Page 47 of His to Hold

“You’re a lucky woman. He’s rich, handsome.”

“Not just that.” Ava smiles softly. “He’s kind to me. I’ve never known a man like him before.”

“Really?” I thought she and Marco Volante were the love story of the century. He was apparently cruel to everyone but her and their children.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Ava says. “Marco was a good husband. I grew to love him, but marrying him wasn’t my choice. My father gave me to him when I was eighteen. He won me without trying.”

“But Boris has to put the effort in.”

“He does.” Ava gives a girlish grin. “I’ve made him work for me.”

“Good for you.”

I can’t help thinking about my marriage. Antonio didn’t have to court me. He snapped his fingers, and I was his. I’d have liked to be romanced, just a little.

“Do you think my children will accept Boris?”

What she’s really asking is if Antonio will, because if he tells the others to respect Ava’s relationship, they’ll all fall in line.

“I don’t know, Ava. Maybe if you explain how Boris makes you feel.”

Her expression as she digests that idea is one of skepticism. Antonio’s not going to be swayed by her emotional investment in Boris. Silence descends and I don’t know how to fill it. Fortunately, I don’t have to suffer the awkwardness for long. The door swings open and a nurse in blue scrubs comes into the room.

“Mrs. Volante.” She looks at Ava, rather than me. “The doctors are finished with Gio. You can come and sit with him if you like.”

Ava gets to her feet and smooths down the skirt of the gorgeous blue gown she’s wearing.

“When Antonio graces you with his presence, will you let him know where I am?”

“Of course.”

As Ava follows the nurse from the room, I slump back in my chair. It’s a pain in the ass not having access to a cellphone. I don’t have to sit here alone for too long, though. Antonio comes storming back into the room, looking no calmer than when he left me in the corridor.

“Where is she?”

His tone is worryingly hard. For as long as I’ve known him, he’s referred to his mother as Mamma, displaying all the reverence the woman deserves for raising him and his siblings.

“She’s with Gio. The doctors have finished running their tests.”

Antonio shakes his head. He goes to the window. Raising his arm over his head, he leans against it as he looks out over the city. Though he’d never admit it, he’s hurting.

“Why don’t you go sit with them?” I suggest.

“I’ll see Gio later.”

Despite his prickly demeanor, I get up and go to his side. I lay a hand on his shoulder.

“You should speak to your mom.”

His answering grunt should be enough warning to drop the subject, but I can’t.

“Tony, this thing with Boris…”

Before I can get another word out, Antonio grabs me by the throat, whirls me around, and shoves me against the wall.

“Stay out of it,” he snarls. “What happens with my family is none of your fucking business.”

“Tony.”

---