Boss Meets Baby(75)

Giovanni’s bark of laughter broke the sudden tension in the room.

‘Now I see.’ The old man spoke between chuckles. ‘You were taking your time, making sure it was right. After Capricia, I can understand your caution.’

‘It seemed wise to be sure,’ Vito said, turning to look at Lily. He didn’t know why she had said what she’d said—whether she was defending him, or simply acting out the role she had agreed to. Or maybe she was just naively speaking her mind.

Whatever the explanation, relief flooded through him, and he hugged her to him in an embrace that was entirely natural. Her guileless chatter had utterly won over his grandfather, and for that he was thankful.

Suddenly he found himself thinking how different Lily was from his ex-wife Capricia. In fact, she was different— from all the other women he had ever been involved with.

Capricia’s heart was as hard and impenetrable as a diamond. Her scornful face flashed unpleasantly through his mind, and he knew he could never have employed the same tactics of persuasion on her that he had used on Lily.

For some reason the thought made him uncomfortable, but he pushed it ruthlessly to the back of his mind. Just because Lily had her weaknesses did not mean she didn’t deserve everything she got. He couldn’t forget she had betrayed him by sleeping with another man.

‘But now something has changed.’ Vito turned back to his grandfather and continued speaking. ‘Something that has made us look to the future.’

‘What’s that?’ Giovanni sat up straighter, and from the sharp expression on his face Vito thought he had guessed what was coming next.

‘Lily is pregnant,’ he said. ‘You are the first one to share our wonderful news.’

For a moment Giovanni looked stunned. It was as if the news, which he’d waited so many years to hear, was suddenly too much to take in. Then a massive smile spread across his old face.

Lily watched as his eyes started to sparkle with unshed tears and, even though she had only just met Vito’s grandfather, she understood how important this was to him. Impulsively, she leant over the bed and kissed his cheek.

‘You’ve made me very happy,’ he said. ‘My name will continue. There will be Salvatores living at Ca’Salvatore.’

Lily smiled at him, thinking how different life was for Vito’s family. After her upbringing, it was hard to imagine living in a palace that had been in the family for hundreds of years.

‘What do you think of Venice?’ Giovanni suddenly asked. ‘People say it’s old and crumbling—like me.’ There was a merry twinkle in his eyes that made him look years younger, but Lily knew that the question was important to him. ‘But I say there’s life in the old dog yet. What do you think, Lily?’

‘Oh, definitely.’ Lily smiled warmly and leant forward— to take his hand. She could feel a slight tremor, and despite the fact she had only just met him she knew that he was tiring. ‘It couldn’t be more different from the green and open countryside where I grew up—but I absolutely— love it. It’s beautiful, fascinating, and there is always more to see.’

‘Not too crowded for you?’ he pressed. ‘After the quiet of the countryside?’

‘I love the hustle and bustle,’ Lily said truthfully. ‘And if I want some space around me I can walk beside the water, or take a boat out onto the lagoon.’

Giovanni leant back against his pillows. His body looked frail, but there was a light in his faded blue eyes.

‘You’re tired, Nonno,’ Vito said. ‘We should leave you to rest.’

‘No, wait a moment,’ Giovanni suddenly said. ‘Look in the top drawer—a wooden box.’

‘Is this what you mean?’ Vito asked, holding up a highly polished, flat wooden box that he’d found in the old chest-of-drawers across the room.

‘Give it to Lily,’ Giovanni said.

Vito frowned, but did as his grandfather bid. Lily took the box hesitantly, caught between the displeasure on Vito’s face and Giovanni’s wishes.

‘Oh!’ she gasped as she opened the box to reveal a stunningly beautiful necklace. ‘It’s exquisite!’

‘Antique Venetian glass,’ Giovanni said. ‘It was my great-grandmother’s. Until now I didn’t have anyone to pass it on to. It’s for you, my dear. Welcome to my family.’

Lily stared at the antique jewellery in awe. She’d never seen anything so gorgeous—and knowing that the glass beads were hundreds of years old, that the necklace had been treasured for generations, made it even more special.

‘We can’t accept that, Nonno,’ Vito said.

‘I’m not giving it to you.’ Giovanni looked sternly at his grandson, then his watery gaze moved on to Lily. ‘Your wife appreciates it. From her expression, I can see that she knows the true value of the necklace.’

‘Vito’s right,’ Lily said, reluctantly closing the lid of the box. ‘This is too much. You’ve only just met me.’

‘That doesn’t matter.You are my granddaughter now,’ Giovanni said. He leant back against his plump pillows and closed his eyes. ‘You may leave now. I am tired.’

Lily clutched the box tightly as Vito steered her out of the palazzo. It had been a morning full of surprises.

They walked home quietly. Lily had a lot on her mind. There were still so many questions—but at least some things were starting to come clear. Vito’s grandfather— was a wonderful old man, and she understood completely why Vito wanted to make his last days happy. But he wasn’t being honest with anyone.