Love in the Vineyard (Tavonesi #7)(71)
She heard Adrian’s voice as she approached.
“Well, my father made some mistakes,” Adrian said in the overly serious voice that adults who didn’t have children often used. “Your mom probably has a very good reason not to be in touch with your dad.”
Her heart swelled at Adrian’s gentle words. He was such a good man. Such a kind man. Sure, he was the sexiest guy she’d ever laid eyes on, but it was way more than physical attraction that had carved love for him into her heart.
In the dim light she made out two figures. Adrian was sitting next to Tyler, their shoulders hunched in a posture that spoke of confidences being shared.
“But I’d like to have a dad,” Tyler said in a low, sad tone. “I’m the only kid in my class without at least a part-time dad.”
Tyler’s words slayed Natasha. He’d never admitted such a wish to her. Maybe he thought it would hurt her.
A twig snapped under her foot. Adrian and Tyler turned toward where she stood.
“Hey, Mom,” Tyler said with an almost guilty smile.
“Time for dinner, Tyler.” She couldn’t look Adrian in the eye. Not right then. If she did, he’d see into her heart. And she wasn’t ready for him to know what was written there plain as day.
“And then dancing,” Adrian said as he stood.
Tyler sprang up beside him. “Eww… dancing.” He screwed up his face.
“Just for us adults,” Adrian said with the laugh she’d grown to love. “But someday you’ll be on the lookout for an opportunity to dance with a pretty lady.”
He tousled Tyler’s hair. The gesture shot an achy yearning straight into Natasha’s heart. Boys needed men in their lives. And Adrian would be the best kind of man for a boy.
“Don’t rush him,” she said, still slammed by realizing what she wished weren’t true.
“Mom wore her blue dress.” Tyler beamed.
A slow, sexy smile curved into Adrian’s lips. “And a very fine dress it is.”
Natasha hoped that in the dim light Tyler didn’t notice the way Adrian’s eyes roved over her body. But she certainly did. His hungry gaze cut through her defenses like a diver plunging through the surface of the ocean.
After dinner Tammy took Tyler and a group of kids down to the barn for games. Natasha had barely touched the grilled salmon or the vegetables from the garden she’d once tended. Her mind was still on Tyler’s comment to Adrian about not having a dad. There were two men in her life who could’ve fit that bill, if only they’d been different men than they were.
She didn’t trust Eddie. Though his words had pointed to a future she once would’ve liked to believe was possible, something in his attitude, in his eyes and his tone, made her more than wary.
As she toyed with her food, she couldn’t help but notice Adrian talking with scores of beautiful, wealthy-looking guests—women who looked at him as the answer to their prayers. She couldn’t even bring herself to wish that he could be the father figure in her son’s life. That he could be the man in her life. Wishful thinking only led to disaster. Besides, why would he saddle himself with another man’s child when he could have the pick of any woman in the world and have a family of his own? He’d never said anything to her about wanting a family, and his sister had said Adrian wasn’t interested in children. Maybe he was one of those men who satisfied himself with projects and work and was happy to play the field?
Adrian’s cousin Parker came over and surprised her when he slid into the seat next to hers.
“Enjoying the party?”
“It’s lovely,” she said, still distracted by her thoughts.
“Lovely? This is a Fandango—it’s supposed to be rollicking, boisterous, a hoedown.”
She hadn’t meant to offend him. She knew from her first encounter with Parker at the masquerade and more recently from conversations around the staff lunch table that the man took parties very seriously. He was an enigma to her. A strapping six-foot-four tower of a man who played polo like a demon and yet apparently had a refined talent for conjuring beauty and the perfect ambiance for celebrations of all sorts.
“The band is right on target then,” she said with a nod to the men dressed in flashy costumes who looked like they were right out of California’s Gold Rush days.
“I ordered those costumes myself,” he said. He held out his arm. “Care for a dance? I see that my dear cousin is otherwise occupied.”
Did he know that she and Adrian were lovers? Her cheeks heated at the thought. She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and went with him to the already crowded dance floor. He put a hand to her back and she placed hers on his upper arm. On his very tight biceps. Tavonesi men were built like world-class athletes. They were world-class athletes, she reminded herself. She looked up into Parker’s eyes as he guided her steps in an unfamiliar dance. He had features similar to Adrian’s, but in no way did the handsome cousin stir her heart.
She looked beyond Parker and saw Adrian storming toward them.
“Stealing my date, old man?”
“I’m only three months older than you,” Parker said with a laugh. He released Natasha. “You shouldn’t leave the most beautiful woman at the party sitting alone. Even you should know better than that.”