Vincenzo looked down at his boy. He was the joy of his life. “Are you tired after all our walking? Do you want me to carry you on my shoulders up these steep steps?”

“I don’t think they’re steep.” He trudged up ahead of him, then turned around. “What’s steep?”

Laughter poured out of Vincenzo. “Almost straight up and down.”

“Sometimes I think I’m going to fall over.”

“You keep going up first then. If you start to tumble, I’ll be here to catch you.”

“I won’t fall. Watch!”

His strong legs dashed up the steps to the winding road that led to Vincenzo’s apartment. Dino had straight brown-black hair and brown eyes like his mother’s. His body type, like Vincenzo’s, had been inherited from their Valsecchi line.

Of course Vincenzo thought his boy brilliant like himself, and good-looking like Vincenzo’s mother. The Antonellos had a proud nose and firm jaw. All in all his Dino was perfect.

“I’ll beat you to our house,” he cried before hurrying up the last part of the road to the apartment jutting out from the cliff. From their balcony giving out on the Mediterranean, they’d spent many an hour looking through the telescope at swimmers and boats. When the sky was clear enough, they could pick out the constellations among the stars.

Dino ran around to the front door with Vincenzo not far behind. To his surprise he heard his son say, “Buonasera, signorina.” They had a visitor. Walking around the purple bougainvillea, his heart skipped a beat because he’d spotted the one woman he never expected to see again. His thoughts reeled.

In the fading light her glistening black hair fell like a curtain from a center part to her shoulders covered in a sleeveless lavender top. Standing there on those gorgeous long legs half-hidden in the folds of her white skirt, the impact of Irena Liapis on his senses had never been more potent.

“Buonasera,” she answered with a discernible Greek accent.

“Who are you?” Dino asked, but by then her startled eyes, dark as poppy throats, had come into contact with Vincenzo’s. Since he knew she couldn’t understand Dino’s Italian, he took over, but he had to be careful what he told him. Everything would get back to the boy’s mother.

“This is Irena Spiros from Greece, Dino,” he explained. “She doesn’t speak our language. That means we have to speak English to her.”

“But I don’t know many words.”

“That’s all right. Do the best you can with what you’ve learned. We’ll find out how good your tutor has been.”

“Okay.” Dino turned and shook her hand. “Hello, Ms. Spiros. I am Dino and this is my papa.”

She looked startled to hear her mother’s maiden name used and Vincenzo could tell that she was also shocked to discover he had a son. But she recovered enough from both surprises to smile at him. “Hello, Dino. How are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m six. How old are you?”

She laughed softly. “I’m twenty-seven.”

“Dino,” Vincenzo whispered in Italian. “You should never ask a woman her age.”

He bit his lip.

“It’s all right,” she said to Dino, having understood without translation. “You’re a very smart, polite boy.” Her eyes lifted to Vincenzo, a question in them, and he saw a glint of something undecipherable; anxiety maybe. He decided to enlighten her.

“When you came to Riomaggiore two months ago, my son was with his mother and stepfather in Milan. I’ve been divorced five years.”

“I see.” She studied him intently. “Dare I tell you he’s adorable and that one day he’ll grow up to be even more handsome than his secretive father?”

Something about her was different. He had yet to discover what it was. “You mean as secretive as the almost Signorina Simonides? According to the newspaper, she hasn’t been available since the CEO himself sailed away with his new American bride.”

He thought she might blush, or at least look away. Instead she said, “Touché.”

Her lack of outrage was as surprising as it was intriguing.

Dino turned to him. “Papa? Can she come in?”

“Would you like that?”

“Yes. She’s nice.”

Agreed. “Then I’ll ask her.” He shot her a glance. “He wants to know if you would like to come in.”

She pondered the invitation for a moment. “Only if it doesn’t interfere with your plans.”

“Signorina Spiros wants to come in,” he whispered to Dino, then moved forward to unlock the door.

Irena went inside but she feared her heart was pounding so loud, Vincenzo could hear it. After spending the last night of her business trip here two months ago, she knew his apartment fairly well. Comfortably furnished with a view of the sea to die for from the balcony, she found it incredibly charming. But something new had been added.

On the kitchen counter was an assembly of little boys’ toys. The kitchen table had half a dozen board games sitting on top, one of matching cards still in progress. In the living room lay a soccer ball in one corner. A small golf club with plastic balls had been left in another corner. She saw a little bicycle propped against the outside railing near the telescope, all signs that a boy lived here.

Vincenzo had a son, but he’d never said a word about him. He came up behind her. His body was close enough she could feel his warmth. “Dino wants to show you his room.”

She walked down the hallway to the door he’d opened for her. When she’d been here before, Vincenzo had indicated it was the guest bedroom, but he’d carried her past the closed door to his own room.

Inside she saw a lot more toys placed around, but what she noticed were framed pictures, some small ones on the bedside table and two large ones on the wall. They showed Dino and his father taken at different times and seasons.

Irena walked over to one of the photos where they were up on the turret of a castle in winter. Father and son were so attractive in their ski gear, she smiled. “I like this one.”

“That is Svizzera.”

“Switzerland?” she clarified. When he nodded she said, “Do you like castles?”

Vincenzo stood in the doorway. He translated for his son. “She wants to know if you like castles.”

Dino looked up at her earnestly. “Yes.”

“Do you have any soldiers? Or should I say knights?”

His son looked to him for help. After another translation Dino said, “I have um…forty.”

“Forty?” she cried with a smile. “That’s molto!”

When she spoke the Italian word, Dino laughed and rushed to a large case that he opened to show her all of his toy knights inside. She picked out one in full body armor and held it up to examine closely before putting it back. “This is an amazing army of warriors you have here.” Vincenzo translated, causing Dino to beam. He was precious.

“Come in the living room,” her host murmured. She moved past him and felt his gaze sweep over her. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?”

“Neither one, thank you. I ate at the Lido Hotel before I came here. It’s where I’m staying whilst I’m here.”

“Did you come to Riomaggiore by train?”

“No. I flew to Genoa, then rented a car.”

She moved through the apartment to the kitchen table. One of the games of jumping monkeys needed no translation; Irena wanted a little more time to gather her thoughts so she opened the box. When she smiled at Dino, he scrambled around the other side of the table to help set things up. He seemed eager to play.

After she took a seat, Vincenzo found his place at the end of the table and they started the game. For half an hour they scrambled to make the monkeys cling to the spinning trees. Dino taught her to say scimmia for monkey.

Irena really got into the game, causing Vincenzo to step up the competition. Dino let out a shriek of laughter, followed by Irena’s. Things came down to every man for himself with Vincenzo’s continual chuckle adding to the fun. Pretty soon all the monkeys lay on the table or had fallen on the floor.

As she helped put the game away, she checked her watch. She’d been here long enough. It was time for his boy to be in bed. So far Vincenzo had said nothing of a personal nature in front of Dino, but naturally he wouldn’t. Irena knew absolutely nothing about the dynamics between him and his ex-wife, he hadn’t even mentioned his marriage the last time she had been here. Doubt filled her that maybe she didn’t know Vincenzo as well as she had imagined. What if she had totally misjudged their relationship? She walked around the table and put a hand on Dino’s shoulder. “Thank you for letting me play. Now I have to go. Buonanotte, Dino.”

In the next instant he ran over to his father, letting go with a volley of Italian. A conversation ensued before Vincenzo eyed her in amusement. “My son doesn’t want you to leave. I told him we’d drive you down to your hotel.”

“That’s very kind, but not necessary.”

“I’m afraid it is,” he came back in an authoritative voice. “Now that it’s dark, a woman who looks like you out alone on a summer night is a target for every male from fourteen to a hundred years of age.”

Irena tried to repress a smile. “Only a hundred?”

His black brows quirked. “You’d be surprised.”

Actually she wasn’t. Young or old, the male of the species was the same in Greece, but perhaps not as unique or fascinating as the Italian standing in front of her.

It warmed her heart when Dino took hold of her hand and led her outside past the mass of flowers growing in profusion everywhere. The pale blue Fiat was practically invisible. Vincenzo had parked it right up against the rear of his apartment to make room for other cars, which she’d observed were rare in the village when she’d come here the first time.

While she stood by with Dino, his father started it up and pulled out on the pathlike road so they could get in. Dino hopped in the back and strapped himself in his junior seat. Vincenzo reached across the front to open the passenger door for her and then they were off.

He drove at normal speed, but the dangerous curves and twists of the steep road made it seem like they were moving too fast past houses painted in oranges, pinks and yellows.

“You’re as nervous as you were before,” he said in his deep voice. “Don’t worry. I could maneuver this cliff with a blindfold on.”

She believed him, but had to admit she was relieved when they reached the parking area of the hotel. Before she could move, his hand left the gearshift to cover hers. It sent heat up her arm. “I’m taking Dino back to his mother tomorrow. Come with us, then we’ll talk.”

“All the way to Milan?”

“It’s not that far.”

Irena didn’t look at him. “Do you think that would be a good idea? You know what I mean.”

“Are you worried about my ex-wife? Don’t be. If taking you with me were a problem, I wouldn’t have suggested it. You did come to see me, did you not?”

She couldn’t deny it.

“Dino enjoys your company.” He kept talking as if she’d responded.

“Your son is like every child. They’re happy with anyone who pays attention to them.”

“True, but you turned him into a friend when you took the time to see the things in his room and remark on the castle. That’s his favorite picture. With you along for the ride, the trip will turn into an exciting adventure for him.”

He squeezed her fingers a little tighter before letting go. “Do I need to add how much I’ve longed to be with you again? Two months have felt like an eternity. Naturally I don’t expect it has felt that way to you. Otherwise you wouldn’t have gone back to Greece, leaving me without any hope of ever seeing you again.”

Vincenzo had no idea of the depth of her feelings. But when she’d discussed her plan with Deline, she hadn’t known he had a son. The very fact of Dino’s existence altered the situation drastically.

Yet Vincenzo’s words let her know nothing had changed for him personally. That tiny window of opportunity was still open for them to talk. If she didn’t seize on his invitation, she might be sabotaging her only chance to salvage her life and that of the baby growing inside her.

The second doctor she’d gone to see hadn’t been as convinced it was Andreas’s baby. As he’d explained, pregnancy and conception were not hard and fast rules. It was just as likely to be Andreas as it was Vincenzo’s and no one could actually tell her this for certain, especially since she’d only slept with Andreas twice! No doctor could be one hundred percent certain based on a few fleeting encounters. The agony weighed heavily with Irena, more so every day, and she knew that she had to talk to Vincenzo about the situation. If only she could be sure that baby was his!

“How soon do you want to get away to Milan?”

“We’ll pick you up at nine.”

Irena nodded. “How do you say tomorrow in Italian?”

When he told her, she looked over her shoulder. “Domani, Dino.” She got out of the car and hurried toward the hotel.

Chapter Two

IRENA LAY AWAKE FOR a good part of the night. Her demons wouldn’t leave her alone.

Though she’d been a career woman since college, in the back of her mind she’d always imagined that one day she’d get married and have children. Somewhere along the way Andreas had become part of that fantasy.

Over the years their families had been good friends and had often remarked that the two of them possessed the qualities for the kind of match that would last. Irena had thought so, too, but once they had begun seeing each other seriously, Andreas had waited a long time before making love to her. Their intimacy had been satisfying but not explosive. This had caused her to lose some confidence.

She recognized early that he was a cautious man. His reputation for not making mistakes put him, rather than his twin brother, Leon, at the head of the Simonides corporation once his father had to step down.

Though he’d assured her she was the only woman in his life, it hurt that he hadn’t wanted to get engaged. He’d said he didn’t believe in engagements. They’d know when the time was right to marry. She’d mistakenly assumed that the heavy responsibility placed on him as the CEO had dictated the amount of time they spent together.

If she were honest, she had to admit that between the hours he put in, combined with the travel she did for the newspaper, their relationship had suffered. When Vincenzo had pursued her so ardently, she’d been flattered and hungry for the attention.

But their ten days together and their one night of passion had turned into something more intense than a mere holiday fling. She knew then that her feelings for Vincenzo ran deep and now, seeing him again with his small son, those feelings were magnified. There was no question that Irena wanted this baby. She wanted it with all her heart and soul. And after witnessing Vincenzo’s love for Dino, a part of Irena also longed for her baby to be Vincenzo’s, too. But by the time she’d awakened at the hotel in Riomaggiore this morning, she’d changed her mind about following through with her agenda.

What she’d been planning since leaving the doctor’s office was the act of a desperate woman. A pregnant one, she amended as she took the prenatal vitamins and antinausea pills he’d prescribed.

It was no use lying to herself. How could she think for one second that Vincenzo would feel the same way about her once she told him she was expecting a baby who might or might not be his child? He already had a darling six-year-old son of his own.

After brushing her teeth, she looked at herself in the mirror. Who did she think she was kidding?

What she needed to do was fly to someplace off the radar like Toronto, Canada. Her parents would understand she was trying to get over her heartache and wouldn’t pressure her while she determined to make a new life for herself.

Toronto had a large Greek community. She could fit in using her mother’s maiden name and have her baby. When it was a year old, she would go back to Athens, pretending to be a divorced woman. At that point she would be able to raise her child with no one the wiser and her secret forever safe.

Having made that decision, she dressed in white cotton pants and a silky, light blue blouse that tied at the side of her waist. The outfit would be comfortable to wear on the plane.

Before doing anything else, she wrote a note to Vincenzo explaining that it had been nice to see him and his little boy, but her plans had changed unexpectedly and she needed to make a flight.

Once she’d brushed her hair and slipped on her sandals, she was ready to check out of the hotel. It was only a short drive to the airport to return her rental car. If Vincenzo hadn’t come to the hotel by then, she’d leave the note with the concierge.

At quarter to nine she arrived at the front desk and looked around. No sign of him. She paid the bill and left the note before walking out to the parking lot with her suitcase.

To her shock she discovered black-haired Vincenzo lounging against the driver’s side of her car, causing a tumult of emotions inside her. How had he known which rental car was hers?

Tan cargo pants outlined powerful legs. In a claretcolored polo shirt with the kind of short sleeves that emphasized his hard-muscled arms, he could sell millions of magazines to any female who saw him on the cover.

He flashed her a stunning white smile. “Good morning, Irena.”

“G-good morning,” she stammered. “Where’s Dino?”

“Buongiorno!” his son cried. When she turned, she saw him hanging out the window of the Fiat parked in the next row. She’d been concentrating so hard on getting away, she hadn’t noticed his smiling face. He wore a cute white shirt with a big green dragon on the front. “How are you this morning, signorina?” He had that question down pat.

“I’m fine, Dino. How are you?”

“Wonderful!”

Vincenzo had probably taught him that word this morning. He said it with such an endearing accent. Her gaze swerved to blue eyes studying her beneath a sun growing hotter by the minute. He stood straight and moved toward her.

“Follow us to Genoa so you can return your car before we head for Milan.”

She took a quick breath. “Vincenzo—something’s come up and I can’t go with you after all. I left a note for you at the desk when I checked out…I have to leave, Vincenzo.”

His jaw hardened. “I have no intention of reading your note, and you can’t leave…not yet. You made Dino a promise to come with us. He wants to show you Rapallo’s castle in the sea, built to repel pirates. He hasn’t stopped speaking of it—you can’t disappoint him.”

One more look at Dino’s expectant expression and Irena agreed. The only thing to do was drive to Milan with them. After Dino had been dropped off, she would ask Vincenzo to drive her to the Milan airport. She could leave for Canada from there.

“All right. A few more hours won’t matter in the scheme of things.” She reached for the key with the built-in remote and unlocked the door. He opened it and helped her inside, submitting her to another intimate appraisal before closing it. With an increased pulse rate, she started the car and waited to follow him.

During the short trip to Rapallo on the Italian Riviera, Dino turned in his junior seat and waved to her from time to time, making her smile. She waved back. When they reached the town, they parked in the historic center and ate gelato while they walked around the harbor.

She told Vincenzo to tell Dino that the tiny, picturesque castle out in the water looked like a toy castle. His son laughed and pulled her hand as they walked across the short causeway to explore it. Soon after, he begged her to ride the cable car up to Montallegro. Who could say no to him?

Along with other passengers they were treated to a panoramic view of the Golfo del Tigullio. After a lovely lunch at the restaurant on top, they took the funicular back down to their cars and drove on to Genoa where she returned hers to the rental company.

Vincenzo put her suitcase in the trunk of the Fiat where he’d stowed Dino’s cases.

The sight of them and a bag of toys brought a pang to her heart. In a little while the two of them would have to part company.

Clearly Vincenzo adored his son. As for Dino, he was crazy about his papa. How hard for them to have to be separated, yet Dino had a mother who must be missing him horribly.

More than ever Irena realized that in a few short months she, too, could be faced with a similar situation. If Andreas was the baby’s father and he discovered the truth, then Irena would be forced to share visitation and the raising of her baby with him. But if Vincenzo turned out to be the father, then what would the future hold for them? Vincenzo already knew the pain of having to say goodbye to his child because of visitation; would he want to go through that again with this baby?

En route to Milan, Dino kept her entertained by teaching her a couple of simple children’s songs in Italian. Vincenzo translated. She knew her accent was terrible, but she tried hard to memorize them and sing along. He corrected her here and there. By the time they reached the outskirts of the city, she could sing them without help.

“Bravo, signorina.”

She shifted in her seat to smile at Dino. “Grazie. You’re an excellent teacher.”

He said something to his father in rapid Italian. Vincenzo answered back. Irena couldn’t resist looking at him. “What did your son say?”

“He wishes you were his English tutor. Mr. Fallow was born in England, and moved here ten years ago. According to my son, he’s strict and grumpy because of a sore hip. You’re a much better teacher and you’re very nice. He wants to know if you would you like him to teach you Italian.”

Laughter escaped her lips. “I can’t imagine loving anything more. How much does he charge?”

A smile lit up Vincenzo’s blue eyes before he translated for his son. His boy giggled, then whispered something to his father.

Filled with curiosity she looked at him. “What was that all about?”

“He wouldn’t say no to a chocolate bocci ball.”

“Ah. A chocolate lover. I’ll remember that, but what will his dentist say?”

This time Vincenzo chuckled hard. After he told Dino, all three of them were laughing, but it slowly faded as they were allowed through a security gate. Soon they pulled up in the courtyard of a luxury villa hidden from the road by foliage.

“I’ll be right back.” Vincenzo slid from the seat to get his son’s bags.

Irena stayed in the car while Dino scrambled out of the back to come around to her door. She opened the window and shook his hand. “Thank you for a wonderful day, Dino.”

“Thank you, too. You like Papa?” He looked worried. Of course he was wondering what was going on between her and his father. Did he want her to like his parent, or did he wish she’d go away and never come back? What would Dino make of a new baby brother or sister? A trickle of unease settled over Irena. Her baby could affect so many people’s lives. She shook the feeling off and turned to Dino again.

“Yes, and I like you.” She poked his stomach with her index finger.

He reacted with a grin. “Ciao, signorina.”

“Ciao, Dino.”

She watched the two of them carry all his stuff to the front door of the villa. A maid answered and let them inside. Assuming Vincenzo would be a while, she rested her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes.

Though she knew what she was going to say to him when he came back out, she was full of trepidation. They hadn’t been alone since she’d walked up to his apartment yesterday. Without Dino as a buffer, she didn’t know what to expect from Vincenzo, and she had no idea how he was going to react to her news.

Vincenzo hunkered down in front of his son. “We had a good time, didn’t we?”

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