IT WAS OVER.
The wedding guests followed the bridal couple down to the castle’s entrance where a taxi was waiting to whisk them off to the luxury hotel they had chosen to celebrate their first night together as husband and wife.
Matteo was apparently staying in Luke’s apartment for the night before he flew back to Italy tomorrow.
Georgia was going to drive back to the cottage that would feel very empty without Kate.
Her final hug with Kate was a fiercely tight one. The house wouldn’t just feel empty for the three weeks that her best friend was on honeymoon.
Kate would never live with her again. Even if they weren’t planning to emigrate to New Zealand in the near future, she would be living with Luke for the rest of her life, hopefully with the addition of children to complete their family.
Georgia was happy for them, she really was.
It was completely selfish to feel sad at the same time, wasn’t it?
‘I’m going to miss you,’ she said.
‘Same.’ Kate had tears in her eyes as she finally let go.
Georgia found a smile. ‘No, you won’t. You’ll be too busy living happily ever after.’
‘That’s not true and you know it.’
‘What’s not true?’ Luke was beside Kate now. Holding her hand and about to urge her into their taxi.
‘Kate doesn’t think she’s going to live happily ever after.’
‘Oh?’ Luke’s glance at his new wife was so full of love it took Georgia’s breath away. ‘We’ll see about that.’
Kate gave Georgia a long-suffering look. ‘You’ll keep. We’ll talk soon, okay?’
Another quick hug and then the taxi pulled away, the rattle of the traditional tin cans tied to the back of the car almost drowned out by the cheers of the guests.
And then there was a moment’s silence before the murmur of people taking their leave.
‘Where are you parked, Georgie?’ Dougal McGregor asked. ‘I’ll walk you back to your car.’
‘I can do that.’ Matteo’s voice came from behind them.
‘I’m fine,’ she said firmly. ‘It’s not far and there’s plenty of people around. Thank you both, but I’m quite safe.’
Dougal smiled. ‘See you at work tomorrow, then.’
‘You will.’ Georgia turned, intending to dismiss Matteo just as politely.
‘Didn’t Luke have a word with you?’
‘Um...about what?’
‘Giving me a lift to his apartment. He said it was on your way home.’
Georgia hadn’t noticed the old leather satchel that Matteo must have had with him when he’d arrived. He adjusted the strap on his shoulder.
‘No matter. I can get a taxi.’
They both looked at the empty street in front of them. Georgia closed her eyes for a moment. She had been too aware all evening of how the air around her changed when Matteo was present and her coping mechanism had been to keep as much space as possible between them. They were outside right now and the awareness was stronger than ever. Could she cope with being shut inside a small car with him?
She had to. She didn’t want Kate finding out that she had let them down on their wedding night. Or maybe she didn’t want to have to answer any questions about why it had been a big deal.
‘It’s not a problem,’ she told Matteo. ‘My car’s this way.’
It wouldn’t be a problem. It would take a matter of minutes, that was all.
She could cope with that breathless sensation of having this large man apparently using too much of the available oxygen in her vehicle. Of actually being aware of the warmth coming from his body that was only inches away from her own. Of the scent that was more alluring than any commercial aftershave.
Man...if some company could bottle the essence of Matteo Martini, they would make an absolute fortune...
What Georgia couldn’t cope with, however, was that Matteo didn’t get out of the car when she pulled up at Luke’s address. He just sat there, staring out of the windscreen until the silence became unbearable.
She flinched at the low rumble of his voice when Matteo broke the silence.
‘I need you to tell me something.’
Oh, no... Georgia felt as if any safety barriers around her had just evaporated. She was standing on the edge of a cliff and the slightest wrong move would be catastrophic.
Matteo didn’t wait for her to respond. He still wasn’t even looking at her.
‘Did you know,’ he asked quietly, ‘that you were already pregnant that night? Is that why you said it was safe?’
Here it was. An opportunity to ensure that Matteo would never know the truth. That she would be safe for ever from having the father of her children try to interfere with her life in any way.
All she had to do was say ‘yes’.
But she couldn’t do it.
If she said ‘yes’ she would be tarnishing the memory of the most perfect night of her life. Turning it into something that Matteo would dismiss as being even worse than cheating on someone.
Her breath came out in a sigh of surrender.
‘No. I didn’t know.’
‘But you were.’ She could actually hear Matteo’s painful swallow. ‘Already pregnant when we were together.’
A flash of memory engulfed Georgia. She was in his arms again. He was filling her and her name was a groan of ecstasy as Matteo joined her in paradise.
Any science behind the timing of the conception was irrelevant. As far as Georgia was concerned, that was the moment she had become pregnant.
‘Yes,’ she whispered.
She never cried. But she had to blink hard right now.
‘And you’re happy about it?’
Good grief... It sounded as if Matteo was on the verge of tears as well.
It was Georgia’s turn to swallow hard. ‘Yes. I’ve wanted a baby for a long time.’
‘But you’re not with the father.’
‘No.’
‘Have you got family that will help you?’
‘No.’
Another long silence fell. It felt different this time. Not threatening at all. Almost sad, in fact.
* * *
How could anyone be facing a future like Georgia’s when they didn’t have the support of a loving family?
Even trying to imagine it was breaking Matteo’s heart.
It was brave and he admired that courage very much but it wasn’t the way things should be. Especially for Georgia. She needed to be adored.
The way he could adore her...
His mother and sisters would love her, too. And their children would be part of a tribe of cousins when they gathered to celebrate family occasions like birthdays or Christmas. Nobody would need to know that their first child wasn’t his own because he would love it as if it were.
Because it would be part of Georgia and he’d never quite managed to stop loving her.
He took hold of Georgia’s hand and broke the silence.
‘I will help you,’ he said. ‘I could be a father to your baby, Georgia.’
She looked totally shocked. Her mouth started to open but no words came out. She was clearly too stunned to say anything. Or even move to pull her hand away when Matteo raised it to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
Dio mio, but his heart was winning this time. Hanging onto that image of the future when his own family was a part of a joyous, Martini gathering. The only branch of the family tree that could carry on the name, in fact.
He would be so proud to do that.
And he wanted Georgia as his partner.
He hadn’t intended to say his next words but somehow he had to convey just how genuine his offer to help was. How deeply he was prepared to commit to being with both Georgia and her unborn child.
‘Marry me,’ he said.