Chapter Six
Risk taking isn’t for the weak of heart.
After their to-go boxes were filled to the brim with barbecue, Rachel asked Trent, “So, now that I’ve spilled my guts, what’s your take on all this?”
He tilted his head. “I think you should go with what your instincts are telling you. Not about other women—you need to take him at his word for that. But the part about you knowing in your soul that Marcello would never commit—”
Her phone dinged. It was her sister. “Sorry. Lori’s watching the kids. Hold that thought.” She picked up her phone and tapped on the text message. It was a video, so she hit Play, and her heart melted. Marcello had come back and was feeding Hannah. It brought tears to her eyes.
“What’s wrong, Rachel?”
“Nothing.” She glanced up and smiled. “Marcello’s back. Maybe I’ll have another chance to fix things after all. It was nice to catch up. And to get my head shrunk at the same time. I promise I’ll try to be more trusting. Let’s do this again soon.” She stood and slipped into her coat. “If you’d like to, that is.”
“I’ll check in with you in a week, and then every week until you either run the guy off or figure out you want him.”
Rachel reached for her box, but then stopped. “Weeks? Not days, like back in college?”
He shook his head. “I like your chances this time. But you’ve got to take that initial risk—even though you might get slammed in the heart—to figure out what you want.”
She gathered her things. “Twenty bucks gave me a lot to think about tonight.” She dug her keys from her purse. “I’ll look forward to your weekly kick in the butt. And in return, I’ll kick yours too. You’re too awesome to be single. Thanks for dinner, weirdo.”
“Night, freak.” Trent smiled as he scribbled his name on the receipt.
Rachel hurried to the door, eager to see Marcello. Nervous but at the same time happy he’d come back. She hoped he’d agree to let her help him with her new plan. She’d help him with his legal problems while he courted her properly, as he seemed to want to do so badly. Not that she needed all that mush, but it seemed important to him.
She opened her car door and climbed in, impatient to see the other videos her sister had sent.
After watching them and reading the note of apology Marcello asked Lori to send, she wiped the tears from her eyes. That kind of mush she secretly liked. She loved seeing how sweet Marcello was with their kids. And she was glad he’d decided to tell her what he could of his secrets, as his note stated.
While she headed out of the parking lot, a thought hit her. What if, after she became Marcello’s lawyer, she found out he’d done something she couldn’t forgive?
She laid a hand against the sudden ache in her chest. She hadn’t thought her plan all the way through. What would she do if that were the case?
She’d feel obligated to help him as his lawyer and, at the same time, forced to break things off with him. Morals and ethics aside, that could be incredibly painful and awkward. Maybe it’d be better to wait for the courting part until she got to the bottom of Marcello’s legal issues. Less potential pain that way.
When she arrived home, her sister’s car was gone. Instead, a big SUV stood in the drive. Rachel waited for the garage door to rumble closed behind her before she grabbed her to-go box. Maybe Marcello was hungry. They could sit down and talk about their problems while he ate. She’d lay out the plan so as to save as much heartache as possible. All logical, and in a fair, iron-clad contract. And she’d hope to God he wasn’t in any real trouble.
Rachel followed the television noise coming from the den and found Marcello, arms, and legs sprawled out every which way, sound asleep on the couch. His dark hair was disheveled, his dress shirt halfway untucked as if he’d been in a scuffle, and his sexy five-o’clock shadow made her want to take him to bed.
She slid the to-go box on the coffee table, then sat beside him and gently laid her hand on his damp chest. She used to do that sometimes after they’d made love, feel his heartbeat true and strong under her palm as he slept. It always gave her an odd sense of peace.
His shirt was still wet from the kids’ baths and probably stained forever from Hannah’s sweet potatoes. Ian must’ve had peas because there was familiar green goo on Marcello’s shoulder. The sight of Marcello tucking Hannah and Ian into bed from the video still warmed her heart. She wanted to try to make it work with him, to have a complete family, despite all her fears. But had he really changed so that could happen? Could he find a way to fit them into his life while overcoming his legal troubles? It was a lot of risk for them all.
She studied the man beside her and sighed.
Marcello always looked so peaceful and content when he was sound asleep, reminding her of Trent’s earlier words. She needed to go with her instincts when it came to Marcello. And take him at his word about there being no other women. Because her gut told her that the man sleeping on her couch would never do something so terrible, it’d send him to jail. Trent said if she wanted a relationship with Marcello, she had to take a risk with her heart.
No pain, no gain.
So, she’d do it. Take the chance and tell him that she’d like to try to make things work between them, no matter what his legal troubles were. And she’d trust him to be faithful to her. Blind trust wasn’t easy, though.
She turned off the TV, then headed to the kitchen to put away the leftovers. After that, she grabbed a blanket from the hall closet and covered Marcello with it.
She laid a soft kiss on his forehead and whispered, “Night, amore.”
She looked forward to, and at the same time feared, what secrets he’d reveal. They could handle that discussion in the morning, though, because she’d seen on the internet that he’d been in New York earlier. He was on East Coast time on top of being worn out by the twins. She knew exactly how that felt.
She’d stay up for a bit longer and get busy writing up their contract. And she’d do her best not to think how much she wanted the sexy man sleeping on her couch to join her in bed.
Let the courting begin!
Marcello’s neck was killing him from sleeping on the couch. Before the sun had risen, he quietly made his way to Rachel’s bedroom, hoping for some alone time before the kids got up. That she’d covered him up instead of kicking him out when she’d gotten home hopefully meant she’d decided to give him another chance.
He slowly opened her door and smiled. She always slept in a neat little ball on the right side of the bed, her long dark hair curled around her cheek and her hands tucked under her pillow. After quietly slipping out of his shirt and slacks, he slid under the covers behind her. With his arm wrapped around her waist, he gently plastered himself against her back.
She mumbled, “Hey,” and then fell back into a deep sleep.
Hopefully, Lori was right, and the videos she’d sent had helped Rachel forgive him.
He loved snuggling with her in the mornings before she woke. Once awake, she was never big on cuddling because she always had a million things to do, even when she’d been on vacation with him.
That was the problem. They’d never spent more than a few days in a row with each other. It had always been a vacation when they were together. No wonder Rachel still had doubts about them being able to live as a family. She had only seen the bad parts of being famous, not the good. She wanted to protect their children from the press and pressures of Hollywood, and he loved her even more for that. But he hated that his fame was keeping him from having the one person who gave him utter peace in his chaotic life. That, and his attempted murder charge.
After an hour of quiet bliss, she stirred and rolled over. “Morning, Xavier. I only have time for a quickie. You wore me out last night.” Her droopy eyes blinked up at him as she swept the hair away from her face. “Oh, it’s you, Marcello.”
The grin on her beautiful lips and that she’d teased him was a good sign. He hoped. “Good morning, bella. How was the date last night?”
Her left brow arched. “Jealous?”
“Insanely.” He kissed her softly on the lips, testing the waters. When she kissed him back with all her usual passion, relief allowed him to enjoy it. He hated being at odds with her. “Did you kiss Xavier like that while he made love to you?”
“A lady never tells,” she whispered. “But if it’ll make you feel better, you’re still the best kisser I know.” Her voice still echoed sass and mischief.
“Maybe I’ll have to try other ways to get the truth.” He rolled on top of her, trapping Rachel’s curvy, soft body underneath him. He could stay right where he was all day.
She ran her hands through his hair. “Now I have you just where I want you.” She tugged his head lower until his mouth was a breath from hers. “Let’s hurry and make love before the kids wake up.”
“We’re waiting until you can tell me you love me. Remember?” He nibbled on her earlobe. After she shivered, he laid another kiss on her soft lips. “Unless you want to tell me now and save me a lot of trouble.”
“Wait a minute.” Her forehead crumpled. “I thought the deal was that’d I let you court me, and then if things were going well, we’d get engaged.”
“Why would I want to be engaged to a woman who doesn’t love me?” He ran kisses across her collarbone, tempted by the softness of her skin to take her up on her offer of morning sex. He hoped to God she figured out her feelings for him soon. It was torture not making love to her when she asked.
She mumbled grumpily, “We might need to renegotiate, pal.”
He lifted his head and stared into her beautiful verde eyes. The same color as the emeralds he’d given her last Christmas. “Because you have feelings for the man you had dinner with last night? Xavier was it?”
“Of course not.” She rolled her eyes. “It was just dinner. With a friend. Who encouraged me to trust you, by the way. Trent’s a psychiatrist, actually.”
“Then now I like this friend who’s a psychiatrist.” He ran a finger across her soft, silky cheek, and then caressed her full lips. “Did he also tell you that you should forgive me? And let me make it up to you? Especially after you saw those videos your sister sent last night?”
“You and Lori play dirty.” Her eyes shone with a challenge. “Maybe before this forgiving happens, I’d like to see what’s in the little blue bags I saw in the kitchen last night?”
He settled his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her enticing sweet scent. Even better than the smell of his mama’s red sauce cooking on the stove. One of the few good childhood memories he’d kept tucked away. “Lori said I should take those gifts back. That the videos are worth far more to you.”
“They are worth more.” She playfully bit his earlobe. “But there is no way any sister of mine would tell you to take those back.”
“But you told me not to give you expensive things, so are you sure?”
“I’m willing to make the occasional exception for Tiffany.”
“That’s what your sister said. She took one look at those bags and kissed me right on the lips in gratitude for them on your behalf. It wasn’t half bad.” He went back to nibbling on her neck.
“Half bad?” She took his face in her hands and yanked his chin up. “You kissed my sister? On the lips?”
The spark of anger in Rachel’s eyes delighted him. Maybe she cared for him more than she let on. “Jealous?”
“Only if you think she’s a better kisser than me.” She tilted her chin in that adorable, arrogant way of hers.
“No one is a better kisser than you.” He rolled off her. “I’ll go get the presents. Be right back.”
“Wait.” She grabbed his hand to stop him and pulled him closer. “So . . . why exactly did you kiss my sister?”
The uncertainty in her voice made him sit on the side of the bed to explain. “I thought it was you who answered the door. I planned to kiss you first and then beg for mercy with Tiffany’s after.” He tilted her chin with his finger. “It was an accident. But I can see by your face that I’ve upset you, bella. I’m sorry I teased about it.”
“That’s okay.” She sat up and leaned back against the headboard. “It’s just Lori is a lot nicer than I am. Back in high school, more than one guy started off flirting with me but then decided they liked Lori better. I mean, we look just alike, so why not go for the sweeter one, right? It made me a little sensitive, I guess.” She crossed her arms so tight around her middle, it was as if she was hugging herself.
He stared into her doubt-filled eyes. “Kissing Lori was like kissing a cousin. Kissing you lights a fire in my soul. I prefer the heat.”
Rachel chewed her bottom lip as she stared right back, searching his eyes for the truth. “Maybe you’d get tired of the feisty version of us eventually. Want someone more kind and who doesn’t have such a big opinion about everything. Some people think I can be a little bossy.”
“A little?”
She smiled. “Okay, a lot bossy—sometimes.”
“Those are the things I find attractive and challenging about you. You are so much more than just a gorgeous woman. I’d have grown bored with you long ago if you weren’t exactly who you are.” He’d never seen her so uncertain. It hurt him to think she even had thoughts like that. “The women who treated me like I could do no wrong quickly became tedious.”
“Boring you is what I’m afraid of, Marcello. That maybe if we spend enough time together, you’ll get bored with me, and the kids too. You live a pretty big life. I’m not sure the kids and I will be enough for you.”
“How could I ever be bored when you’re the only one who keeps me humble? Most people look at me and only see the perfect movie star Stella wants them to see. But not you. My image isn’t at all what you see, is it?”
“No.” She laid her hand on the side of his face. “While you’re not tough to look at, what I see is a hardworking man who wants to be successful more than anything else. Who is trying to prove something to himself that I haven’t quite figured out yet, and who strives to please everyone but trusts very few. And who apparently has some big secrets.”
A lump formed in his throat at the truth of her words. He swallowed it away. “We see the other for who we are. And we accept what we see. That’s why I trust you more than anyone else.”
“Thank you.” She gave him a quick kiss. “And that’s why I’m going to try to trust you too, Marcello. I have a plan—”
One of the babies cried out, and she sighed. “That I’ll have to tell you about later. I need to feed the kids before the new nanny candidate gets here. And you can help. You want diaper or breakfast duty?”
“Is this a trick question?” Who would take diapers over bottles?
“I was being nice and giving you first choice.” She threw the covers back. “But since I just realized you don’t know how to make bottles and their cereal, it looks like you’re on diaper patrol.” She kissed him while she slipped into her robe. “The wipes are on the changing table. Good luck.”
Thrilled that she seemed to be ready to give him a chance, he stood to tackle the task at hand. He’d fought his way through swamps and jumped out of planes while making movies. How difficult could changing diapers be?
Rachel closed the door behind the nanny candidate, who wasn’t a good fit, and made her way to the bedroom where Marcello had been hiding. He was talking on the phone, as usual. So she took advantage of the twins’ morning nap time and opened her laptop. She needed to get Marcello to sign the contract she’d written up for them. Hopefully, she’d get to the bottom of his criminal past. She’d explained the terms while they’d been feeding the kids, but he’d looked skeptical. And still unwilling to tell her what crime he’d committed.
While the printer whirred out the pages, she walked to her study to retrieve them. After one last review, she went back to her room and sat next to Marcello on her bed. She patiently waited for him to finish his call. He was the only person she knew who talked business on the phone more than she did. But at least he was with her, seemingly willing to try to make their family work.
What had changed his mind? And how much was he going to tell her about the mysterious boy at his home last Christmas, and the people he took care of each month?
After he hung up, he smiled. “Stella would like you and the kids to join me in LA this weekend so that we can handle the news of our family on our terms. How did the nanny interview go?”
“Not so fast.” She handed over the pages. “I’m not sure we should bring the kids into this quite yet. And the search for a nanny continues.”
Marcello frowned as he read the papers. “I had one of my assistants ask around back home. She thinks she found someone perfect for the job. An older woman who’d most recently been working for one of my actor friends.”
His assistant must’ve chosen the last one too. That explained a lot.
Rachel leaned across Marcello to grab a pen from her nightstand. “The last nanny you sent was only in it for the opportunity to get famous quick. But I’ll be happy to talk to the new one. What do you think of the contract?”
He laid the papers down in his lap. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea to mix business and love.”
“I’m hoping we won’t have to.” She stood to pace. “You said earlier that you were ready to share some of your past now. So go.” Her stomach clenched in anticipation.
Marcello tossed the pages on the bed beside him and intercepted her pacing. He laid his hands on her arms and gently led her to the bed. “Sit. You’re making me more nervous than I already am.”
That didn’t make her stomach feel any better.
She huffed out a breath, gathered up the scattered pages, and then sat. “Okay. The floor is all yours.”
Marcello winced and then fell into the same pattern she’d just been walking to stave off her nerves. “With my aunt’s help, I left Italy when I was sixteen and in trouble—”
“Stop.” Rachel held out the papers. “You can’t tell me about the crime part until you sign. For both of our protection.”
He shook his head. “I’m not going to tell you about that part. I’m going to tell you that I had to leave or be falsely punished. I ended up on my own in New York City with only a few hundred dollars to my name. What better place, with millions of people, to hide?”
She nodded. “How did you support yourself? You were just a kid.”
“I eventually got a job in a theater on Broadway. The manager knew I was too young to work, and that I didn’t have the proper papers, so he let me clean at night. He paid me in cash and looked the other way when he figured out I was sleeping on the balcony.”
Her heart hurt for the poor, scared boy he must’ve been. “How hasn’t someone from your hometown recognized you by now? It’s not like your face isn’t plastered pretty much everywhere.”
“The face you see now is a little different from the one I left home with. One of the older actresses starring in the show found out about me and took me under her wing. She had no children of her own, and her enormous fame made it easier to call in some favors. She got me a driver’s license and changed my name. And then we changed my appearance slightly. I’d filled out as I aged, but then added a chin implant, nose job, and had my teeth straightened, all little tweaks to make me perfect for the big screen. And best of all, she taught me how to be an actor.”
“Wow.” Rachel scooted to the edge of the bed, full of questions. “So, what’s your real name?”
“Lorenzo Bianchi. But please never call me that. Ever. It is my father’s name too, and I hate the sound of it as much as I despise the man.”
“You hate your father? Why?” She’d never heard Marcello speak that way about anyone.
“Because he has a vile temper, mistreated my mother and me, and is a cheater. The boy with me at Christmas was my half brother, Stefano, who my father won’t claim because he’s still technically married to my mother. I pay for him to live in boarding school since his mother died last year.”
That explained the kid. And Marcello being a very good guy to take care of him made her stomach feel a tad better. “So why didn’t you just tell me that? Why keep him such a secret?”
Marcello ran a hand down his face. “He doesn’t know I’m his brother. He thinks my charity cares for him. I am a wanted man in Italy and can’t ever go home. I haven’t seen my poor mama in twenty years. No one can know who I really am, amore. Or I could go to jail. And I’m afraid if you knew the truth about my charges, you’d look at me in a different way. That, I could never bear. I’m the man who you see now, not the one I once was.”
“But maybe I can help.” Frustrated that he wasn’t going to tell her the whole truth, she stood and put her hands on his shoulders. “And the other people you pay each month? Who are they?”
“I’ll tell you.” Marcello sat on the bed again. “But you must promise me you’ll never speak of it, Rachel. To anyone. Not even your sister. I can’t risk it.”
She’d never kept a secret from her twin. It went against everything inside her. But she so badly wanted to understand. “Fine. No details. Who are they?”
His jaw clenched, and he looked away. “My mother and my aunt. My mother had an incidente and fell down a flight of stairs. Physically, she eventually recovered, but her brain injury left her in a childlike state. Like a five-year-old. My father abandoned her, so my aunt took care of her for as long as she could, but she isn’t well right now either.”
The way Marcello said the word “accident” with such bitter disdain told her there was more to the story. “How could your dad leave your mother like that?” No wonder he despised his father.
“He’s a monster. The cruelest kind and just like his father. It’s why I never wanted children. What if in anger, I do something horrible? Like they’ve both done? Books say the victims of abusers have a higher chance of abusing others.”
“You’re nothing like your father.” She rubbed his back, still processing that their kids’ grandfather was a heartless man. “No wonder you turned pale when you found out I was pregnant.”
He took her hand and kissed her palm. “That was just part of it, bella. The other was the fear of my secret coming to light. It would reflect badly on you and the children. My father is a hated man in my small town, and he could still make my life . . . difficile.”
Difficult? She needed to figure out what was up with his father. He was the key. She could feel it. “Where is your mother now?”
“She requires full-time care. My mother’s sister, the one who helped me escape, helped me arrange a nice place for them to live in Rome after I started making money. I send money to my aunt each month as well. She is a widow and wasn’t able to work for many years because she took care of my mother. She’ll move back with my mother soon, after her heart recovers from a small stroke, and resume my mother’s care with a little extra help, hopefully.”
Rachel absorbed all the information, running it around in her head. “You said you left twenty years ago. Wouldn’t the statute of limitations for your crime be expired by now?”
He shook his head. “I’ve had to be careful how I ask, but I think, no. Not in my case.”
She’d have to do some research on that. But if he was right, then it was a serious crime. Doubts about being with him and not knowing exactly what the situation was started to fill her mind again. “Are there any others you take care of?”
“Sì. The actress who I told you about. I love her like a mother. She’s very old now and can’t pay her bills anymore because she hasn’t worked in years. I owe her my life, bella.”
“That’s kind of you, Marcello.” There was still one more payment to account for. A new one that Avery said had grown increasing larger over the last year. “So that’s all? No more people depending on you?”
“That’s everyone who I can speak about. Now, will you please trust me? Bring the kids to LA so we can stop sneaking around?”
She picked up the papers. Until she knew the whole story, she’d not move forward without the contract. “How about you sign this first? I’ll ask my parents to watch the kids for the weekend. We’ll start by introducing me in LA. Then see how things go?”
She wanted to trust him all the way, but her gut kept telling her to be cautious for the kids’ sake. It was the best she could do. She hoped he’d take the deal.
He huffed out a breath and reread the short contract. Shaking his head, he held out a hand for the pen. “I’ll do it. Only because I see you are willing to make compromises too.”
“Great.” She slapped the pen in his hand. “And maybe we can skip the ‘no sex’ part of our arrangement?”
“Nope. I’m firm on that part.” He leaned over the nightstand and started to sign the contract but stopped. “Can we add a part about no more diaper changing for me in the future? That was a harrowing experience.”
Rachel laughed. “That’ll never happen.”
“A man has to try.” He handed her the signed papers and then leaned in for a quick kiss. “So now you are my lawyer. And you still haven’t opened your gifts.”
How could she have forgotten about boxes from Tiffany? She’d have to turn in her woman card if she wasn’t careful. “I know I’ll love whatever you bought for me. But you still don’t have to give me gifts. Nothing has changed there. You’re all we need.”
“I hope that’s true, bella.”
The sadness in his eyes told her there was a lot more to Marcello’s story. And she’d get to the bottom of it, with or without his help.