how to handle this.
After all, there had to be a reason why she had come here today. It had been five years since he had seen her and if she’d had a child in that time, he or she must be at least four years old. So why had she left it until now to make that claim about him being the father? Intuition warned him that there was more to her visit than first appeared, although he had no idea what it might be. He would have to rely on his instincts to deal with this and if there was one thing Vincenzo hated it was trusting to luck. He preferred his life to be free of surprises, mapped out to the nth degree. That way there was less chance of him getting hurt.
The thought stunned him, mainly because it was the first time he had admitted that he might be vulnerable in any way. Vincenzo’s mouth thinned as he strode down the path. Maybe his self-control wasn’t as absolute as he had believed, but it was good enough to deal with this unwelcome intrusion. It made no difference why Lowri Davies had come to see him. Whatever her motives were, he had no intention of being manipulated!
* * *
Lowri could feel her heart pounding as she watched Vincenzo stride down the path. That he was less than pleased to see her was obvious but she wouldn’t let that deter her. In a fast sweep her eyes ran over him, taking stock of the changes the past five years had wrought.
Physically he had changed very little, she decided. His black hair was as thick and lustrous as ever, his skin gleaming with good health and vitality. He was wearing black running shorts cut high at the sides with a black vest and she could see that his body was still taut and honed.
It was only as he drew closer that she realised how much older he looked, older and even more self-contained. There had always been an aloofness about him, a tendency to distance himself from other people, and it was more apparent than ever these days. He looked cold and remote and far from happy about her turning up like this but it was hard luck. She didn’t care how he felt. She only cared about what he could do for Megan.
‘I don’t know why you’ve come here and I don’t wish to know either. However, let me make myself clear: if you’ve had a child, Signorina Davies, it has nothing to do with me.’
Lowri had to stop herself taking a step back as he stared at her through the gate. The coldness in his eyes was far more intimidating than anger would have been. Vincenzo had always been in control. Even though she had known him only for a short time, she had soon realised that he kept his emotions on a very tight rein—apart from that night when they had made love.
The thought sent a rush of heat through her and Lowri shuddered. She had tried not to think about that night. It had seemed pointless dwelling on it, foolish to imagine that it had meant anything to Vincenzo when his subsequent actions had proved that it hadn’t.
They had slept together for comfort, out of mutual need even, but that was all. It hadn’t been the start of something, neither had she wanted it to be. She had been in a bad place at the time, still struggling to come to terms with her ex-fiancé’s deception, and that was why she had slept with Vincenzo...
Wasn’t it?
The thought brought her up short. Lowri realised that she was in danger of allowing herself to be sidetracked and that would never do. She had come here for one reason and one reason alone—to help Megan. Their daughter. She squared her shoulders in readiness for the battle that lay ahead. Even though Vincenzo might refuse to accept that Megan was his child, there was no doubt in Lowri’s mind about her daughter’s parentage.
‘She. We have a daughter, Vincenzo. Her name is Megan and she was four years old in March.’
Opening her bag, Lowri took out the first of the photographs she had brought with her, her heart aching as she looked at her daughter’s smiling face and recalled how different Megan had looked yesterday when she had left her with her sister, Cerys. She didn’t care what Vincenzo thought about her, didn’t care if his life was about to be disrupted either. She only cared about this child they had created. Saving Megan was the most important thing of all.
Her eyes met his as she held up the picture so that he couldn’t avoid seeing it. Oh, he might wish to dispute his parentage but anyone looking at the photograph could see in an instant how like him Megan was. The little girl had the same thick black hair and light olive skin, the same deep grey eyes. Even her nose was a smaller version of Vincenzo’s, arrow straight without even the hint of a tilt at the end of it. Apart from her mouth—which was like Lowri’s—Megan was the image of him and Lowri dared him to dispute it.
‘You can see from this that Megan is your child, Vincenzo. But if it isn’t enough to convince you then we can arrange to have DNA tests done. I have brought samples with me so you can send them off to a lab of your choice.’
She paused, waiting for him to say something, but he just stood there, staring impassively at the photograph. He seemed unmoved by the evidence she was showing him, uncaring even if Megan was his child or not, and her temper leapt a little further up the scale. ‘It will be harder to argue with the results of them, I imagine.’
‘What do you want?’
His voice was low yet Lowri flinched as though he had shouted the question at her. She took a quick breath, feeling her heart fluttering wildly inside her chest. The thought of what she was about to ask him to do made her feel sick, but she mustn’t think about how she felt, but about what it could mean for Megan.
‘It’s quite simple, Vincenzo. I want us to have another child.’
CHAPTER TWO
‘IF YOU WOULD wait in here, my housekeeper will bring you something to drink while I get changed. Which would you prefer: tea or coffee?’
‘Neither. I didn’t come here to sit around drinking tea, Vincenzo. I have more important things to worry about!’
Vincenzo heard the mounting hysteria in Lowri’s voice and inwardly flinched. He hated scenes, hated any display of unbridled emotion. Swinging round on his heel, he strode to the door, determined that he wasn’t going to be drawn into a discussion until she calmed down. They needed to talk about this calmly and rationally.
If that was possible.
His stomach roiled as he recalled what she had said. She had asked him to have another child with her and if that weren’t proof of her state of mind, what was? Even setting aside that claim she had made about him being the father of her daughter, what sane woman would have asked that of him? No, she was completely overwrought, unbalanced even, and he needed to proceed with the utmost caution if he was to avoid an ugly confrontation.
‘Don’t walk away from me, Vincenzo! I’m sorry if I’ve disrupted your day by coming here, but you’re going to listen to what I have to say whether you like it or not!’
Vincenzo came to an abrupt halt when she caught hold of his arm. Her fingers were icily cold against his bare skin and he fought to suppress the shiver that ran through him. Turning, he stared into her angry face, his lips already parted to remonstrate with her. Nobody ordered him about; he wouldn’t allow them to. Even if she was undergoing some sort of a mental crisis, she needed to understand that. However, for some reason he found the harsh words drying up when he looked into her eyes and saw the fear they held.
‘I need your help, Vincenzo, not for me but for Megan. That’s why I’m here. Because there’s nothing else I can do for her.’
She let go of his arm and he saw the shudder that passed through
