Boss Meets Baby(74)

Lily smiled. Despite her nervousness, she was already— warming to the old man. His body might be frail, but his mind was certainly active.

‘They’re here, with your newspaper.’ She slipped around to the other side of the large bed and handed his spectacles to him.

‘Thank you, my dear. No, stay close,’ Giovanni added, his bony hand shooting out to catch her arm and pull her closer. ‘So I can get a proper look at you.’

‘Nonno!’ Vito chided gently. ‘Let go of Lily, and I’ll introduce you properly.’

‘Formalities!’ Giovanni scoffed, although he did release— his grip. ‘What use are formalities at my age? Tell me quickly—who is this beautiful young English woman? And why have you brought her to meet me?’

‘This is Lily,’ Vito said. ‘And I’m very pleased to tell you that—’

‘Yes, yes—get on with it,’ Giovanni urged.

‘That she is my wife,’ Vito finished smoothly, not at all phased by his grandfather’s interruption.

‘Your wife?’ Giovanni said. ‘Why didn’t I know about this?’

‘You were sick, Nonno,’ Vito said. ‘I thought it best to go ahead with the wedding and tell you when you were feeling better.’

‘You were married without me?’ Giovanni said, sounding slightly affronted as he looked sharply at Vito, then across at Lily. ‘So you’ve finally come to your senses and decided to settle down?’

‘Yes, Nonno,’ Vito said, hugging Lily in an open display of affection. She leant into his embrace, taking comfort from the feel of his strong arms around her, despite the knowledge that it was only for show. A whirl of conflicting thoughts and emotions was flowing through her, but she fought to keep a clear head and pay attention to the exchange between Vito and his grandfather. ‘It was a very small wedding,’ Vito added.

Just how significant had Giovanni’s desire to see his grandson settled been in Vito’s sudden proposal? Everything had happened so quickly at first, and in the intervening time she still hadn’t come any closer to figuring out Vito’s motivation. She had married him for her child’s sake but she didn’t really understand what was in it for Vito. Especially as he seemed to be avoiding her.

‘So you found the right woman after all?’ Giovanni probed, leaning forward and peering closely at Lily. ‘An English rose—or should I say an English lily? The name is certainly appropriate.’

‘The right woman,’ Vito repeated, placing a brief kiss on Lily’s cheek. ‘Si, Nonno. You always told me that in time I would find the right woman.’

The old man snorted, wicked humour making his eyes brighten. ‘I said that, did I? I seem to remember talking to you just a few days before I got that wretched infection,’ he said. ‘I told you to hurry up and provide me with an heir. Is that what this is?’

Lily barely managed to shield her shocked reaction. Her heart jerked painfully in her chest, and for a second she struggled to draw air into her lungs. Then she became aware of Vito beside her.

He had gone utterly rigid. A horrible sensation cut through her. It was as if she could actually feel his pain as his muscles tensed with agonising intensity.

‘You went on a business trip to London,’ Giovanni said. ‘What did you do—propose to the first attractive girl you met?’

‘No, Nonno. That’s not how it happened…’ Vito looked at his grandfather’s face and suddenly ran out of words.

This wasn’t how it had been supposed to go. The wily old man had completely wrong-footed him— and— if he didn’t pull himself together quickly it would all be for nothing. If he couldn’t convince his grandfather— that his relationship with Lily was genuine, he might not accept her child as his heir. It wouldn’t make him content.

And that was what this was all about—fulfilling Giovanni’s dying wish to see his name continued. What kind of grandson was he if he couldn’t do the one thing that would make his beloved grandfather happy in his dying days? After everything his grandfather had done for him, this was the one thing that any man ought to be able to do in return.

His shame at his failure bore into him, burning a hole in his chest, making it hard to think, impossible to speak.

‘It’s true we arrived from London the day before you got sick,’ Lily suddenly spoke up, her voice quiet but clear in the high-ceilinged chamber. ‘But we didn’t just meet.’

‘Tell me more.’ Giovanni leant forward, as if it would help him catch everything she said.

‘We first met nearly a year ago,’ Lily said, stepping closer to the bed. ‘After several months of travelling between London and Venice for weekends and holidays, Vito asked me to move in with him here. I’ve been living in Venice with him since Novem…’

Vito looked at her sharply as her words petered out. He’d been amazed, and very relieved, that she’d spoken— up. But now she was blushing and looking down at the floor, letting her blonde hair swing forward to conceal her face.

‘What is it?’ Giovanni barked. ‘Why did you stop talking?’

‘I…it just occurred to me that you might be Catholic.’ Lily looked up and continued hesitantly. ‘That you might not approve of us living together. I’m sorry— that’s— probably why Vito never brought me here before.’