“So what have you been doing all these years?” Marcia asked again.
She gave Caprice her little finger to tug on, wonderingwhat Dante would have told them about her return. She cleared her throat. “I went home to my grandmother.”
Katarina smiled in understanding at her daughter-in-law. She showed no surprise that Abby had returned after such a long absence. “You have set up own bookstore, isn’t that right?”
Abby nodded.
Salice and Marcia shared a look. “Then why are you back?”
“That is between Dante and Abby. I’m simply thrilled that you’re back.” Katarina patted her hand. “You’ve been looking after your grandmother like a good granddaughter should. Dante told us she is not well. Her heart, isn’t it?”
Embarrassed, Abby bent her head, pretending Caprice had drawn her attention for the moment. Trust Dante to do the groundwork. They all knew she hadn’t gone home to nurse her grandmother. Still, now it was at least a half-truth. She gave a nod of consent. “Yes. My grandmother arrives later this afternoon. She’s to have an operation tomorrow. Dante organized everything yesterday.”
“Si. He has organized a welcome-home lunch with just the family before he escorts you to the hospital to visit with your grandmother. We’ll take care of her. You’ll see. She’ll be fine. I’m looking forward to seeing her again.”
Caprice began to grow fretful, and Salice took her from Abby. As Abby watched mother and daughter, and the obvious power of the bond between them, she knew that she’d love a child. Dante’s child. But she wanted the loving husband to complete the picture. That wasn’t wishing for a fairy tale—most couples, she was sure, married for love.
Abby sat in baffled silence. She looked around her. This family knew how to love. It was filled with love. Therefore, it followed that Dante knew how to love. She would get these women to help her. There had to be a way to get Dante to forgive her for deserting him and make himsee what happiness they would share if he gave their marriage a proper second chance.
If she had a child with Dante, she could never walk away. It wouldn’t be fair on their child. All her life she’d wanted to be part of a large, loving family. How could she deny her child such a life? A life with siblings, cousins, and so much love. She had to make this marriage work. For everyone’s sake, even Dante’s.
Salice and Marcia moved to the edge of the pool with the children and Katarina excused herself to see to the luncheon. But what if he was ill? She felt her stomach begin to churn. Grief washed over her as the realization of what it would mean if she lost Dante made her light-headed. Stupid, really, because their divorce would have cut him out of her life as surely as death. Still, the thought of such a vibrant man ceasing to live struck at her heart.
She still loved him. She was still in love with her husband and he might be ill.
She looked up to find Dante studying her across the patio. As if sensing her distress, he was quickly at her side, and he took her hand as he crouched at her feet.
“What has upset you,Tesoro mio?”
Abby swiped a tear that threatened to run down her cheek at the endearment. My sweetheart. Did he mean it? She looked down on his noble face, as proud and sculpted as a Roman statue. His eyes were the warm blue of the sky today, not hard and icy. Concern was taking the sharp edges off his features. She wanted to massage the lines of strain off his forehead and make his sensuous lips turn up in a smile.
“If I ask you a question, would you tell me the truth? We promised each other that there would be no more lies.”
He looked at her hand tightly gripping his and smiled warily. “What is it?”
“Are you ill?”
He pulled his hand from her grasping fingers and straighteneduntil he towered over her. His face formed a grin recalling that of a painted clown, false and exaggerated.
The blood in her veins ran cold.
Dante inwardly fumedwhile trying to manage the injection of warmth her concern sent racing through his veins. That was unguarded concern he saw etched on her pale face. Her very kissable lips were drawn tight as if she were trying to hold in a sob.
“You asked me this question yesterday. What has gotten you so upset today?”
Abby stood and moved closer to him. He took a step back, conscious of the effect of her day-lit beauty on his senses.
“Your mother told me about your father.”
“What about him?”
“Why did you never tell me he died of cancer?”
He glanced behind him, where he heard his mother in the kitchen with Rachele, and uttered a silent curse. What had his mother been saying?
“He’d been dead many years when I met you. I didn’t think how he died was relevant. It’s how he is remembered that counts.”
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
