wasn’t ignoring her, she thought. That was progress!

Now she just needed to find a time to tell him about the child they’d created. And Astra knew that she’d have to tell him soon because it was becoming more difficult to conceal her pregnancy.

Chapter 7

The following morning, Antonio frowned at the curt message on his phone, mentally groaning at the interruption. He wanted to be here, to see Astra again this morning. She’d been so tired on the drive home from the pub last night that he hadn’t offered her a post-dinner brandy.

And yet, he hadn’t been able to sleep, knowing that she was so close by. Around two o’clock in the morning, he’d considered moving her and her assistant to one of the hotels in the village. But as soon as the thought finished forming, he rejected it. Not because he wanted Astra close by. It was simply because…he didn’t have an explanation.

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