Page 53 of Undefeated Love
As he headed back toward the door, Alex took in the miniature apartment. It was enough for one person to live small. Perhaps that was the way Europeans preferred.
Would Katlin prefer something small and cozy, or would she want a large house with a huge yard in the suburbs that they could fill with children? He was absolutely going to buy the house when they got back home.
CHAPTER22
Thirty MinutesLater
Katlin Gone Eight Months
While drying her hair, Katlin heard a knock at the door.
Maybe Maria got called into work early.She scooted to the door and opened it wide to give her room to bring in the baby and his daily bag.
But it wasn’t Maria.
It was Alex.
Her heart did a happy dance, but her mind wanted to slam the door in his face and yell at him to go away. They stood for nearly a minute staring at each other.
“May I come in?” The sound of Alex’s deep voice sent shivers through her body.
“Sì, grazie.”
Katlin realized she was speaking Italian and quickly switched to English. “Yes, please.” She closed the door behind him. He only moved a few feet into her apartment and shoved his hands into his pockets. She looked at her place through his eyes. It was very small and humble. Her entire apartment could fit in their penthouse bedroom, closet, and bathroom.
She hadn’t expected to see him but decided that she should be flattered that he had still been looking for her after all this time. When moving to Italy, Katlin openly used one of her smaller Caribbean accounts. She obviously needed to have a talk with Barry about privacy issues.
In many ways, Katlin was thrilled that Alex was there. She had so many things to tell him. She was about to guide him to the couch when there was another knock on the door. This time she looked through the peephole before opening it.
Maria stood holding the baby.
She opened the door and spoke quickly in Italian before taking the baby and his bag. Maria told her that he was hungry and apologized that she had to run but expected a full report on the strange man in her apartment.
“Go.” Katlin shooed her out the door.
This was it. The time had finally come for her to confess all her sins…and blessings.
Holding the baby, she walked over to Alex. She couldn’t hold in her smile as she looked into the child’s deep brown eyes. “Alex, say hi to Riccardo.”
He smiled down at the baby and ran his finger down the infant’s fat little cheek. “Hello there, little man. You said his name is Riccardo?” Still smiling, Alex looked up at her.
“Yes, he’s named after his father.” Katlin didn’t hold back the grin.
“I take it the father isn’t in the picture?”
“No. Not right now.” The infant chose that moment to fuss. “Little Ric is hungry. I need to feed him.” She headed toward the baby’s bedroom.
“Can I grab a bottle for you?” Alex was looking all over the apartment. “It’s been a long time, but I bet I can still know how to prepare one.”
“That’s okay. I’ve got this,” she said over her shoulder.
“It’s really nice of you to babysit for that young girl.” Alex followed her in.
Katlin froze in front of the rocker. She had to hold in a laugh.
She sat down and threw a receiving blanket over her shoulder then moved the baby into the crook of her arm, resting her elbow on the rocking chair arm. As big as Riccardo was, this had become the most comfortable position. She lifted her blouse and unhooked the nursing bra. Her son immediately latched on. In many ways, he was like his father, enamored with her breasts.
Alex had looked at everything else in the room except her. When he finally turned and saw the baby hidden under the blanket, his mouth dropped open. “Are you nursing the baby?”
