Four
The morning light shone through the window and roused Claire from her sleep. She yawned and stretched, feeling luxuriously lazy for not setting an alarm. She could get used to this vacation thing. For the first time in a long time she felt well rested. She’d slept like a rock last night. She hadn’t done that since before Eva was born.
Wait a minute... Eva!
Shooting up in bed, Claire looked over to the crib. If the alarm didn’t wake Claire up, the baby usually did, so if she was still sleeping, something was wrong with Eva. Her eyes scanned the unfamiliar crib, but there was no baby to be found.
“Eva?” she called out with an edge of panic in her voice.
Claire whipped the blankets back and leaped from the bed. A quick search of the crib and the surrounding area confirmed what she already knew. Eva was missing. “Eva!” she shouted again, throwing open the door of the master bedroom and skidding into the living room. She came to a sudden stop, not quite sure she could believe what her eyes were seeing.
“Good morning. Are you hungry?”
Luca was standing in the kitchen with Eva perched on his hip. Together, they were cooking breakfast. The billionaire CEO was mixing pancake batter while playfully gumming at her infant’s fingers and making yummy sounds. Luca looking so casual holding her daughter was a surreal sight after their tense conference room showdown. Was this the same man who had threatened her with prison time? “We’ve been enjoying our morning, haven’t we, bella? We had a bottle and coffee out on the deck and watched the seabirds, and then we decided to make pancakes for breakfast.”
She was happy to find Eva safe, but she didn’t appreciate the fright he’d given her. Luca’s brows drew together. “Claire, are you okay?”
She didn’t answer him. Marching across the living room, she took Eva from his arms and cradled her to her chest. Then, and only then, could she respond to Luca. “Please don’t do that,” she said.
“Do what?”
“Take her without telling me.”
“You mean take her like she’s my child and care for her as a father would do?”
Claire frowned at him. He might technically be her father, but he hadn’t earned the right to just wander off with Eva without her permission. Her daughter barely knew him. “The point of this trip was so that I could get comfortable with you handling Eva. It’s been less than twenty-four hours and I can assure you that I’m not comfortable yet.”
“I’m sorry,” Luca said, coming around the kitchen island with a mug of coffee in his hand. “I get up early, so I came and got her so you could sleep. It defeated the purpose to wake you up and ask if you minded. Would you like some coffee? I made this cup for you, but again, I didn’t ask permission first, so you may not want it.”
Claire ignored his sharp tone. He was annoyed, but she didn’t care. It was far too early for him to start ignoring boundaries. Being temporarily under the same roof didn’t turn their situation into some family sitcom. Of course, neither did her snapping at him.
“Sure,” she replied quietly, still a little off-kilter from her scare and not entirely pleased with how she’d handled all this in that state. “Thank you.”
Luca set the mug on the counter within her reach and turned to the kitchen. With his back turned, Claire did a quick assessment of Eva and found her to be fed, changed and clean. She seemed happy and not at all concerned to be away from her mother with a strange man. Claire had obviously underestimated Luca when it came to caring for children. He knew more about it than he let on in their previous discussions.
“Do you want bacon?”
Claire turned back to Luca. He seemed to have cast aside their little skirmish and refocused on breakfast. “That sounds great.” She slipped onto one of the stools at the kitchen counter to watch him work at the range. The in-control businessman appeared to have stayed back in Manhattan and in his place was a man enjoying his vacation. He was wearing a blue T-shirt and flannel plaid pajama pants with bare feet. His hair was slightly messy, and morning stubble lined his sharp jaw.
She imagined that this was a sight few people outside his immediate family got to see. She liked it. More than she wanted to admit. She wondered what his rough stubble would feel like against her cheek. Against her thighs...
Claire squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to send that sensation out of her mind. She wasn’t allowed to snap at him, then fantasize about him a moment later. That was craziness.
When she reopened them, she focused on Luca’s cooking. Even in his pajamas, he moved around the kitchen with purpose and fluidity. Luca certainly knew what he was doing. For some reason that surprised Claire. There was a lot about this man that wasn’t what it appeared. “I knew you ran restaurants, but I never thought about whether you could actually cook,” she admitted.
Luca flipped a pancake, then looked at her with a disarming smile. “In my family, food is life. All our family gatherings revolve around the meals we make together in the kitchen. Once a kid is old enough to peel a potato, they’re put to work helping with Sunday suppers.”
“Do you have a large family?”
Luca chuckled and flipped over another pancake. “Yes. I’m actually the oldest of six kids. My father is the oldest of five. When we all gather together with the cousins and spouses, there’s easily forty or fifty of us.”
“Did you help with caring for your siblings?”
He nodded. “Have I surprised you with my ability to handle an infant without completely melting down?”
Claire twisted her lips into a guilty smile. “Yes. I’m ashamed to admit it.”
“In addition to my siblings, I have a dozen nieces and nephews that I see from time to time. I have cared for my fair share of children of all ages. Eva is in good hands, I assure you.”
“Why didn’t you say that at your lawyer’s office?” That would’ve significantly reduced her stress level over this decision. She still didn’t want him taking Eva without her permission, but knowing she wasn’t the first baby he’d held made a difference.
Luca shrugged. “You made incorrect assumptions about me and I let you. Now that we’re here—as you mentioned a moment ago—we can get to know each other as we are, not as others perceive us to be. You’ll find most of your concerns are unfounded.” He slid four perfectly golden pancakes onto a plate and added a few crispy pieces of bacon on the side. He placed the plate in front of Claire.
“That’s a ton of food!” she exclaimed as she eyed the plate-sized pancakes.
“Well, that’s the only problem I have in the kitchen. I don’t know how to cook for two people. I cook for an army or not at all.”
Claire couldn’t even imagine having that much family. She had almost none. Jeff’s family had been her own for many years and now... Eva was really all she had. She scooped the baby off her knee and put her into her high chair so she could eat. After she snapped on the tray, Luca put a handful of Cheerios out for her to pick up and nibble on while they had breakfast.
“What about you?” Luca asked as he made his own plate. “What is your family like?”
Claire frowned into her coffee mug. “Nothing like yours,” she said. “I’m an only child. My parents were only children, as well. I didn’t really grow up around our extended family. My father traveled with his job, so it was really just the three of us my whole life.”
“And now?”
It seemed like a simple question, and yet it wasn’t. Claire had family, and yet she didn’t. It was a strange limbo to be in. “And now, it’s really just Eva and me. My father had a heart attack and died when I was in college. My mother remarried, and since I was grown and gone, her life became more about her new husband. I don’t see or talk to her very often because she lives in San Francisco now. I married Jeff not long after she moved, so I didn’t notice the absence. His family was really good about including me for gatherings and holidays even before we got married. They were my family for many years, but now I’ve lost all that.”
Luca settled beside her at the counter with his plate and coffee. “You mean they haven’t included you since your husband died?”
Claire shrugged. “It’s not that simple. His death was hard on us all. And the circumstances made it that much more awkward for everyone. I don’t think they know what to say to me.”
Luca looked at her with concern in his dark eyes. “May I ask what those circumstances were?”
She took a moment to butter her pancakes and pour maple syrup over the top. Claire had told this story enough times now that it shouldn’t bother her anymore, but it did. The truth never got easier to take. “My husband died in a car accident with his mistress. He told me he had to go out of town on a business trip, but he was really with her. I would never have even known the truth, but they went off the road and hit a tree, killing them both. The police seemed to think she was...distracting him, somehow. I didn’t have the heart to ask them why they thought that.
“I was five months pregnant at the time, after years of trying to have a baby,” she continued. “It’s hard to lose someone you love and yet be angry at him at the same time. There’s so many emotions tied up in Jeff’s death for me and for everyone else. I just don’t think his family knew how to face me after that. Whenever they came to see Eva, his death hung over our heads like a dark cloud. And now they don’t have to face it anymore. I haven’t heard from his parents since I told them about the clinic mix-up. Apparently both Eva and I are disposable since we’re no longer their blood relatives.”
Spitting out the last of it, Claire shoveled a large bite of pancake into her mouth. There was something about admitting her pathetic story to Luca that made it worse than telling anyone else. She didn’t want him to see her for the lonely, pitiful woman she felt like when she told her sad, sordid tale.
“That means it’s just you and Eva now.”
It was a statement, not a question, but Claire nodded as she chewed nonetheless. It was true. Eva was everything she had, which was why she’d fought so fiercely not to lose her daughter to a mysterious father. “Someday, I hope to have another chance at marriage and maybe another child if it’s at all possible. But if that never happens, I’m thankful that I have Daisy, Eva’s nanny. She’s like family to me.”
Luca’s brow went up. “A nanny? After all the grief you gave me about handing Eva off to someone, you have a nanny?”
“It’s not the same,” Claire argued. “I didn’t want Eva handed off and ignored. Daisy just watches Eva while I’m at the museum. When I get home, Daisy leaves and it’s just the two of us. She gets one-on-one attention and care, and I thought that was better than putting her in day care while she’s still so small. I plan to send her to a good preschool when she’s older. I’ve already submitted a few applications.”
“Where did you find this Daisy?” he asked. “Did you do the proper checks into her background to ensure she’s trustworthy before you brought her into your home? Did you get several references from other clients?”
Claire sighed. “Yes. I did all that. She came highly recommended, and I haven’t had a bit of trouble with her. She’s been a godsend over the past few months.”
Luca chuckled low and popped a bit of bacon into his mouth. “I know you did all that and more, I’m sure. I was just giving you a hard time, tesorina. It is only fair, don’t you agree?”
She had given him a lot of grief, she knew that. Claire looked over at Eva as she studiously tried to capture a piece of cereal between her chubby fingers. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her happy and safe, Luca. Do you blame me?” she asked.
Luca’s gaze drifted from the baby back to Claire. There was a fierce fire of protectiveness there as he shook his head. “I do not.”
In that moment, it was easy for Claire to believe that Luca would do anything for his young daughter, even after just a few short hours together. He seemed so deeply affected by his child it made her wonder why he hadn’t married and started a family of his own by now. He was obviously comfortable with children and took to Eva immediately. Had running the family business really taken up that much of his time that he hadn’t found someone to settle down with?
Or was there something he wasn’t telling her?
* * *
“What’s this?”
Luca looked up from making dinner in time to see Claire standing at the entrance to the kitchen. She was holding up the draft custody agreement his lawyer had given him. He’d left it on the coffee table so they could discuss it. “That’s a love note from Edmund. It’s the custody proposal we sent to Stuart a few weeks ago. I wasn’t entirely sure if you’d read it, so he wanted to make sure we had something to redline while we’re here.”
A guilty expression wrinkled Claire’s nose as she winced. “I didn’t read it,” she admitted.
Luca wasn’t surprised. The woman who sat across from him at his lawyer’s office hadn’t been interested in his offer. Judging by the expression on her face, not much had changed. He poured dressing onto the bowl of salad for dinner and started gently tossing it. “Would you like to discuss it now?”
Claire eyed the folder and then set it on the kitchen island. “No, not really.”
“May I ask why?”
With a sigh, she leaned against the counter. “Because I’m in a good mood. I’m enjoying this trip and I’m not ready to ruin it with our heated arguments. Besides, at this point, my position hasn’t changed. You’re still a stranger. A stranger who’s good with kids, but not one I’m ready to hand over my daughter to.”
“Our daughter,” Luca corrected. She always said “my daughter.” Claire seemed to have some kind of mental block where their daughter’s paternity was concerned.
Claire ignored him. “My point is that I’m not ready yet, so there’s no point in talking about it. I will read it,” she added. “So when the time comes, I’ll be well informed on your demands.”
Demands? Luca wondered whether Claire knew just how her words sounded to him. They were both used to getting their way, but Luca was wise enough to realize they both couldn’t win this battle without compromising. “We’ll table the discussion, then. Dinner is about done. How about you choose a red wine for tonight?”
Claire went to the wine rack and looked over the selection. “The chianti or the merlot?” she asked.
Luca pulled the tray of lasagna from the oven and rested it on the stovetop to cool. “The chianti,” he said. No question. “We haven’t tried that one yet.”
Their first week at the beach had gone by in a blur, as vacations often did. Although they’d come here to work out a custody arrangement, they’d both carefully avoided that subject so far. Today, he’d finally gotten out the paperwork to broach the topic, but Claire obviously needed more time. That was fine. Instead of pushing, he took his cues from her, and it had worked. Day by day, Claire had loosened her reins on Eva. He had no doubt that by the end of the trip she would have no problem with him spending time with their daughter alone.
They’d spent a lot of time lounging by the beach and taking walks along the shore. Claire read a couple books and Luca checked in on his work email, although he knew he shouldn’t. They cooked amazing meals together, spoiled Eva together and learned more about each other. It was exactly what Luca had hoped for when they made these arrangements.
Claire had turned out to be a delightful companion. After their first meeting with the lawyers, he had been dreading this trip, but he had been very wrong about her. She was fiercely protective of Eva, but once he got beyond her mother bear instincts, he was pleased to see the more easygoing side of Claire. Once she let her hair down and let the sea air into her lungs, she was just the kind of woman he’d want in his life...if he was ever going to have a woman in his life.
“I can’t believe you got Eva to sleep so quickly,” Claire said as she carried the bottle of red wine over to the dining-room table.
Luca had been surprised, too, but Eva had had a full day to wear her out. They’d gone down to the beach for a long walk along the bay as they’d done each day. They ate at a seafood shack by the shore where Luca got an amazing fried clam po’boy and Claire got a crab roll. Eva, sadly, got a squeeze pouch of blended chicken, peas and carrots. She took a short nap, then played on the floor for a good while with Claire while Luca assembled their dinner. By the time she had her bath and got put in her pajamas, Eva had heavy eyelids.
“Thanks for letting me put her down tonight,” Luca said. It had been the first time he’d gotten to do that since they arrived. He’d stood by her crib, transfixed by his tiny child. He’d even tried out a verse of the lullaby his mother used to sing. Eva was asleep in minutes.
“You’re welcome,” Claire replied. “I think she likes your singing better than mine, anyway.”
“I doubt that. Vacations can be tiring,” he said. “She could’ve slept through anything at that point. To be honest, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll last myself. A plate of lasagna and a glass of wine might put me right out.”
Claire poured the wine into two glasses at the table beside the place settings she’d already arranged. She grabbed the bowl of salad and walked with Luca to the table to start their feast. “This all smells amazing,” she said.
It was Sunday. There was no way that Luca could let the day pass without making an Italian feast that would make his mother proud. “It smells like my mama’s kitchen. Garlic, spices, tomato sauce, cheese... Sunday dinner is served.”
He cut a large square of lasagna and placed it on Claire’s plate, then cut another for himself.
“I am going to gain so much weight,” she said as she eyed her meal. “You cook too well and too much, and I can’t resist it. It’s only been a week, and today my shorts felt a little snug.”
“Enjoy yourself,” he insisted. “You are so tiny you can afford to put on a few more pounds without worry.”
Claire laughed and sipped her wine. “I’m still battling my last few pregnancy pounds, so I assure you that’s not the case.”
Luca wasn’t sure where these mysterious pounds were hidden, but he didn’t see them. He actually thought Claire seemed a little thin. He assumed it was the stress of the past year taking its toll on her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You look amazing to me. My mother would insist you’re too skinny and force food on you if I were to bring you home to her.”
He flinched inwardly as the words slipped from his mouth. Claire seemed to stiffen in her chair beside him, and he knew it felt strange for her to think of him that way, as well. He’d never considered what it would be like for Claire to meet the rest of his family. And really, bringing Claire to the house wasn’t the same as bringing home a girlfriend. It was far more complicated.
Claire finally relaxed when he didn’t push the subject and just shook her head. “I can’t even imagine,” she said. “How did your family take the news about Eva?”
“I haven’t told them yet,” Luca admitted.
“Why is that?”
Luca sighed, exhausted by the mere idea of telling his family, much less doing it. “Well, as I told you before, I have a big family. I also have a loud, pushy, smothering family. I think my mother has very nearly given up on me ever having children. Finding out about Eva would be earth-shattering. They would swarm on us like bees on a honeycomb. I wanted us to have a little space first. Getting away from Manhattan was a part of that. They’ll find out soon enough.”
As far as Luca was concerned, they were already on borrowed time. He’d been very careful, but he awaited a leak any day now. Every time his phone buzzed at his hip, he expected to see his mother’s number on the screen.
“Where do they think you are now? I mean, you had to get someone to run the company while you’re gone all these weeks, right?”
“I told my brothers that I was taking a beautiful woman away on a vacation. They agreed to handle things and not tell anyone. Probably because they’re as desperate as Mama to see me find a woman.”
“Do you feel bad about lying to them?”
Luca’s brows drew together in confusion. “No. I’m not lying.”
“But you said—”
“I said I was taking a beautiful woman on a vacation.” Luca looked at her across the table. “That’s absolutely true.”
That rose blush spread across Claire’s cheeks again, distracting him from his plate. “Quit it. You don’t have to butter me up.”
Luca set his fork down. Claire might be a fierce competitor in their lawyers’ offices, but when it came to romance, she seemed almost broken by the idea of it. “I’m not flattering you, tesorina. I’m serious. Are you not aware of how attractive you are?”
Her mouth fell open, a flustered conglomeration of nonsense words coming out of her as she tried to gather her thoughts. “I mean, I think I’m pretty enough. I’m no supermodel or polished Upper East Side housewife.”
“Fake,” he said. “All of that is fake, crafted by makeup artists, plastic surgeons and photo-altering software. I will take a real, soft, naturally beautiful woman over one of those fantasies any day.”
“I think you’re in the minority, Luca.”
Luca couldn’t stand the uncomfortable expression on Claire’s face. Was this just Jeff’s doing, or had every man in her life treated her poorly? “Did your husband never tell you how beautiful you were?”
Claire looked down and anxiously moved her food around on her plate for a moment. “Not really. I mean, he chose me, so he must’ve thought I was pretty, but he wasn’t the type to lay on praise. Especially near the end.”
Luca sat back in his chair for a minute and tried to absorb everything she’d just told him. He would never have a wife of his own, but he knew if he did he would cherish her. “I’m sorry,” he said at last.
Claire’s eyes widened with surprise. “You’re sorry for what?” she asked.
“I’m sorry that your husband didn’t treat you the way he should have.” Just hearing her talk about Jeff had made his blood boil. Not only had he been reckless with his marriage, he’d been reckless with his life when he had a child on the way. Then to find out that he’d never given his wife the love and praise she deserved even in the early years of their relationship... It was inexcusable in his eyes.
“We were having trouble,” Claire argued. “I was so wrapped up in the idea of having a baby that I forgot about having a marriage. I think he was lonely.”
“That is no excuse,” Luca said, leaning in to her and covering her hand with his. “It is natural for a woman to want a child. When there are difficulties, her husband should be more attentive and supportive than ever. To stray from your bed because he felt like he wasn’t getting enough attention is absurd. I was always raised to believe that a woman is meant to be treasured. She is a gift, an angel sent into your life from the heavens. To treat her as anything less is an abomination.”
Claire watched him speak with a mix of disbelief and wonder in her gray eyes. She leaned into him, her lips parting. They were soft, plump lips that had gone too long without kisses. That was a tragedy in Luca’s eyes. A few kind words and she was melting like butter. She deserved better. Unfortunately, Luca was not the man to give it to her. He sat back and pulled his hand away.
She snapped out of her trance and moved her hand down into her lap. “Do you really believe all that?” she asked.
“I do. My parents have been married for over thirty years keeping that philosophy in mind.”
“May I ask why you haven’t married, then? I’m sure there are plenty of women out there who would love you to treat them like a precious gift.”
Luca tried not to stiffen at her question. He had done his fair share of prying into her personal life; it shouldn’t be out of bounds for her to do the same. But there were land mines in this field he didn’t want to hit. Not tonight and not ever. Instead, he shrugged and relied on the story he had told again and again over the years.
“Since the day I was born, I was groomed to take over the family business. Moretti’s has always had the oldest son running the company. I went from high school to college to grad school to the boardroom. Once my father retired, I had this huge weight on my shoulders to keep the company running and profitable, or I would be letting everyone down. That hasn’t really left me much time for anything else. Not just relationships, either. I never travel. I have almost no hobbies or interests outside of work. I have my business. That’s it.”
What Luca left out was that it was all by design. His father had managed to run the company while having time for his wife and children, so he knew it could be done, but keeping busy was the only way Luca could get through the lonely times. Claire wouldn’t understand that, though, because she didn’t realize he was damaged. She only saw the successful, confident businessman he portrayed to the world.
“You’ve never been in love before?”
Luca considered his answer before speaking. “No,” he lied. “I got close, but I was wrong.”
“That’s kind of sad,” Claire said. “For all your money and success, all you have to show for it is money and success. You don’t even get to enjoy it with someone. When was the last time you took a vacation?”
“I’m on a vacation right now,” Luca argued.
“No. Before this one.”
Luca thought back, but he knew there wasn’t really an answer. “I’ve never taken a vacation as an adult. Not a real one, at least. Occasionally my family gathers for a long weekend in the Hamptons during the summer.”
“It sounds like you’re going to be an old, lonely bachelor before too long. What will your family do if you don’t have an oldest son to take over after you?”
That was a question that had plagued Luca since the day of his diagnosis. In reality, there were plenty of people in the family who could take the reins. His younger brother Marcello had a son who could easily be the next CEO. But now he had a new possibility. “Well, this isn’t the fifties anymore. It isn’t written anywhere that it has to be a son. I may not marry or have any more children, but through a twist of fate, I do have Eva in my life. It’s always a possibility that she could take over for me.”
“If she wants to,” Claire countered. “It’s nice to have a family legacy, but I don’t want her pressured into a life and a career she doesn’t want.”
“Of course.” Luca didn’t want that for his daughter, either. He hadn’t been pressured into taking the company over, thankfully. It was something he’d always dreamed of doing. His family was important to him and carrying that legacy on was an honor. He’d once hoped that he could pass it along to his child, too, but that was a fantasy he’d given up years ago. “We have the next three weeks to worry about before we need be concerned with Eva’s career path.”
Claire nodded and turned back to her food. Luca watched her eat for a moment, sipping his wine thoughtfully. At this angle, he could see the faint gray circles under her eyes and the defeated slope of her shoulders. The stress wasn’t just wearing her thin. It was eating away at her.
He recognized the look from the days his mother sat at his bedside at the hospital, worrying over him. He hadn’t been in any condition to help his mother, but he could help Claire, if she’d let him. Being a single mother had to be incredibly difficult, even with resources at her disposal. She needed this vacation more than even he knew.
They had come here to get to know each other and hash out a custody arrangement, but now he had a different goal: to find a way to make Claire happy again.