she leaned forward in her seat. “Everything okay?”
Bronson sighed, not wanting to think about the fact that after she came out of her same-day surgery with glowing reviews from the doctors, his mother had again asked him to consider Anthony as the director.
“My mother had a heart cath this morning.”
Mia jerked up in her seat. “Oh, Bronson. I had no idea. She’s never said a word to me that she was having cardiac issues. Is she okay?”
Bronson knew Mia’s love for his mother was genuine and that only added to his confidence that she was trustworthy. And he was starting to care more for her than he ever intended.
“Her stress test showed something was off, so this was just a precaution. I assure you, she’s fine and the doctor said she looks perfect.”
Mia’s visible sag of relief warmed him all over. She loved his family without question. But how would his heart take it if she was lying? He was getting in deeper every day and couldn’t emotionally afford to lose her.
No, no. He didn’t want love or any such emotion to be involved. No way was he ready for anything like that.
“Tell me where we’re going,” she begged. “Just a hint.”
He’d gotten her this far, might as well give in. He’d always been a sucker for a woman begging.
“Tuscany.”
Mia’s eyes widened a split second before they misted. “Where my …”
He leaned across, taking her hands in his. “I know that’s where your family was from. I thought you might want to see your birthplace before you begin your own journey as a parent.”
“Bronson,” Mia whispered as one lone tear trickled down her cheek. “I’ve never felt so appreciative or grateful. I don’t know what to say.”
Moved by her honest emotion, he unbuckled his seat belt, shifting to sit next to her and buckling in there. “You don’t have to say anything. I’ve wanted to do this for you, but when Mom dropped this bombshell of her procedure the other day, I had to wait to see if we could still go. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with her.”
Mia’s delicate hand cupped his cheek. “You’re the kindest man I’ve ever known. Our baby is going to have the best father.”
Bronson swallowed the lump in his throat, grabbed Mia’s hand and kissed it. “I have other surprises while we’re there, but I refuse to tell you. Those you will have to wait for.”
Mia sniffed, laid her cheek against their joined hands and smiled. “You’ve given me more than I’d ever hoped for.”
He knew she wasn’t just talking about the trip, but the baby. A baby he could hardly deny any longer was his. He’d been sliding down a slippery rope since he found out Mia was expecting and he was hanging on by a strand.
He needed to know more about her on a personal level. Needed to try to develop the trust he so desperately wanted to have.
Mia’s first impression of Tuscany was everything she’d dreamed. Rolling green hills, beautiful villas on hillsides and a sense of calm and serenity. Sunshine kissing the tops of trees, roads wet after a brief shower. And the beauty made that nineteen-hour plane ride worth every minute.
“How far is our villa?” she asked once they were settled into the car Bronson had rented.
“No villa.”
“Are we camping in a tent?” She laughed.
Bronson smiled as he wound through the narrow streets. “I’ve rented a castle.”
“A castle?” Mia tried to grasp the implications of that. “You’re kidding.”
“Not at all.”
Mia watched the old city fly by. “But this was such short notice. How did you manage a room in a castle?”
He threw her a look as if to say, “Look who you’re dealing with.”
“We didn’t get a room,” he told her, turning back to the road. “The entire castle is ours until Friday.”
Mia eased deeper into her seat. This man was nothing short of amazing. He’d gone through some trouble to whisk her away to the town in which her parents had met, fallen in love and started their young family. He’d rented an entire castle all to be alone with her. She didn’t believe he went through all this just to sleep with her again.
He cared for her—that much was obvious. But did he love her? Mia didn’t know and had a feeling he was unsure himself. She had to be patient and let him figure out on his own where he wanted this to go.
When he pulled into the drive that wound up the hill, Mia gasped. “This is beautiful, Bronson.”
“We used some of the grounds in a film I produced about five years ago. I’ve always wanted to stay here but never found a reason to.”
Until now.
The words hung in the air just as if they’d left his lips. A wave of giddiness swept through her. Yes, he was falling in love with her. The emotions may be slow in coming, but they had started taking root in his heart. Of that she was sure.
“Every castle has a name,” he informed her as he parked the car. “Welcome to Castello Leopoldo.”
Mia didn’t wait for him to come around and open her door, she hopped out and took in the Old World beauty. Light brick and stone with vines wound up and over the entryway. She could almost sense the magic from this place and couldn’t wait to see what awaited them inside.
Bronson came up beside her. “There are eleven baths and ten bedrooms.”
Mia glanced at him. “Are all those rooms on the agenda?”
With a quick kiss on her lips, Bronson murmured, “Count on it.”
Mia stretched, smiling at the memory of how Bronson had already started making good on that multiroom promise.
Silk sheets swished softly as she shifted her bare legs. Bright rays slashed through the opening in the drapes and slanted sunlight across the bed.
Mia rolled on her side, tucking her arm beneath her head as she stared at a peaceful, sleeping Bronson. Dark lashes feathered his skin, a wisp of black hair fell over his forehead and those talented—mercy, were they talented—lips parted ever so slightly.
Swallowing a lump of fear, reality set in. She knew Anthony would be talking to Olivia this week. By the time she and Bronson returned from their romantic getaway, decades worth of secrets would be exposed and one by one the details would trickle out, giving the media the story of the century.
And leaving Bronson … what? Brokenhearted? Bitter? Destroyed?
As
