New Arrivals: His Expectant Mistress: Accidentally Pregnant! / One-Night Pregnancy / One Tiny Miracle...

“I recognized it for what it was. She couldn’t hold on to me, but she wanted our baby to herself, nothing more. By the time Dino was three months old, I was completely shut out of his life. I told her we couldn’t go on in our marriage that way. She told me there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I told her I’d divorce her. She claimed I wouldn’t dare.”

Irena let out a groan.

“Hideous isn’t it? When my father found out I was leaving her and realized he couldn’t stop me, he disowned me, shouting that he never wanted to see me again. The only reason I was granted any visitation at all was due to my mother who prevailed on Papa before she died. To this day we haven’t seen or talked to each other.”

“So the wedding—”

“Will be a new beginning for my father and me,” he broke in.

“How will our marriage change anything in his eyes?”

“I know my father. He never wanted to disown me, but he had to save face in front of Mila’s father. Now that he’s heard I’m getting married again, I’ll go to him a new man and tell him I’d like us to start over. By reaching out to him, I’ll have allowed him to retain his pride. He’ll be overjoyed and speak to the judge who will give me back my full rights as a father.”

A glint of suspicion entered her eyes. “A marriage to any woman could have helped you accomplish the same thing.”

His spirits plunged. “Following your logic, I could have married years ago, but there’s a flaw in your thinking. Why don’t you sleep on it? Hopefully one day soon you’ll have figured it out.”

He drew in a ragged breath. “Go to bed, Irena. You look exhausted. I’ll clean up the kitchen and see you in the morning.”

Chapter Five

IRENA’S WEDDING DAY dawned, but she’d had a fitful night. It was a good thing Vincenzo had left early for the drive to Milan to pick up Dino. When she looked in the mirror and saw her drawn face, she was glad she had time to repair the damage before they returned.

Part of her restlessness stemmed from the fact that she hadn’t told her parents anything since her last call to them. She vacillated whether to phone them now or after the honeymoon.

But as the morning wore on, she realized she couldn’t put off telling them her news. To hurt them like that when they’d been such wonderful parents to her all her life would be unconscionable. She would have to tell them the truth. Not everything, but enough to satisfy them.

After getting ready for the big day, she walked through to the kitchen to take her pills and make her phone call. As it turned out, her father had already left for work, so her mother phoned him there and they set up a three-way call.

“Irena? I’ve been anxious about you,” her father began without preamble.

“I know. How are you?”

“Fine, but that’s not the point.” Her father sounded upset. “What’s this about sightseeing with some Italian and his son? Who is he?”

She took a fortifying breath. “His name is Vincenzo Antonello. He’s divorced and has a six-year-old boy named Dino. He manages the Antonello Liquers plant in La Spezia.”

“The one you covered in the magazine section.”

“Yes.”

“Is he the reason you’re still in Italy?” Her mother’s question wasn’t an idle one.

The blood hammered in her ears. “Yes.”

“I’ll never forgive Andreas for what he did to you,” her father blurted emotionally.

“Please don’t say that. I believe it was meant to be. He couldn’t help how he felt when he met Gabi a-anymore than I could help my feelings for Vincenzo.”

Her words were met with silence before her mother asked, “What feelings?”

Now was the moment. “When I met him two months ago, we spent all our time together. I didn’t mean to, but it just happened. By the time I had to leave, he’d asked me to marry him.”

“When you were already promised to Andreas?” Her father sounded stunned.

“I wasn’t promised to him, Father. We weren’t even engaged! It’s true we both loved each other, but apparently not enough to make it to the altar. There were times he turned to Leon before he turned to me. I know now I was never in love with him. That’s why I came back to Riomaggiore.”

Her mother made a sound in her throat. “So what are you saying?”

She gripped the phone tighter. “Vincenzo and I are getting married in a few hours.”

“A few hours—” both parents cried in unison.

“Yes. There’s a church down the road from his apartment. A Father Rinaldo is going to marry us. I know this comes as a huge shock to you. To me, too, actually. You have no idea how much I love him. He’s a wonderful man with a darling son.” The realization that her feelings for Vincenzo had grown into love came as a shock to Irena, but the moment she said the words she knew them to be true.

Her father was the first to recover. “Does the boy live with him?”

Irena closed her eyes. “No. Dino lives with his mother. They’ve worked out visitation.”

“So you’re going to be a part-time mama before you’re a mama!” Spoken like a mother.

Tears slid out from beneath Irena’s eyelashes. “I’m very happy about it and hope you will be, too.”

“When are we going to meet him?” her father wanted to know.

“We’re taking a honeymoon to California for two weeks. I’ll phone you when we get there. After we return and everything settles down, the three of us will fly to Athens. Vincenzo’s heard all about how wonderful you are and is anxious to—”

“Irena?”

It was Dino.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go. I promise to call you soon. Love you.” She clicked off. “Here I am!”

Dino came running into the apartment wearing shorts and a dinosaur shirt. When he saw her in the dining room, he came to a full stop. “You are bellissima!”

It struck her how much she’d missed him. “Grazie,” she said with a smile before hugging him.

His brown eyes took in the cream-colored two-piece suit she’d bought in one of the boutiques. Around her neck she’d looped the matching colored lace mantilla she would put on when she entered the church.

While they’d been shopping she’d asked Vincenzo what he thought would look good in her hair. He’d said it didn’t matter as long as she left it down.

“Is it time?”

She glanced at her watch. “Almost. I was afraid you wouldn’t make it.”

Vincenzo came in from outside, also dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. His eyes appraised her so intimately, she trembled. “After we left Milan, there was a terrible accident on the strada that held us up. Come in my room, Dino, and we’ll both get ready.”

“Your new suits are on the bed!”

“Fantastico!”

She could hear water running from the shower. Before long Dino came running back to the kitchen in his new navy blue suit and white shirt. Vincenzo had chosen the same outfit for himself. Both wore a blue-and-silver striped tie.

Irena reached inside the fridge and pulled out a florist’s box that held two creamy baby roses and her corsage. She lifted Dino’s from the tissue and pinned it to his lapel. When it was done, she kissed him on the check. “Now you look bello like your papa.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere.” Vincenzo spoke in his deep voice. She whirled around and met a pair of hot blue eyes. “Do I get a rose, too?”

He was incredibly handsome. Her mouth went too dry to talk. Instead, she reached for the other rose and walked over to him. Her fingers were all thumbs as she had to try several times to pin it on right. All the time she was fussing, Vincenzo placed little kisses here and there on her face, causing Dino no end of delight.

“Now it’s your turn, Signorina Spiros.” Near the shoulder of her suit jacket he fastened her corsage made of a cluster of cream-colored roses. “You do realize you won’t be called that name much longer.”

How could she possibly forget? Her impulsive trip back to Riomaggiore had come about half in a daze of pain and confusion, half with the ridiculous notion that Vincenzo might have meant what he’d said about the two of them marrying. Now here she was, ready to make promises to love, cherish and honor this man she’d only known for a short time.

Odd that she’d known Andreas for years, yet even after they’d started seeing each other as a couple, she’d never learned to know all the little things about him that she already knew about Vincenzo.

Every day with him, sometimes hourly, brought a new surprise. Part of the time she was breathless. The other part she found herself reeling with new information he fed her.

Feeling flushed and nervous, she turned to Dino. “I think we’re ready.”

“First some pictures.” Vincenzo put his camera on the veranda table.

She caught his arm. “I just phoned my parents and told them we were getting married.”

His eyes held a question. “Should I expect the police to descend on me before I can get you to the church?” he teased.

“No. They’re not like that, but they’ll want to see pictures.”

“So will my father.”

After he set the camera to take some timed shots, the three of them stood together in front of the climbing roses providing the background. After a dozen photos in quick succession, he said, “Let’s go get married.”

Dino led the way out of the apartment. They joined hands with him in the middle and made the same walk they’d done the other day beneath a hot, sun-filled sky. Tourists stopped them every few steps to congratulate them and take pictures. Her breath caught every time she looked at Vincenzo because he was so gorgeous. So was his little lookalike who wore a continual smile.

Soon locals had lined the road, clapping and cheering for them. To walk to the church for your own wedding surrounded by people who threw flowers petals at you was something Irena would never have imagined. But like everything else to do with Vincenzo in this dreamy garden paradise, it just felt right.

By the time they came in sight of the church, the crowd had grown larger. At first she’d thought this was something that happened to every couple who said their vows here, but the deference paid to Vincenzo became too obvious to ignore.

She realized something else was going on. Irena would have asked him about it, but it was too late. He’d opened the doors and she had to let go of Dino’s hand to arrange the mantilla over her head. Vincenzo helped her. “Have I told you yet how squisita you are?” he said in a husky voice.

He led her through the vestibule and down the aisle to the front where they sat on a pew. Soon a man and a woman entered from a side door. They nodded to Vincenzo before taking their places on either side of the aisle. In another minute Father Rinaldo appeared.

When he walked over, the three of them stood up. “You’re late.”

In a spate of Italian words Dino explained their delay.

The priest winked at him and patted him on the head. “Accidents will happen. I understand.” He glanced at Vincenzo. “We’ll do the paperwork after the ceremony.”

“Grazie.”

“Dino? Stand by your papa. Signorina Spiros will stand at his other side. Vincenzo? If you’ll take Irena’s hand, we’ll begin.”

She felt it curl around hers in a familiar hold that warmed her heart. The priest performed the ceremony in English. It was probably the shortest church service ever given. No doubt Vincenzo had everything to do with the choice of language and the length.

They both made their responses at the appropriate time and he eventually said, “I now pronounce you, Vincenzo, and you, Irena, husband and wife. Amen.”

He smiled at Dino and said something in Italian. Irena saw her new stepson grin before he answered, “Sì,” in a spirited voice.

Vincenzo turned to her. “Father Rinaldo just asked Dino if he thought I should kiss my bride now.” On that note he lowered his mouth to hers in a kiss sweeter than anything she’d ever known. Touched beyond words, she scarcely heard the priest say something else to Dino in Italian.

“Papa—” He tugged on his father’s sleeve.

When she looked, he’d handed Vincenzo a gold ring. He turned back to her. “This was my mother’s. She told me to keep it for the woman I would marry.” So saying, he slid it on Irina’s ring finger.

He really couldn’t have loved Mila or he would have given it to her and it would have remained in her possession, but the whole circumstance of his first marriage was still a mystery to her. Vincenzo was his own man. She couldn’t understand him marrying Mila because of pressure.

“Irena?” Her head jerked up. “Father Rinaldo has asked us to follow him to the vestibule so we can sign the marriage certificate.”

“Of course.”

Dino hurried ahead of them. The witnesses signed first, then it was Irena’s turn. She had to fill in Liapis after Spiros.

Vincenzo came last. She waited while he attached his signature. It took so long, she looked down at the paper. Her eyes widened in surprise because his name went on and on with a flourish.

Guilio Fortunato Coletti Vincenzo Antonello Gaspare Valsecchi.

After he’d signed it, the female witness gave Irena a slight curtsey. “Congratulazioni, duchessa,” she muttered.

Irena couldn’t have heard the other woman right, but when she looked around to talk to her, she and the other man had slipped away.

“Vincenzo?” She caught at his arm. He lifted his dark head.

“Sì, Signora Valsecchi? I don’t know about you, but I like the sound of it. Very much in fact.” The smoldering look he gave her melted her bones.

“That woman just called me Duchess.”

He had to sign another form. “Pay no attention,” he muttered. “It’s a defunct title now and has been for years, but some will still insist on using it to feel important.”

She refused to be put off. “You’re a duke?”

“It’s meaningless, tesora.”

Irena turned to Dino. “Do you know who your father is?”

“Sì. He is Papa!”

“No—I mean—Oh—” she moaned in frustration. Vincenzo’s low chuckle only added to it.

He finally stood up and handed the papers to Dino. “Will you run these inside to Father Rinaldo? We’ll wait for you.”

Dino nodded and dashed off. After he’d disappeared, Vincenzo pulled her into his arms. “All right. I’ll tell you this once, and then we don’t ever have to discuss it again. My father is the most recent Duke of La Spezia.”

She blinked. “So the Valsecchis were once an important family.”

“Once!” he emphasized. “At the time of my marriage to Mila, Papa was going through a cancer scare and had the title transferred to me. I couldn’t have cared less about it. Unfortunately, the news made the papers. But then he recovered. After I divorced Mila he disowned me and the title was rescinded. That’s all there is.”

Irena shook her head. “That couldn’t be all. Who was your mother?”

He studied her for a moment. “The Antonellos were a former royal family from the Ligurian region.”

“And Mila?”

“Her family came from Florence and were of lesser importance. It means absolutely nothing, Irena.”

“Except that in divorcing her, you were royally ostracized.”

He gave an elegant shrug of his shoulders. “That’s one way of putting it I suppose, but it’s history now.”

“Except that I’m a nobody.”

“That’s the beauty of it.” His eyes blazed hotter. “I’ve finally gotten my heart’s desire.”

Before she could ask him what he meant by that comment, Dino came running back. Vincenzo picked him up and gave him a hug. The two of them had a major conversation in Italian. Whatever his father told him, Dino ended up shouting for joy.

As they went out the doors of the church, Vincenzo translated for her. “I asked him if he was ready to go on our honeymoon. He said yes and wanted to know if it was a long, long way. I told him we needed to fly to get there.”

“Has he been on a plane before?”

“No. When I told him we’d be taking the Valsecchi company jet in order to reach Disneyland, you heard his answer.” “Irena? Are you sad we have to go home today?” Dino looked so cute in his Indiana Jones hat. Vincenzo had gone down to the desk to take care of the bill, leaving the two of them alone for a minute.

“Sì, but I know your mama can’t wait to see you. She’ll love the presents you bought her.”

Throughout their trip they’d made arrangements for him to call Mila every late afternoon when she’d be up and available. Their conversations weren’t long, but hearing his mother’s voice every day probably cut down on any homesickness he might be feeling.

Irena couldn’t believe that in the last two weeks she could actually understand some of his Italian and say a few phrases back, with lots of mistakes and plenty of laughs, of course. Still, they’d made a pact to speak it as much as possible and it was working. Vincenzo had told her she would learn Italian faster around his son than anyone else. It was true.

“Look!” she said to him. “We’ve had to buy two suitcases to hold all your new clothes and souvenirs!”

Her comment made him giggle as he ran around in his Indiana Jones costume. They’d bought him Indiana Jones LEGO to take home and build. Adventureland had been the biggest hit for him and they had gone there eight times, but he still couldn’t find the courage to go on the jungle cruise.

Irena let him know she was nervous on boats, too, but would go on it if he would. She thought she was making progress when he got as far as the entrance to it, but then he had backed away.

Vincenzo kissed the side of her neck. “Thanks for trying to help him.”

“Maybe I need to start with something simpler, like helping him get in a swimming pool. What if I took lessons with him? Do you think that would work?”

“Possibly. You have a special way about you.”

“It’s because I love him.”

“He can feel it. That’s why you almost talked him into it.” Almost being the operative word. In the short time they’d been together, she felt like the three of them had become a little family. “Did I tell you you’re going to be the most perfect mother? That little life inside you doesn’t know how lucky he or she is.”

She kissed the back of his hand. “He or she will adore you, too, Vincenzo.”

They’d made the Disneyland Hotel their base. Dino had slept in his father’s room containing two queen beds. Irena stayed in the adjoining room on another queen. Both she and Vincenzo had made that decision on the flight over. After their speedy wedding they felt it was important for Dino that she be eased into his father’s life in increments.

In a few minutes, Vincenzo came back with a luggage cart and they left the hotel for the airport. Later on during the flight back to Italy, Vincenzo insisted she sleep in the bedroom while he and Dino bedded down on the fold-out bed in the club section.

It was Thursday when they landed in Milan. Two weeks had been but a minute. Irena found it difficult to let Dino go. Ahead of time they’d decided she would stay on board the jet. As soon as Vincenzo delivered him to his mother, he’d come back and they’d fly on to Genoa.

Vincenzo stood at the door of the plane. Irena walked Dino toward his father and hunkered down in front of him.

“We’ll see you next Wednesday after school for your overnight with us.” Vincenzo had worked out the new parenting arrangement: every Wednesday night, three weekends a month, eight weeks in summer, every holiday shared and nightly phone calls just before his son’s bedtime.

Dino nodded. Tears filled those brown eyes, but he didn’t let them fall. “I’ll bring my new Indiana Jones game.”

“Good. And this time I’m not going to fall in the snake pit.”

He giggled, causing one tear to dribble down his cheek.

“I’ll miss you, Dino,” Irena said, “While we’re apart I’ll study my Italian and you can test me. Is that a deal?”

Vincenzo helped with that word because he didn’t know it. “We have to go now, son.”

“Ciao, Irena.” He followed his father out the door and down the steps to the tarmac. The steward joined them with all his luggage.

Irena walked back to the club section. Before she could even sit down, she dissolved into tears for Vincenzo and Dino, for Mila, for herself.

Years down the road she might have to face partings like this with her own child. Vincenzo had to do it all the time, already. How would he feel if the baby she carried was Andreas’s? Would he feel the pull as much? Irena didn’t know how he coped so well with the separation. He made a magnificent role model who was a superhero to his son. The baby just had to be Vincenzo’s!

But whilst her heart hoped, another part of her tried to accept the possibility that it was Andreas’s child she carried, because to think otherwise, the joy would be too much!

She wiped her eyes and pulled out her cell phone. It was time to stop dwelling on her own worries and ask Deline how she was doing. With both of them pregnant, they had a lot in common.

“At last!” her friend cried after picking up. “It’s been a week since you called me. Are you still on your honeymoon?”

“We’re at the tail end. I’m waiting in the plane for Vincenzo to take Dino back to his mother’s house before we fly to Genoa.” She could hear a lot of noise in the background. Children’s voices laughing and screaming. “Where are you?”

“On Milos. Leon took the day off and we flew out here until tomorrow. All the families are in or around the pool.”

“Then you can’t really talk.”

“Actually, this is the perfect time. Leon’s causing most of the havoc.”

“You’ve both needed a break. How are things between you?”

“Believe it or not, we’re doing much better. Tell me about you and Vincenzo.”

“We’ve had a wonderful time with Dino.”

“Naturally, but I’m talking about the two of you, if you know what I mean.”

Irena sucked in her breath. “We haven’t had a real wedding night yet. I guess we already had it two months ago, but didn’t realize it. Right now it’s important to make sure Dino’s secure.”

“You’ve taken on a stepson. That’s a huge responsibility.”

“True, but he’s adorable. If I’d given birth to him, I don’t think I could love him any more.”

“I believe it.” There was a silence. “And what about the baby you carry…have you thought any more about that? Andreas isn’t back from his honeymoon. Leon thinks it will be another few days at least.”

She lowered her head. “Tomorrow will be my first appointment with my new OB. She’ll draw blood for some tests. The CVS test I’m having done won’t take place for another two weeks.

“I’ve made up my mind that if it’s Andreas’s baby, I’ll tell him the truth as soon as I have the DNA result in hand. I don’t want to think about that scenario too much, but if it does happen I was hoping I could call on Leon to help. I thought he might know the best way to handle it. He and Andreas have such a bond. However if you think that’s too much pressure…”

“Not at all. He’s been where you are now. If anyone will have insight in how to break the news, it’s my husband.”

Irena almost broke the phone clutching it so tightly. “I’m so worried about Vincenzo, Deline. He doesn’t talk about it a lot, but I have a feeling he is hoping this baby is his. I’ve never wanted anything so much in my life. But I’m trying to face reality now.”

“I admire you for dealing with this situation as honestly and discreetly as you can. Now you’re married to an exciting man who has taken you on, warts and all.” Irena half laughed through the tears. “Is he still exciting?”

“You have no idea.” However, there was so much Irena hadn’t told her yet. Vincenzo had glossed over everything to do with his family background. Until she had a better understanding of why he’d dismissed his illustrious heritage and wouldn’t talk about it, she couldn’t discuss it with anyone, not even her best friend.

“Vincenzo’s so good to me, I can’t begin to tell you, but I’d better get off the phone now. He’ll be back soon. I’ll call you again before I have the test. Thank you for being the best friend on earth.”