stood and pocketed the phone, and she couldn’t quite shake the feeling she’d insulted him. Though why she should care, she couldn’t say.
“Sadly,” he said, “there are some women in a man’s life that it is impossible to leave. No matter how much he might wish it.”
The island was larger than Tina had first thought when they’d arrived yesterday. On the other side of the castle was a terraced garden, with grapevines twining over a pergola, cobbled walkways, and plots of herbs and flowers. There was also a stone pool with clear turquoise water that looked as if it, too, had been carved out of ancient rock and set here during Roman times.
It had been hours since breakfast. She’d spent some time exploring the castle, and when she’d realized there was actually a garden, she’d changed her shoes into something more reasonable so that she could investigate it further.
She skirted the pool and walked across the grass toward the vine-shaded pergola. From the outside, it looked so private and cool. Peaceful. She could use a little bit of peace in her life right now.
She hadn’t seen Nico since this morning, but she hadn’t stopped thinking about their exchange on the terrace. There are some women in a man’s life that it is impossible to leave. No matter how much he might wish it.
Like a woman who was pregnant with his child? She felt like a fool the more she thought of it. Of course he didn’t want her in his life, but he was willing to accept her because of the baby. If she married him, would she be the woman on the other end of that phone someday?
She ran her hand along a stand of tall ornamental grass, enjoying the way the fuzzy tops tickled her fingers. No doubt she would be the woman on the other end of the phone, whether she married him or not. They were having a baby together and they would always need to be in contact with each other, regardless of whether or not they married.
He would be in her life, and she in his, for as long as they lived. The thought made her shiver—only it wasn’t completely out of fear or anger that she did so.
No, more like excitement.
Tina stopped in the middle of the garden as her legs seemed to suddenly be made of jelly. My God, a baby was such a game changer. A life changer. A child was forever. It was such a huge obligation that Tina sucked in an abrupt, sharp breath, heavy with responsibility and unshed tears.
My God.
What had she gotten herself into? It was too much. Too much …
Her heart beat hard. She thought of Faith and Renzo, of the baby they both loved so much. She could see the pride in their gazes, the love and the utter conviction they would do anything it took to protect their child. And each other.
Tina passed beneath the pergola and found an outdoor furniture grouping plush with overstuffed cushions. It was a perfect place to curl up and read—or to think.
She sank onto the couch and lay back against the pillows. Tears pricked her eyes. Such a mess she was in. Nico didn’t love her, nor she him, but they’d created this life together. This tiny life that would need so many things from her.
Certainly she could hire a nanny. She could buy her own house and hire around-the-clock care for her child. She could do this alone, she didn’t doubt it.
But was it fair to her baby to make him or her shuffle between parents?
Tina put a hand over her belly and concentrated on breathing. Her heart hurt with the chaos of her thoughts. Was agreeing to marry Nico the right thing to do? She pictured Renzo and knew he would be furious if she did.
But if marrying Nico kept him from going after Renzo or D’Angeli Motors, then she had to do it. She would not be responsible for this feud between them growing any worse, nor would she be responsible for bringing harm to her brother and his family.
The sun was warm beneath the pergola, though she was not in direct light. She lay there for a very long time, gazing out at the bright green lawn with red and pink flowerbeds, pencil pines, bay laurels, and even a small grove of olive and lemon trees, until her eyes started to droop.
Tina awoke with a start sometime later, a chill skating over her skin as the sun’s warming caress moved on to another part of the garden. Birds chirped in the trees and she could hear the distant sounds of church bells from the nearest village across the lake.
She’d been dreaming about Nico, as he used to be when he came to their house so many years ago. He’d laughed then. Smiled. He’d always had an edge, but it hadn’t seemed frightening the way it did now.
Now she was utterly convinced he would do whatever it took to get his way. Ruthlessly.
“You scared Giuseppe out of several years of life when he could not find you,” came a cool voice.
Tina gave a little gasp of fright. She turned, found the man she’d been dreaming about sitting in a chair across from her, watching her with an intensity that both warmed and frightened her.
“I’m sorry,” she said automatically. “I fell asleep.”
“I see that.”
She pushed herself upright on the cushions and stretched like a cat coming to life after a long nap. “I don’t know what happened. It was warm and cozy, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open.”
He looked around the sheltered pergola as if seeking the answer somewhere in the leafy green vines. She realized then that they were hidden from the view of anyone in the castle. A person would have to walk across the garden and cross in front of the pergola to see anyone inside it.
No wonder Giuseppe had lost her. She felt a pinprick of guilt as she thought of the little man searching. He’d been nothing but wonderful to her since the moment she’d arrived. He, at least, made her feel like a guest instead of a prisoner.
“It is a lovely spot for a nap,” Nico said. “I believe I might have fallen asleep here once when I was six.”
Her heart flipped as she thought of him as a little boy. Had he frightened his parents when he’d disappeared that day? Or had they known where he’d gone and left him to sleep in this lovely bower?
He seemed distant, his eyes focusing on some faraway point. Then he swung his gaze back to her. It was cool, hard. Determined. “It is time, Tina.”
She swallowed. “Time for what?”
He flicked his fingers against his jeans, as if removing a speck of dirt. “Time to choose.”
Her heart skipped. “Who was the woman on the phone?” she asked, fresh anger surging in her veins.
His eyes darkened. She didn’t think he would answer. But he surprised her.
“My mother. We were arguing.”
Tina ducked her head and studied her clasped hands. So much rage in so few words. She felt as if she’d invaded his privacy somehow, yet she’d had to know the answer. As if it mattered when he compelled her to marry him with threats to her family.
“It’s none of my business. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
She could
