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
