Page 29 of Pregnant in the Italian's Palazzo

When she didn’t answer him, she felt him sigh heavily, his breath tickling the back of her neck. How could she feel so furious at someone, and still want them this much? It was absurd and unhealthy. She closed her eyes, deciding distance was the only way she would survive this man.

She kept her voice calm, turning to face him fully. ‘Don’t you have vineyard duties to attend to?’

‘I was hoping to take you out with me, to show you the groves.’

‘I’m tired, Nysio.’ She sighed. ‘I’ll see you at dinner.’

He nodded once, moving towards the door. He paused under the archway for a long moment, one hand braced on the frame so tightly his knuckles glowed white. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell my father the truth about us. I already regretted forcing your hand to get you to stay in Italy with me...but once I had you here, Aria...I didn’t want to let you go. If you believe nothing else, believe that.’

Then he was gone.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ARIAWASFALLINGAPART.

It was their second day in Sardinia and, true to his word, Nysio had given her space. He’d had the sofa bed made up in their adjoining living room and slept there. She’d listened to the sounds of him tossing and turning in discomfort all night, but he hadn’t complained once. When she’d awoken this morning, he was already up and walking the grounds slowly, his elderly father by his side deep in conversation. She couldn’t help getting emotional at the sight.

She’d also taken the opportunity to get some work done, checking her emails and voicemail and finding that Priya had been trying to contact her for days. She and Eros were taking a trip to Europe and she wanted to meet up. She could tell by her friend’s tone that she was checking up on her. Her finger hovered over the button to return the call, her shoulders sagging with the effort of having to speak. Of having to explain the details of why she didn’t really want to meet up. It was too much right now, everything felt like too much.

Feeling the onset of her anxiety reaching a peak, she threw on her sneakers and set about wandering through the groves of olive trees, feeling strangely disconnected from such beautiful surroundings. She didn’t know how long she’d wandered alone, until she turned and found herself faced with another wall of fresh green olives rather than the exit she’d expected. At her height, the house wasn’t visible over the branches, and neither was the sound of the sea particularly loud enough to guide her.

She was lost.

Panic threatened to overwhelm her completely until the sound of footsteps crunched from behind her. She turned to find Nysio striding towards her, his hair windswept and so long it reached the collar of his sleek riding jacket. Breath sagged from her lungs as she ran to him, burying her face into his chest. He and his mother had gone out horse-riding on the beach after lunch, an activity Cora had informed her quietly that they hadn’t done in years.

Remembering the look in the older woman’s eyes as she’d quietly thanked her for bringing her son back to life...it had tightened something painfully in Aria’s chest that had refused to loosen since. As she looked up at Nysio’s handsome face, another fresh wave of tears filled her eyes.

His strong arms enveloped her so tightly, soothing away the raw edges of her panic from moments before.

‘Did you get lost? This place is like a maze,’ he murmured, holding her even tighter.

‘I did. But I’m not crying over that...I don’t think. I can’t stop crying today. Stupid hormones,’ she sobbed, feeling the moisture flow from her eyes, dampening the front of his soft jacket.

This was mortifying, being so wildly out of control of her own body. She was used to feeling her emotions more than others seemed to feel them, but since she’d been pregnant everything seemed so much more intense. But right there, in the midst of it all, was Nysio, his eyes filled with that steady, ironclad warmth.

‘I’m right here,dolcezza. Just let go,’ he said softly, running one hand along the length of her hair from crown to shoulder. It wasn’t a sexual touch, it was comforting. It was understanding. He did understand how she felt, she realised. He always had. Her breath exited her lungs in a gust and she let her body sag against him, her softness welcomed against the safety of his hard, broad chest.

She didn’t think, she just did what he said, she let go. She let go of all the pent-up emotion inside her, feeling it cascade outwards on a wave. Her chest heaved with it, with the raw break of everything she’d held inside. The obsessive pull towards this infuriating man and the confusing world of his that she’d walked into. The panic for the tiny life growing steadily within her. An innocent being that she had no idea if she would be enough for.

When she finally became aware of her surroundings again, it was to find that Nysio had guided her under the cover of a gazebo in the centre of the olive grove, and produced a handkerchief from his coat pocket. It was so old-fashioned for him to carry such an item it made her smile softly through the sobs that still racked her chest.

She sat still as he wiped under her eyes gently, overcome with tenderness at the realisation that he was caring for her in such a simple and beautiful way. The handkerchief came away black with mascara and she knew she must look like a sight but she didn’t care. She was looking at him, trulyseeinghim, and she couldn’t look away.

‘This pregnancy has just opened up every wound I thought I’d healed. The worry...it hasn’t stopped. I never worry. I’m the queen of laid-back.’

‘You expect to still hold that title after that tidal wave of anxiety?’

She laughed, feeling something lift within her, leaving a lightness that felt dangerously close to hope. He had a way about him that made her want to relax and trust someone else for the first time in her adult life. She thought of his proposal again, only this time she didn’t feel a cold sweat coming on. Was she actually tempted to consider it?

Could they try to make things work together or was it just her hormones talking? In her mind’s eye she imagined a life she’d only dared to dream of, a family of her own. A home filled with laughter and joy. But she needed to know that he wanted to marry her for her and not just for the baby or to keep his traditional parents happy. While she knew that she would be fine if she chose to go down the single-parent route...choosing Nysio was infinitely more of a risk to her heart. Was she being selfish by holding back from the possibility of being hurt?

Could she truly trust her own judgement again?

‘I cried a little when I saw you walking with your father this morning, how you care for him. Your love for your family...it’s beautiful.’

‘Do you include yourself in that yet?’ he asked.

‘I’m not foolish enough to include myself in your family, Nysio.’ She swallowed over the sudden lump in her throat, laying a hand over her lower stomach. ‘But I trust you to care for your child. To love them.’

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