Six
Luca sat in a beach chair quietly scowling. Claire was with Eva as they carefully splashed in the waves. The baby was wearing a rainbow-striped swimsuit with ruffles on her bottom, although most of her was held out of the water by her mother. Eva would squeal every time the cold water rushed over her feet, then giggle as if it was the greatest thing she’d ever experienced. If Claire let go of her hands, Eva would grab fistfuls of wet sand and mush them between her fingers.
It should’ve been a happy and amusing sight for Luca. He should be out there in the freezing water with his daughter. Instead, he was sitting at a distance, practically pouting beneath his ball cap and sunglasses. He had no reason to pout, really. He’d succeeded in pushing Claire away. That was what he’d wanted to do, or at least what he felt he had to do when she got that moony look in her eyes. He might have slipped up the other night and let himself get carried away physically, but that didn’t change the fact that he was not the man for Claire. He wasn’t a romantic savior there to sweep in and rescue her from her loneliness. It was better that she learn that now rather than later.
And yet the past few days had been miserable. At first, Claire had been focused on Eva and caring for her as she got over her illness. When the baby was well, she continued to keep her distance. She wasn’t rude, but she wasn’t as open and chatty as she had been before.
He should’ve been content that she got the message. Instead, Luca was surprised to find himself missing their talks. He’d also found himself lying in bed at night thinking about the kiss they’d shared in the kitchen. Lord help him, he couldn’t stop himself. Once he got a taste of her, it was as if something had been unleashed deep inside him. Every touch, every soft sound she made, urged him on. If Eva hadn’t woken up with that fever, he wasn’t sure what would’ve happened.
He could tell that Claire was relieved by the interruption. They’d been caught up in the moment. Time and perspective would prove it wasn’t the best idea in their situation. It didn’t change how much he wanted her, though. The next morning, when she seemed more open to the idea than he expected, he wasn’t sure what to do. Claire was not a casual romance type of woman, that was obvious. He’d done a better job of charming her than he’d intended to, and suddenly he found himself in a position he hadn’t expected.
So he pushed back. It was the best thing to do, really. Claire deserved a relationship with a man who could give her everything she wanted, including love and another child. That wasn’t going to be Luca, no matter how badly he ached for her. It was better to put a stop to all this before it went too far.
Looking back out at the sea, Luca couldn’t help but admire Claire’s figure on display. Despite her claims of excess baby weight, she looked great in her shorts and bikini top. Her skin was golden from their time at the beach, and the blond in her hair seemed to be picking up some lighter streaks from the sun. Her curves were highlighted by the halter cut of the bikini, giving him a tantalizing glimpse of her full breasts.
There was nothing not to like about Claire. That was the problem. It was too easy to like her. Too easy to find a reason to touch her. His blood would sing in his veins whenever he caught a whiff of her scent. There was a restlessness in every muscle when he lay alone thinking about her upstairs in the dark. It was as if his body knew they had a child together and was ready to start on another one as soon as possible.
And if Luca could provide that for her, he might be in the water instead of sulking in his chair. But he couldn’t. Luca would rather live his life a bachelor than a disappointment to the woman he loved. His only alternative would be to find a woman who couldn’t have children of her own. They didn’t exactly walk around advertising that fact, however.
Looking back at the water, he noticed Claire and Eva had moved to drier sand to play with the plastic bucket and shovel they’d carried to the beach with them. Looking at the dark curls of his daughter, all he could do was shake his head. What a bizarre twist of fate that would give him a child. It was like a perfectly imperfect storm that brought two people together to have a child neither of them expected to have.
Wait a minute... Luca sat up taller in his chair. Claire may very well be that woman. She hadn’t spoken extensively about her fertility issues, but she had to have some or she wouldn’t have been at the clinic. He’d avoided the subject, as well. He didn’t like people knowing he had cancer, much less the kind he’d had.
Luca wasn’t the type to really believe in fate, but life certainly seemed to be convincing him otherwise. What if Claire was the chance he’d never let himself believe in? If he let their attraction evolve into a relationship, this could be his second chance. It would work out perfectly. They already had a child together. If they were to marry, it would tidy up the whole custody situation. He’d get the full-time family he wanted, and Claire wouldn’t have to be away from Eva when it was his weekend.
Claire approached his chair with a sand-covered baby in her arms. “I’m going to hose this little monkey off and put her down for a nap.”
“Okay. I’ll pack up and be back at the house in a few minutes.”
He watched Claire disappear, their dating scenario playing out in his mind. Wooing her was the perfect solution. It had been dropped in his lap, really. They’d both benefit from the scenario. Claire would get a full-time father for Eva and a man to treat her the way she deserved to be treated. Luca would get the family he never thought he’d have, and he’d get his mother off his back once and for all. It would be nice to have someone to come home to, to talk to. His apartment was becoming unbearably empty.
Never mind the fact that he’d finally get to touch her. Seducing Claire would be the best part of this plan. No holding back, no excuses, no interruptions. He’d get to run his hands along those long legs and cup her breasts in his needy palms. Luca was hardly celibate, but thinking about Claire made him as eager as a virgin. And as nervous.
He’d only attempted to be in a relationship once before, and it hadn’t ended well. Even if he’d wanted to try again, he’d hardly had the time. The best he could manage was a few dates with a woman before things got in the way and she’d break it off. Aside from Jessica, he’d never even dated a woman long enough to consider her his girlfriend, much less look ahead to her being his wife. Could he do it now for his daughter’s sake?
Reluctantly, Luca got up from his chair and started gathering their things in a bag. With every toy he stuffed inside, the more certain he became that the answer was yes. He’d do anything for that little girl. She was the child he never expected, and he wanted her to have a real family. Despite what Claire thought, he didn’t want Eva shuttled back and forth between households, caught up in visitation agreements and who gets which holidays. That meant taking a chance on having that real family with Claire.
But would Claire want anything to do with him? He’d pretty much told her he wasn’t a candidate for any of her romantic notions. She’d had an unhappy marriage and wouldn’t settle for the same this time. She’d want love and passion and everything that went with it. Luca would happily give her the passion and attention she needed. Love was another matter. He’d already made the mistake of giving that too freely once, and it had blown up in his face. That could happen with Claire, too, if he wasn’t careful.
He slung the bag over his shoulder and started back up the sandy path through the dunes. He knew that if Claire found out what was wrong with him, she would feel betrayed, bringing up all the emotions of her first husband’s infidelity. To protect himself from the possibility of being hit with emotional shrapnel, he’d have to keep his emotions soundly out of the equation.
That meant she couldn’t know the truth. Not about his cancer and not about how he really felt. He’d have to make sure he did everything right so she’d never question his love for her. It wouldn’t be hard to treat her better than Jeff had. Just a kind word was enough to make her melt. She deserved better than he’d treated her. Luca might not let himself love Claire, but he’d certainly do everything in his power to make her feel loved.
By the time he reached the house, Luca knew exactly how he would start his bid for Claire’s affections. To do it right, he knew he’d have to take the ultimate risk—to call his sister in Newport.
* * *
There was something different about Luca. Claire had tried to give him his space the past few days after their unexpected encounter. He’d given her confusing signals, so she decided that perhaps that kiss was the result of exhaustion and bad judgment. That was probably for the best, anyway, if this was how he was going to react to something like that. He’d been quiet and withdrawn, almost moody.
But since they’d come back from the beach, his mood had greatly improved. When she was done bathing Eva and put her down for her nap, she’d come out of the master bedroom to find him humming to himself and cooking up something tasty in the kitchen. The dark cloud that had hovered over him the past few days had disappeared, and she wasn’t sure whether she should be happy about it. It was easier to ignore Luca’s charms when he was distant and scowling. The smiling, happy Luca wore away her resistance too easily.
“I have a surprise,” he announced when he noticed her in the living room.
Claire wasn’t that good with surprises. More times than not it wasn’t a good thing. “What?”
“My baby sister, Mia, is coming to the house tonight.”
Claire couldn’t help the frown that instantly furrowed her brow. That was not at all what she’d expected him to say. Luca had made a point of telling her that he’d kept Eva and the whole situation from his family, and yet he seemed awfully chipper for a man who hadn’t had things go his way. “Why? Did she find out about Eva?”
“Yes,” he admitted, “but only because I told her. I actually invited her to stay with us for a few days. Mia lives not far from here in Newport.”
She was listening, but she couldn’t quite figure out what was going on. Eva was a huge secret, then suddenly he was rolling out the red carpet for his family? “I’m confused,” she said. “Why did you tell her? Does your whole family know the truth now?”
“If my whole family knows the truth, I’m going to skin Mia, so no, they don’t all know. I just told her and swore her to secrecy.”
“Again,” Claire pressed. “Why?” Was he so uncomfortable being alone with her now that he took the risk of inviting his sister here?
“So we could have a babysitter,” Luca said with a smile. “I’m taking you out tomorrow. I’ve got a whole day planned. Mia is going to stay here with Eva so you can relax and enjoy yourself.”
Taking her out? “I appreciate the gesture, Luca, but I’m not sure about this. I don’t even know your sister. I don’t know how comfortable I’m going to be leaving Eva with her.”
“Mia is great with kids, I promise. Not only is she an elementary school teacher, she’s watched all of my nieces and nephews a hundred times. She will be fine with Eva while we’re gone.”
It all seemed sensible, and yet Claire felt her hackles go up with his presumptuous tone. He seemed to think Eva was an asset of his corporation, not a child she had any say in. “That’s all well and good, Luca, but you didn’t even ask me before making that decision. This is the kind of stuff that worries me about our arrangements. I don’t mind letting you in on some of the parenting decisions, but I’m not about to get pushed out of them entirely.”
Luca seemed dumbfounded by her irritation. Could he really not see what he was doing while he was doing it?
“Fair enough,” he said after a moment’s consideration. “I’ll leave the final decision up to you. When you meet Mia, you can decide if you trust her to watch Eva. If so, I’ll take you out. If not, my sister will just be visiting for a few days.”
Claire sighed with relief. All she wanted was a voice in the process, even if she already knew that in the end she’d let his sister watch Eva so they could go out. Whatever was going on with Luca had inspired all of this, and despite what he’d just agreed to, he wasn’t likely to change his mind easily. He wanted to take her out, so she would let him. It might actually be nice. It had been a long time since she’d had an evening out for a little grown-up time. She worked so much that she felt guilty leaving Eva with a sitter after spending all day with Daisy.
“When will she be here?” she asked instead.
Luca glanced down at his watch. “Less than an hour. She texted me when she got on the ferry. She’ll definitely be here in time to eat, so I thought I’d make her favorite chicken tetrazzini. Does that sound okay to you?”
Claire chuckled and walked past him to the refrigerator to get a drink. “Any meal I don’t have to cook is great by me. It certainly doesn’t hurt that you’re an excellent cook.”
“I’m a passable cook,” Luca clarified. “My sister is an amazing cook. You’ll see.”
“Does your sister know you just invited her up here to watch children and cook?”
Luca laughed. “When my family gets together, that’s what we do. Lots of food, laughter, playful bickering and kids. You keep an eye on whichever one is closest. It won’t faze her in the slightest, but yes, I did tell her why I wanted her to come up. She’s excited to meet you and Eva.”
Claire wished she was as excited to meet his sister. She suddenly felt anxious about the whole thing for an entirely different reason. What would his family think of her? Would they hate her for fighting Luca for custody? Would they read something into the two of them being here together, alone? Her stomach started to ache with worry. She was a fairly quiet and reserved woman who often came off to strangers as aloof or stuck-up. What if they didn’t like her?
“Are you okay?” Luca asked. “You don’t look very excited about Mia coming.”
“I’m fine. I’m just a little nervous about meeting some of your family, is all. I’m not really the loud, laughter type.”
Luca turned away from his sautéing chicken to take Claire’s hands. He pulled them to his chest and held them there. Claire’s breath caught in her throat. She could feel his heart pounding in his rib cage almost in time with her own. His dark gaze focused on her. This close, she could see the gold and caramel colored flecks in his hazel eyes. Looking into them, she started to relax. He could have such a soothing effect on her one moment, then with a simple wicked smile, he could heat her cheeks and make her think thoughts she hadn’t entertained in a very long time.
“You’re going to be fine,” he insisted. “Mia will love you, and when you meet the rest of my family, they’ll love you, too. They’re used to intimidating new people, so if you’re quiet, they’ll think it’s them, not you. Besides, just meeting Mia without everyone else will be a nice icebreaker.”
“Are you not worried about the rest of your family finding out what’s going on?” Claire didn’t care if his family found out the truth, but she knew it concerned him. She didn’t know what it was like to have a large, overbearing family, so she didn’t understand his issues with them. This did seem out of character for him, though. What had changed his mind? That was a big change just for the opportunity to go out to dinner.
Or was it more than that?
“There’s always that risk,” Luca said. “But things will be fine. I wouldn’t have called Mia if I didn’t think I could trust her. Carla, on the other hand, would blab to everyone. And even if they did find out, it will be okay. I think you and I are getting along pretty well and can probably work out a custody arrangement we’re both comfortable with. Eva seems to have taken to me. Besides, it’s not like we’re engaged or something.”
Claire was following along until he brought up that last point. It was true, but for some reason it bothered her to hear him say it so dismissively. It must be because it felt like something. It felt like more than it was because of their daughter and the strange circumstances. In truth, all they’d shared was a kiss. They hadn’t even gone out on a date. Whatever this beach house arrangement was, it wasn’t a date.
Pulling away so he wouldn’t see the touch of disappointment in her eyes, she started to walk from the kitchen. “I’m going to spiffy up for company.”
“Okay,” she heard Luca say, but she didn’t turn around.
In her suite, she changed from her yoga pants into a sundress, then sat at her vanity staring at herself in the mirror. She fussed with her hair for a while, not happy, but finally settling on putting it up in a bun. She applied a little lip gloss and mascara. They might be on a lazy beach vacation, but she didn’t want to look like it when she met his sister. If Mia did report back to the family, Claire didn’t want them to think she was a slacker.
As she was finishing up, she heard voices in the other room and knew that Mia must have arrived. The noise finally woke Eva from her nap, so Claire changed her and put her in a cute pink-and-yellow dress to meet her aunt.
By the time they went into the living room, Luca and a pretty young woman were seated on the couch drinking wine. Luca immediately stood up and gestured toward his sister. “Claire, this is my sister Mia. Mia, this is Claire and my daughter, Eva.”
Mia looked like a petite version of Luca, with long, curly brown hair, rich, olive skin and wide, dark eyes. It made Claire wonder if that was what Eva might look like when she grew up. She didn’t have long to ponder, though. Mia launched up from the couch and embraced Claire before she could prepare herself.
“Oh my goodness,” she declared as she pulled away and examined Claire. “She’s beautiful, Luca! Why didn’t you tell me how pretty she was?”
“Because I didn’t want you scheming,” Luca said with a smile.
“I would never,” Mia argued with an equally wicked grin. She winked at Claire, then turned her attention to the baby. “And aren’t you the most precious little girl I’ve ever laid my eyes on!”
The next thing Claire knew, Eva was in Mia’s arms, bouncing happily. “You look just like your cousin Valentina, yes you do,” Mia cooed, wandering away.
Claire felt a little helpless, but she tried not to show it. It was Eva’s family after all, and her daughter seemed pleased with the adoration. It was Claire who needed to adjust to her new reality. For the first time, it really hit her that she wasn’t just bringing a father into Eva’s life, she was bringing in his whole family. Eva would have an identity, a sense of belonging, other than Claire. The thought made her happy for her daughter and anxious for herself all at once. She always seemed to be the outsider, so this was no different.
“Would you like some wine, Claire?” Luca asked.
“Yes.” Definitely. He poured her a glass and they all gathered on the couch. They chatted for a while, then Luca returned to the kitchen to finish off dinner, leaving the ladies alone for a few minutes.
“So, Luca didn’t tell me much about you, just the basics of how you two ended up having a child together. That’s a pretty wild story.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“So if you don’t mind me asking, what made you decide to go to a fertility clinic? My sister, Carla, was having some issues, too, but they were able to conceive with some medication. Now she’s got three little hellions.”
It seemed like a really personal question so early in the conversation, but she supposed that once everyone found out about Eva, it was a natural thing to ask. “My husband and I were having trouble and nothing was working, so we had to take the next step.”
Mia’s eyes widened, and she glanced at Claire’s bare ring finger. “You’re married?”
“Widowed.”
Her hand clamped over her mouth. “I am so sorry.” She turned to the kitchen. “Luca! Why didn’t you tell me Claire was a widow and save me from asking a rude question?”
“I wouldn’t have to if you weren’t asking such nosy questions in the first place.”
Mia muttered something in Italian under her breath. “I’m sorry. I was just curious about how all this came about. I know why Luca opted to go to the clinic, but not everyone has the same circumstances as he did, thankfully.”
Claire perked up in her seat. She’d never directly asked Luca about his involvement with the clinic. Anytime the topic came up, he circumvented it somehow. She had no idea why a young, vibrant man would have stored his future chance at children at the clinic. Perhaps his sister could shed some light on the subject.
“I was so young at the time, but Mama told me how much he went through. She just hated to have him miss his chance at a family, too.”
“Dinner!” Luca shouted with a large pasta platter in his hands.
Of course. Claire wasn’t sure if Luca heard his sister talking or the timing was unfortunate, but the discussion came to a quick end with her once again not finding out the whole story about Luca. It was more than she knew before, though. He’d apparently had some kind of ordeal that might cost him a future with a family. Had he been ill? There wasn’t anything lacking in the physical specimen she’d touched in the kitchen a few days ago. If he had been sick, it was a long time ago.
They gathered at the dining-room table with Eva in her high chair. She enjoyed a pouch of turkey and potato mush while the rest of them happily devoured the chicken tetrazzini. It was creamy and savory with the bite of parmesan and the fresh snap of the peas.
An hour passed as quickly as the first few minutes. Claire wasn’t sure if it was the wine or Mia’s easy nature, but before long they were chatting and laughing like old girlfriends. It was a relief for her, since she didn’t have many friends and thought it might be a struggle. Mia was quite charming. They stayed mum on the topic of Luca, but since Mia had minored in art in college, she and Claire had a lot of other things they could discuss instead.
“He looks pouty,” Mia said at last as she looked at her brother. “We should probably talk about something he likes.”
Claire turned to Luca, who was politely, yet blankly, sipping his wine and listening to them chat.
He shook his head in protest. “No, please. I’m fascinated by the female bonding ritual. As long as you stay off the subject of female biological processes and grooming, I’m fine.”
“Now that you mention it, I am cramping pretty badly today,” Mia said.
Luca immediately stood up and started clearing plates. “And I’m out,” he said.
Mia laughed and picked up a few of her own. “I’m just messing with you, fratello. Carla and I used to do that to the boys when they were pestering us,” she explained to Claire. “I once chased Marcello and Giovanni through the house with a box of tampons. You’d have thought it was a snake.”
“They would’ve preferred a snake. See, Claire, what you avoided by being an only child? We tortured one another until we moved out of the house.”
“That didn’t stop us, really. Angelo texted me a picture of a giant spider the other day. I swear that thing was bigger than my hand. My skin was crawling for hours.”
Claire followed them into the kitchen and couldn’t help the amused smile on her face. She didn’t know what Luca was talking about. She hadn’t avoided this by being an only child, she’d missed out on it. It was different, for sure, but she enjoyed the camaraderie Luca and Mia had. She’d never had that with anyone.
As she handed off her plate and the salad bowl to Luca, she realized, sadly, that Eva would likely have the same fate. She would have the benefit of all of her cousins on Luca’s side, but there would be no siblings to play with or talk to around the dinner table.
Eva had been a miracle, but in that moment, she felt greedy enough to hope that she would be granted one more.