“I’m sorry.” She grabbed his arm as he made to leave her to her shower. “I haven’t thanked you properly for all you are doing for my grandmother.”
He paused and let the feel of her small hand on his forearm soothe his aches. “There is no need for thanks. I know what it is like to lose people close to you.” When she still did not let go of his arm, he added, “Besides, a child is more recompense than I deserve.”
Her hand dropped, as he knew it would.
“A life for a life, is that the idea?”
He remained silent.
“I don’t believe you’re that cold-blooded. You’re capable of love. You love your family. There is more to this and I mean to understand it.”
“Leave it, Abby. Just take this deal at face value. You’ll suffer less if you don’t fall in love with me again. I promise you that.”
Lunch went smoothly.Everybody was trying so hard to disguise their amazement at Abby’s return. Now they were off to the hospital to see her grandmother.
Abby held tightly to the seat as she sat alongside Dante in his sports car while he expertly edged it through the city’s busy traffic. She loved the rumble of the powerful engine and felt safe with Dante in controlbehind the wheel.
“I should be able to make up the fifteen minutes. Don’t worry, we won’t be late.”
They’d been late to the luncheon, where she’d had to suffer all the family’s teasing over their freshly showered arrival. It was good-natured banter and she got a reminder of what a fabulous actor Dante was. She could almost believe he was a man totally besotted at being reconciled with his wife.
The luncheon had been the soothing balm she’d needed. Dante might not be welcoming, but his family certainly was. Her grandmother would love being fussed over by the gregarious Lombardi extended family. It should help her recuperation immensely. For that, and his help in quickly organizing the surgery, she owed him.
She reached forward and turned the car’s air-conditioning up another notch. Dante’s mood should have cooled her significantly, but her nervousness over her grandmother’s condition, and the pointed questions she’d no doubt face when they met, made her perspire.
“Are you too hot or too cold?”
She eyed him over her sunglasses.Not as cold as your heart, she wanted to yell. Instead, not trusting herself to speak, she shook her head.
“I can put the top down if you like.”
“No, I’m fine,” she said lying.
The black Porsche suited him to a tee. It was powerful, fast, and sleek, and it screamed wealth and sex. Everything about the car matched the man. Why had she not seen it before they married? The car hardly spoke of a man used to compromise.
Because all she’d seen at nineteen was the excitement of him, the beauty of him—and the fairy tale.
The one thing the Porsche Carrera definitely did not represent wasfamily man. Before she thought about what she was saying the words popped out of her mouth. “I think you’ll need a new car.”
“I’m going to, actually. I’m awaiting the new Carrera GTS.”
“That’s not what I meant. This car is not suitable for children.”
She watched the frown lines appear around his eyes and his mouth firm.
“In what way?”
“Besides being too fast and dangerous? The baby’s seat can’t go in the front and there isn’t enough room to safely position it in the back. Let alone fit a stroller.” She watched his hands tighten on the steering wheel. “I’d make the most of driving this car while you can.”
“You’re right. I’ll need to get something that is safe and sturdy. With loads of airbags.” He finally looked briefly at her. “What do you suggest? A station wagon perhaps?”
The thought of a man as virile and as testosterone-filled as Dante driving a station wagon made her laugh out loud.
“What’s so funny?”
“You. Driving a station wagon.”
“I’ll drive whatever car is best for our child.”
