Boss Meets Baby(60)

It wasn’t long before they were zipping across the water towards the city. Lily loved being out on the lagoon, and she’d always been entranced by the idea that she was travelling across the water to arrive at the city in the same way people had for more than a thousand years. Then, all too soon, they were winding their way through the maze of Venetian canals, approaching the water gate of Vito’s gothic palazzo.

She couldn’t help remembering the last time she’d disembarked there. That afternoon the fog had chilled her to the bone, and she’d been worried how Vito would react to her pregnancy. But despite everything she had been optimistic. She could never have predicted the harsh and unfathomable way he would react, initially throwing her out, and then persuading her to return with him to become his wife for reasons she still didn’t fully understand.

She climbed out onto the marble steps soberly. Leaving this palazzo and her life with Vito had been devastating—but returning under such circumstances was equally hard.

‘No doubt you’ll want to rest this evening.’ Vito guided Lily towards the stairs as several members of staff appeared to carry her belongings.

‘I think that would be best,’ Lily responded, suddenly feeling tears prick behind her eyes. Coming back to the place where she’d been so happy was affecting her more than she had expected.

Vito took her up to the grand bedroom she had previously— shared with him, then left without saying a word.

For a moment she stood rooted to the spot, looking round at the room that was so familiar, yet seemed so strange. Then, taking a deep breath, she walked purposefully— across to her luggage to find her wash-kit and nightclothes.

She was tired and emotional, but she wouldn’t give in to it. She wouldn’t let herself think about what she had got herself into. Vito had made her play his game, but she was going to remain strong and positive. She would not let him see any vulnerability.

She reached up and released her hair from the clip at the back of her head. It had been uncomfortable on the plane, but she’d been reluctant to let her hair down in front of Vito. She walked through to the en suite to take a quick shower and get ready for bed.

Although it was dark outside now, it wasn’t really very late. But pregnancy and the stresses of the day had made Lily so tired that she longed for sleep. She had no doubt that Vito would join her later, but with any luck she’d be sound asleep before he made an appearance.

Lily was alone in the bed when she awoke the following. morning. She gazed up at the beautiful painted ceiling and the antique Murano glass chandelier, realising— that she’d actually slept very well. And, more importantly, she felt better than she had for days. Maybe her morning sickness was finally starting to ease.

She sat up cautiously, noticing a glass of iced water had been placed on her bedside table. Beaded with condensation, the water looked enticingly cool, and next to it someone had left a plate of her favourite sweet rolls from a local bakery.

She smiled grimly. Eating before she showered and dressed would help to keep her stomach settled, but it bugged her that for some reason Vito was still demonstrating— how well he thought he knew her, and how he understood her condition. She picked up the glass and took a refreshing sip, rebelliously thinking that perhaps she should inform him that her new preference— was cold milk.

She’d just finished one of the rolls when the door opened and Vito walked in.

As usual he looked absolutely amazing, and was immaculately— groomed, right down to his freshly buffed handmade leather shoes. He was wearing smart trousers and a black cashmere sweater that fitted him perfectly. Somehow the luxuriously soft layer of wool encasing his hard, muscled form emphasised his raw masculine power in a way that made her heart skip a beat.

Lily remembered what it felt like to be enfolded in his arms and held against that sweater. She pushed the thought aside and lifted her eyes to his handsome face.

‘Good, you’re awake.’ He stood at the foot of the bed, letting his eyes run over her in assessment. ‘You look much better than yesterday.’

‘It’s not surprising.’ She returned his gaze steadily, resisting the urge to fidget under his hard stare. She was glad that she was wearing her old, cosy nightshirt with long sleeves and a high neckline. Vito had always hated it. He’d preferred her in the filmy, revealing garments he had seemed to enjoy buying for her. ‘Yesterday was just about the worst day of my life.’

‘There’s someone you need to meet this morning,’ he said, ignoring her jibe. ‘My grandfather has been ill. A visit from us will cheer him up.’

Lily looked at him in startled silence. She’d lived with Vito for five months, but he had never once taken her to visit his grandfather. She’d known that he lived very nearby, and that Vito called in to see him regularly. But she’d understood that, as his lover, it was not part of her role to meet his family.

‘You intend to tell him, don’t you?’ She found her voice at last, the realisation that everything was so different— making her feel really unsettled.

‘Of course, he’s my grandfather. I didn’t bring you here to marry you in secret,’ Vito replied. ‘I thought I made myself very plain on that point.’

‘You did,’ Lily said. ‘It’s just that it was rather a sudden decision. I thought you might take time to reflect on it before things get too complicated to change.’ She folded her arms across her chest, thinking that, once other people knew about their marriage, there would definitely be no going back.