Page 51 of Secret Match
At least they were alone, even in the halls as she walked beside him and said, “The truth.”
He pressed his hand on her back and her skin lit up like a Christmas tree under her shirt. “Piper clearly wasn’t thinking straight. I wished she’d just left me my son here and not killed herself and released the sex tape to remind me we had sex. I hate thinking Tom was in danger.”
“True.” If she hadn’t run, she’d have realized that sooner. The word marriage had set her off.
Now it was time to talk about loving him because honestly that was all that mattered. He opened the door to the nursery and she saw a small baby in a white crib.
If he allowed her, she’d be mother to this boy too as well as their daughter. She gently smoothed her hand over Tom’s bald head, overwhelmed with a feeling of protectiveness toward this baby.
Gio watched them both closely. She took her hand back to not wake the infant. He escorted her out of the nursery and once he closed the door, he said, “And if Piper had told me before, and I could have protected my son from anything she might have done, then yes, I’d have married her, but I wouldn’t have been happy about it.”
Fair. She pressed her palm to her stomach. She’d do anything she could to protect this baby she hadn’t even met yet. In the hall, with huge portraits of medieval Italian men staring at her, she felt out of place and alone. Kiwi held her hands in front of her and said, “I see. Would you be happy marrying me?”
He reached for her hands again and said, “If you let us, then yes.”
But that wasn’t a declaration of love. Unsure what to say, Kiwi went with him back to their bedroom. As he closed the door, she said, “I should have talked to you instead of running. There is something I need to say and I’m happy Anthony was wrong today.”
“My brother?”
She turned toward him as he walked closer to her. “Your brother said you didn’t want to see me?”
“Anthony?” His heels clicked as he followed her like a soldier in the army.
“Yeah.” She nodded. “I saw him at your store when I was trying to get back here to see you.”
He scratched his chin. “I thought he flew to America with Jennifer.”
“No. He was at your store.” She took a deep breath. She needed to tell him how she felt. Now. No more waiting.
Before she could say anything, Gio shrugged and said, “I have no idea and I don’t care what’s going on with Anthony. What matters is that you’re back now.” He pulled off his polo shirt. “Everything’s fine. Let’s go to bed. I’m exhausted.”
“That’s it?” Her eyes were wide open and she didn’t budge as he unbuckled his belt and let his pants fall. She needed to ‘fess up to just how much she loved him.
He cocked his eyebrow. “Did you want more?”
Love. But right now she needed to think hard about how to bring that up. Maybe it was kinder to wait until he was awake and clear-headed? She wasn’t sure, but he stripped to his underwear and tugged on the bedsheets. She stepped forward and said, “No. I guess not. Okay, let’s go to sleep.”
She turned off the lights and slipped in the bed beside him. Tomorrow she’d tell him. He needed sleep. She’d tell him first thing in the morning that she loved him, more than anyone else in the world. His strong muscular frame beside her made her ache for all of him, but right now she wasn’t sure what else to do.
Emotions weren’t clear for her like numbers were. But either way she’d do it tomorrow. She needed to. She now understood that love was everything that mattered in life.
Chapter 18
Gio checked his phone and oversaw the staff as they prepared everything he’d asked for. If Kiwi came back, then she must love him. This time she’d not say no to his proposal. At least he hoped not. But it wasn’t in him to doubt and he’d ensure this time when he asked for her hand in marriage, that it was romantic and make sure she had no time to change her mind. The baker had just put the cake in the oven. The pasta was now shaped.
In the kitchen everything was prepared. He stepped onto the veranda and smelled the fresh morning air full of dew on the vines as he caught sight of the head housekeeper. “I need to order flowers and have them all over the veranda that leads to the vineyard.”
She gave him her usual curt, efficient nod and said, “Within the hour,signore.”
“Perfecto.” He scanned his phone. Bartolomeo and Lorenzo confirmed they’d be here. But then the screen changed and he saw his brother’s phone number. He stepped into the shadow of his house so as not to interfere with the staff doing their job. “Anthony, why are you calling me?”
“Jennifer is marrying Peter today,” Anthony said. “You picked the worst day.”
“It’s not my business,” Gio answered fast because there was zero way he’d change his date to accommodate a disaster. And Anthony had clearly lied to him yesterday when he hadn’t wanted to be found saying he was with Jennifer when he wasn’t.
His phone beeped again and it read Victoria, Caro, Serenity and most of the Americans were coming. They’d just RSVP’d for 22, including 4 children. He held his tongue as his brother said, “Immediately after, I’m flying to America, so I can’t stick around for the party.”
Logic might be his only weapon against Anthony’s emotional plan. But then his brother never listened much to him. Gio decided to try anyhow. “Don’t try to stop it. Jennifer isn’t for you.”
