Twelve
“Are you sure you want to do this, Luca? You only have a few minutes left to change your mind.”
Luca turned away from the window overlooking Central Park to gaze at his lawyer. “Yes. I have to do it.”
“Actually, you don’t,” Edmund argued. He’d been irritated with Luca since he came in and started changing the arrangements they’d worked so hard to put together. “There’s nothing that says giving up custody is the punishment for being mean to the mother.”
“I’m not giving up custody,” Luca argued. “I’m just setting the terms that will make her happiest. It’s the least I can do after everything else.”
“And what about you? What will make you happy? These are your children we’re talking about. The children you never thought you’d have, I might add.”
“Seeing Claire happy will make me happy,” he answered without hesitation. It was true. As hard as this was on him, he needed to see Claire smile more than anything. That look of hurt and devastation on her face from that night at his apartment had haunted him for days. He was willing to do whatever it took to fix that, even giving up most of his rights to his children. He didn’t want to do it, but it was the punishment he deserved after rejecting the baby as his own.
A soft knock came at the door and the receptionist stuck her head inside. “Mr. Harding, Mrs. Douglas and Mr. Ewing are here for your nine o’clock.”
Edmund nodded sadly and looked at Luca. “Last chance.”
Luca just waved away his concerns. He knew what he had to do, and he didn’t care if his lawyer liked it or not.
“Send them in.”
Luca took a seat at the table beside Edmund. For the first time in a long time, he felt nervous. He wasn’t quite sure where to look as the door opened. He didn’t know what he would see in Claire’s eyes. Taking a breath, he looked up to see her as she slipped into the office behind her lawyer. Her gaze met his, and he knew that he was making the right decision. There wasn’t the slightest hint of animosity there. She was anxious, exhausted, sad, but not angry. He had been the angry one, the one to lash out. She was just here to see what kind of punishment he was about to hand down because he thought she was lying to him.
They took their seats, and Luca squirmed slightly in his chair. Edmund eyed him suspiciously, but Luca ignored him. His focus was entirely on Claire. She didn’t look good. He thought pregnant women were supposed to be radiant, but perhaps that was later on. Now she just looked run-down, like she had when he’d first taken her to Martha’s Vineyard. A month of good food, sun and loving had changed her, but now it was like they’d never gone.
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked.
Everyone at the table, including Claire, looked startled. Edmund reached out to grip his forearm and silence him, but he pulled away. This wasn’t about negotiations. It was about Claire.
Her gaze narrowed at him for a moment before she nodded. “I’m fine. I’m just having a rough first trimester. It was the same with Eva. Thank you for asking.” Her tone was cold, and he deserved that.
“Mr. Harding, my client and I are curious what today’s meeting is about. We go before the judge on Thursday. It’s a little late to start making changes to the agreement that Mr. Moretti and Mrs. Douglas came to on their trip.”
“I understand that,” Edmund said. “As I’m sure you’re aware, the agreement was made regarding Eva. The addition of a second child to the equation made it necessary for us to have another discussion.”
“Wait a minute,” Stuart said. “My understanding is that Mr. Moretti refused to acknowledge the child as his and vowed to Mrs. Douglas that he would not seek visitation. Are you saying that Mr. Moretti is acknowledging that Mrs. Douglas’s second child is his, as well?”
“Yes, he is,” Edmund replied.
Luca’s gaze was set on Claire’s face as his lawyer delivered the news. Her gray eyes widened with surprise, then she turned to him with her mouth agape. He could only nod, hoping his contrite expression let her know just how sorry he was about all of this.
“Is Mr. Moretti requiring any kind of testing to confirm the paternity of this child?” Stuart continued.
“No, he is not.” Edmund’s irritation was clear in his voice.
Stuart sat back in his chair, completely deflated by the whole situation. Apparently, they had come here expecting a battle and were caught off guard. Luca watched Claire’s lawyer lean into her and say a few words. They quietly conversed for a moment with Claire’s eyes meeting his a time or two.
“I’m sorry,” Stuart said at last. “The last time our clients spoke, it was very clear that Mr. Moretti believed the child was not his. While we appreciate that your client is no longer accusing Mrs. Douglas of lying, may we ask what caused the sudden change of heart?”
Edmund turned to look at Luca. His lawyer had been strongly opposed to sharing Luca’s private medical information with the other side, but Luca insisted. He nodded and Edmund took a deep breath. “Mr. Moretti has undergone medical testing to confirm his previous diagnosis. It was determined that he is a valid candidate for fathering Mrs. Douglas’s second child.”
Claire’s mouth dropped open. There was a momentary light of excitement in her eyes, as though she wanted to congratulate him on the amazing news. The light dimmed quickly. She already knew he could have children, considering she was pregnant. The only thing that had changed was that he acknowledged it, as well.
Stuart ignored both clients, trying to focus on the confusing negotiations. “Now that Mr. Moretti is acknowledging the child, how does this change the custody agreement?”
Edmund slid the folder of paperwork across the table with their updated agreement. “You can take your time looking it over. We presume that your client will find these new terms acceptable.”
Luca watched as Claire and Stuart reviewed the paperwork, talking quietly between one another. It was agonizing to sit silently and watch as Claire shook her head and her gaze flickered curiously over him from time to time.
He wasn’t entirely sure what was taking them so long to make a decision. He had given Claire everything she wanted. He’d granted her sole physical and legal custody of the children. He’d asked for minimal visitation, less than half of what they’d agreed to, as to not cause an interruption to the children’s routines. He’d tripled the amount of requested child support—even though he knew she wasn’t interested in his money—and offered to pay for the private schooling of her choice. He’d even set up large, generous trust funds for both of the children. What more could she possibly want? He didn’t want to walk away entirely or the children would think he didn’t care about them. He did. More than anything. There was a fine line between giving Claire what she wanted and abandoning his children.
Finally, Stuart shook his head. “I’m sorry, but this offer is unacceptable. My client wants more.”
* * *
Claire watched Luca’s expression crumble at her lawyer’s declaration. She knew it was a risk, but it was one she had to take. Yes, the offer was everything she could’ve hoped for when they first started this process, but now everything had changed. It was missing once crucial element—Luca.
With what he was offering, she could easily raise the two children on her own. She could hire Daisy as a live-in nanny and even give her a bigger raise than she could ever afford on her own. They could attend the best schools in New York and have everything they ever wanted. Everything but a father.
“What do you want, Claire? Do you want me to open up a vein and bleed for you? Because I will.”
It was the first time he’d spoken since he’d asked how she was. There was a pleading in his eyes that made her chest ache. It felt so awkward to have these legal mouthpieces between them. Everything felt so stiff and official with Edmund and Stuart doing all their talking for them. She wished she could just make the lawyers go away for ten minutes so they could talk—really talk—without all the legal protections in the way.
With them here, all she could do was lay her heart on the line and see if he bit. Luca had acknowledged this baby was his. This updated offer was as close to an apology as he probably knew how to offer. But she wanted more. He’d spent weeks telling her she was worth more than what Jeff had given her. She’d finally decided to believe him, and she was going to demand it.
“This isn’t nearly enough. Your money doesn’t mean a damn thing to me. I want you to apologize for all the terrible, hurtful things you said to me. I want you to say you’re sorry for accusing me of sleeping with someone else and threatening to have security throw me out of the building. And then, when I’m satisfied, I want you, Luca.”
His sharp gaze met hers for a moment. He swallowed hard, then adjusted his posture in his seat. “Gentlemen, may we have a moment alone?”
“Luca, I don’t advise you to—”
“Alone,” he reiterated in a firm voice that left no question of his demand.
Claire squeezed Stuart’s hand reassuringly, and both men got up from the table. They made their way out, shutting the door behind them.
There were a few quiet, strained moments before Luca spoke. “I’m sorry, Claire.”
She wanted to respond, but she held herself back. With the lawyers gone, she wanted to know what he had to say.
“I’m not saying any of this because you’re demanding it. I’m saying it because it needs to be said. You’re totally right. I’m sorry I doubted you. I’m sorry I said all those horrible things. I just never believed that I...” His voice trailed off as he shook his head and looked down at the table. “For so long, I’ve felt incomplete. Having cancer robbed me of so much. Not just my childhood and my youthful sense of immortality, but my self-worth. My sense of safety.”
Claire watched as he pushed up from the glass conference-room table and walked over to the window. “Everything you said that day was right. I was scared. I’d put off knowing the truth for so long because it left me a glimmer of hope. Once I knew for certain, it was done. But I went to the doctor after our fight.”
He turned away from the view and looked at Claire. “I can have children. I never dreamed a doctor would tell me that, but he did. In that moment, I wasn’t happy, though. I felt terrible because I knew that you didn’t deserve any of the things I said to you that day.”
Crossing the room in four long strides, he stopped in front of Claire. “Did you really mean what you said before? That you still want me after everything I’ve said and done?” Luca dropped onto one knee in front of her and scooped her hands into his own.
Claire felt her chest tighten with each word he said. “I meant every word. I don’t want your money, Luca. I never have. And I do appreciate your offer of giving me full custody of the children. I know that’s a huge gesture for you. But it’s just not enough. I want my children to have a father. I want them to have you in their lives.”
Luca’s posture relaxed, and his dark gaze fell to their intertwined fingers. “And what about you? Do you want me in your life, too, Claire?”
At that, Claire sighed. She’d gone over this a thousand times in her mind. Should she be happy to have a child and some good memories from her time with Luca? Did she dare ask for more? Was more even possible? “I don’t know. A lot of that depends on you. A very smart man once told me that a woman is a gift to be cherished. I’ve spent far too long being treated as less than enough. I’ll want you in our children’s lives no matter what, but to be in mine, I want it all. I’m not going to settle this time, or ever again.”
Luca nodded slowly. “I don’t want you to settle. I’ve never wanted a woman to settle for me, and I don’t want you to have anything less than you deserve. Selfishly, I’ll tell you that I love you, Claire. The time we’ve spent apart has been agonizing. I absolutely want our children to play a part in my life, but I’ll be honest when I say it will kill me to see you every time we pass the children from one household to the other. It’s not at all what I want. I want us to be a family, together, but I’m worried.”
“About what?”
“I’m worried that I’m going to get sick again. I know I shouldn’t let it affect my decisions and how I live my life, but I need you to know that it’s a real possibility. If you can accept that and want us to be a family, okay. If losing you is the price I pay for my sins, I accept that, too.”
“Sins?” Claire’s eyes were overflowing with tears as she listened to him speak. He was already punishing himself far more harshly than she ever would have. “You haven’t committed any sins, Luca. You’ve just been hurt. We’ve both been hurt. We let that disappointment get between us. We can’t let that happen again.”
A spark of hope glimmered in Luca’s eyes as he looked up at her. “Does that mean there’s a chance of us being a ‘we’ again?”
Claire nodded through her tears. “I love you too much to just walk away.”
A wide grin broke out across Luca’s face, making her chest ache. She couldn’t help returning the smile. “You love me?”
“I do.”
Luca looked up at her with a suddenly serious expression. “We’re in love, you’re having my baby and I’m already down on one knee. I guess there’s just one thing left to do, Claire.”
She stiffened in her seat at his words. Did he mean what she thought he meant? Was he actually...?
“Claire Marianne Lawson,” Luca began, “you came into my life in the most unexpected of ways and you gave me the greatest gift I could ever imagine—our beautiful little Eva. Being with you has been some of the happiest times of my life. Every day I want to get out of bed and find a way to make you smile. I want to do that for the rest of my life. Will you allow me to do that by giving me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Before she could respond, Luca reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box. He lifted the lid, and Claire found a beautiful oval diamond solitaire inside. On one side was a round, dark blue sapphire. On the other was a lighter blue stone.
“The sapphire is for Eva, since she was born in September,” he explained. “The blue topaz is for the new baby. By my calculations, he or she should arrive in late December. If I’m wrong and the baby doesn’t show up until January, we’ll change it to a garnet.”
Claire’s eyes blurred with tears to the point that she couldn’t make out the details anymore. It didn’t matter. It was the most perfect ring he ever could’ve given her. She didn’t care how many carats it was or how much money he’d paid. It represented not only their commitment to each other, but their children. That made it the most precious piece of jewelry she could ever wear.
“Yes,” she said at last, realizing she hadn’t yet answered his very important question. “Yes, I will marry you.”
Luca took the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger. She glanced at it for only a moment before reaching out and pulling Luca’s face to hers. Their lips met, giving her the thrill she craved more than a ring.
He didn’t disappoint. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he stood up, pulling Claire out of the chair with him. She laced her fingers at his nape and pulled him closer to her. She couldn’t get enough of him. She’d come far too close to losing his touch forever.
Finally, Luca pulled away, still holding her tight in his arms. “We’d better stop. I don’t think Edmund would be too pleased with me making love to my fiancée on his conference-room table.”
Claire beamed at his use of her new title. “Well,” she argued, “considering how much my fiancé has paid for his services, we should be able to do whatever we’d like.”
“Soon,” he promised, planting another, shorter kiss on her lips. “We’ve just got to call off the dogs and I’ll whisk you home and make love to you all afternoon.”
“Before we go, I just have one question. How did you know my maiden name?” Claire asked as she looked up at him.
Luca gave her a sly smile. “You ran a background check on me, so I ran one on you. It’s only fair, right?”
She smiled wide. “Absolutely. Did you find out anything interesting while you were nosing around?”
“Just that you got a D in freshman chemistry, and your favorite food is listed on Facebook as Thai. Thai? Really?”
“I may need to update that,” Claire admitted with a smile. “I’m pretty partial to Italian lately.”
“You’d better be. So,” he continued with a heavy sigh. “Are we ready to let the sharks know the good news?”
Claire nodded. “Let’s get it over with so I can get you home and out of this suit.”
“Edmund!” Luca shouted toward the conference-room door.
A moment later the door burst open with both lawyers standing anxiously in the doorway. They looked curiously at Luca and Claire, wrapped in each other’s arms.
“Yes?”
“Withdraw the custody motion. We don’t need to go to court.” Luca kept his dark hazel eyes focused only on Claire as he spoke. Her heart fluttered in her chest when he looked at her that way.
“We don’t?”
“No,” Claire said with a sly smile. “We’re headed to the wedding chapel instead.”