Page 68 of Giorgio

“Tell me about the illness.”

She saw when he hesitated and thought he was going to insist on a response from her but decided against it.

He told her about the sequence of events that led to him not been able to come to her. “I knew you had purchased a store and even had the name of it.” He smiled at her whimsically. “Love the name, by the way.”

“Thanks.” She touched his beloved face, her fingers lingering.

“Then when all of that incident with the threats and the bomb scare were resolved, I picked up a virus that weakened me enough to be worrying. I could not keep anything down and my appetite was at an all-time low. I was feverish, which alarmed both my father and Edoardo.” He traced the outline of her cheek, loving the feel of her smooth skin.

“I was advised to rest for a week at least, but I was impatient to come and find you. Can you forgive me?” He jerked suddenly, his eyes swiveling to her tummy. “Was that the babe?”

She smiled slowly, placing her hand over his and pressing down. “I think he recognizes his dad.”

Emotions swirled in his dark eyes and caused a blockage inside his throat. For a few minutes he was speechless. “I am going to be a father.”

“Yes. How do you feel about that?”

He shook his head. “Bowled over.” His eyes lifted to her face. “Why did you wait?”

“What choice did I have?” She asked him simply. “I am in love with you Giorgio and have been in love since the first time I opened my eyes and saw you sitting there by my bed. I recognized that I will always love you, no matter what.”

He gazed at her for a second before staring across at the silk wallpaper. He didn’t deserve her. He had sent her away and had purposed in his heart that he would forget her. And all the while she was here, just waiting for him, carrying his baby inside her womb, and never complaining.

She hadn’t used that to try and get him to come to her but had waited with the knowledge that when he came to his senses, he would be here. It was very humbling to know that a woman like her could love him this much.

“I don’t deserve you,” he admitted thickly. Moving his hand from beneath hers, he turned her to face him, his expression one of wonder and awe. She was beautiful. Not in the way he was accustomed to from the women of his past, this was more of a spiritual beauty that was going to outshine and outlast physical looks.

Pregnancy had given her an ethereal glow and her eyes were sparkling. He hoped that her effervescent personality would be passed down to his son. His son!

The realization of impending fatherhood hit him like a ton of bricks. She was almost due to deliver his baby, and he wanted to make it legitimate between them.

“Marry me.” He whispered.

She had waited so long to hear those words that for a few seconds she could not verbalize what she was thinking.

“Is it because I am pregnant?”

He shook his head. “That plays a part and is of course a factor. But for the first time in my life, I want to be tied to one woman for as long as I draw breath. I wasted six months and each time I think about it, I want to beat myself.

You have changed my life and at first, I was confused by it and then I was angered. I told myself that I did not need changing, that I was perfectly content with my life the way it was.”

His hands cupped her small face. “But when I tried to go back to living that way, I was disgusted and turned off. I tried to sleep with other women, and I could not perform.

I was royally pissed off at you for having such an influence on me and wanted to punish you.” He brushed his lips against hers. “I want to marry you because I cannot see my life without you in it. It is that simple.”

Chapter 15

He wanted to know everything. They were stripped to their skin, and he was peppering her with questions. His hand was splayed over the bump, his expression one of awe each time he felt movement, indicating his baby was alive and kicking – literally.

“What about morning sickness?” He asked anxiously. “I read that the first trimester is the most difficult. Was it for you?” He was still upset that she had kept the pregnancy from him, and he had missed out so much. But then again, he could not entirely blame her.

She gave him an arched look. “How would you know that? Have you ever had this experience before?”

He shot her a retired look. “No, but I have been around women quite a lot.”

“About that…?”

“No.” he shook his head. “That’s not important, this is, and you have not answered my question.”