WHEN MARCO ARRIVED home that night, he raced out of the elevator. Frowning, Eleanora set her book on her lap. “What’s up?”
“I went looking for you to ride home and you were already gone.”
Which shouldn’t be an issue. They didn’t always ride together. In fact, he was the one who started that trend. “I got a wave of exhaustion that almost put me to sleep so I came home, had a nap and finished up my work from here.”
He nodded as he shrugged out of his overcoat and removed his scarf. November had gotten cold. But frankly, he looked so good dressed up like the successful businessman that he was that she loved him in a scarf and overcoat.
“I think the nap was a good idea.” He walked over to the sofa and sat on the arm. “But I want to make sure you’re not sick.”
“No. I was just tired.”
“I mean, if you were sick, you’d tell me. Right?”
“Who did I call when I went to the emergency room in Rome?”
“Me.”
“You’ll always be my first call.”
He seemed to be placated and rose from the sofa’s arm, heading for the kitchen area. “Have anything special you’d like for dinner?”
“I wouldn’t mind another toasted cheese sandwich.”
He laughed, but it sounded forced, as if his heart wasn’t in it. Still, he let her have the kitchen to make the toasted cheese sandwiches. But the questions about how she was feeling started again as they ate. Worse, they continued throughout the week. First, he’d brought up preeclampsia and asked if there was a history of diabetes in her family. Then, he’d talked about high blood pressure, asking if she had any dizziness. Then, he sent her emails on warning signs for placenta previa. She was positive his phone was wearing out from searching for every imaginable thing that could go wrong.
By Friday she was exhausted from assuring him everything was fine. When he walked into Eleanora’s little office an hour before normal quitting time, she almost groaned. Especially when he set his overcoat and briefcase on the chair in front of her desk and walked to the coat tree holding her jacket.
“Let’s go.”
“Go? Leave work? Right now?”
“Tonight, we are going to talk.”
She snorted. “All we’ve been doing all week is talk, but not about the right stuff.”
“I know we started talking baby names on Monday, but something happened that afternoon that sort of threw me.”
“You should stop Googling things. There’s a difference between being prepared and needlessly scaring yourself.” She thought for a second. “Unless somebody else scared you.”
He didn’t say anything, simply stood there holding her jacket, and she rolled the possibilities around in her head.
“Who said something?” She paused. “Who in the corporate office even knows?”
“Maybe more people than you think. Someone brought it up at our executive meeting on Monday.”
She gasped. She’d think someone from her staff squealed, except none of them were involved with executive staff. Unless Sheila talked to the assistant of someone on the executive board?
Still, how did it come up at a meeting of vice presidents? “How the hell did I come up at an executive meeting?”
“I mentioned your idea about a hotel manager who opens all our European hotels.”
That was sort of flattering, sort of concerning, given that he’d walked away from that meeting upset. “I see.”
“No. You don’t. The conversation was dry as toast until they suggested that we needed to be sure everything was fine with your pregnancy before we considered shifting you around.”
“Oh, Marco...” He wouldn’t have been prepared for the insinuation that something might be wrong with their baby. That’s why it threw him. That’s why he’d researched every bad pregnancy thing possible. “Is that what happened? They planted a bad seed about my pregnancy?”
“They reminded me that not all pregnancies go smoothly.”
“That’s true but we’re both very healthy and our baby’s heart was strong. I’ve got that list of obstetricians from the ER doctor in Italy. As soon as I go back, I’ll give one a call.”
“I think we should have a doctor here too.”
“Really?”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m going back to Rome soon. I can’t stay here.”
“Why? You haven’t yet told your parents. Thursday is Thanksgiving. Why not do it then? In fact, I can come with you to Thanksgiving dinner. We can tell them together.”
She let that idea sink in. “I had planned on telling them at Thanksgiving dinner.”
“We’ll use it as our perfect opportunity to get the ball rolling on telling our families.”
“Okay.” She peeked at him. “So we’re good?”
He opened her jacket for her to slide into it. “Our Thanksgiving plans are good. Your place as the manager who opens all European hotels isn’t.”
“They didn’t like the idea?”
“They loved the idea. They’re just not sure about you. I didn’t appreciate the way they dissected your life to make sure you suit our purposes.”
She pondered that, as she picked up her purse and briefcase. “Isn’t that their job?”
“Yes. But—”
It was no wonder he’d been so odd all week. He’d lost his objectivity. “No buts. The primary reason to have advisers is so they can tear ideas apart to make sure they’re worthy. Relax. Let them work through this so they can provide you with the facts. Then you make the choice.”
She slid her arm beneath his and directed him to walk up the hall to the elevator. Tonight might not be the night to discuss custody or visitation. He needed some time to chill.
“How about if I buy you dinner?”
“That’s okay. I can—”
“Shush. This is one of our friend things, remember? We’re equals. Sometimes you pay. Sometimes I pay.” She laughed. “Besides, this way I get to choose the place.”
He pressed the button for the elevator, then turned so she could see him roll his eyes. “You can always choose the place. You know I love everything.”
The door opened and they stepped inside the elevator. “I do know that.”
“What are you hungry for?”
“Toasted cheese sandwiches.”
He shook his head. “No. Since your choice is repetitive and bad, I’m vetoing that in favor of a steak.”
“Steak sounds good.”
He took her to an Italian restaurant famous for its bistecca alla fiorentina and they indulged. Walking up the street to his limo after, they passed a bakery and he darted inside to purchase half a dozen bagels, four Danish pastries and six doughnuts.
As they stepped out into the cold night, she laughed. “Buy yourself a midnight snack?”
“It’s potential breakfasts for you.”
Her stomach sat up and took notice. “All those doughnuts are mine?”
“Anything you want is yours.” Rather than turn left to get to his car, he hesitated. “We’re close to Rockefeller Center. How about we go over and watch the skaters?”
This suggestion made her frown. It was as if he didn’t want to go home. “Is Wisdom going to care for Sunrise and Sunset?”
“I texted her.”
He definitely wasn’t ready to go home. She’d thought talking out the things from the executive board meeting had helped him settle, and she believed the delicious steak had taken the last steps to putting him in a good mood.
But he was still antsy.
Something other than his board’s reaction to her suggestion about managing all the European hotels was bothering him.
“Then let’s go watch people skate.”
They walked the few blocks in the cold night. Lights illuminated Rockefeller Center and the space around it. She looked up at the tall buildings that surrounded the skating rink. Any time she came here to skate or just to watch, she always felt like she was cocooned in a private world, a fairyland with the flags and statues and happy skaters.
“Too bad we can’t see the stars.”
He glanced at her. “What?”
His face was shadowed, but she could still see the sculptured features, his serious brown eyes. Other people might not find his seriousness sexy, but she did. The way he worried about their baby tugged at her heartstrings, but the way he looked after her filled her with longing. She wanted to be able to cuddle against him, to talk about their baby as their baby, not custody or visitation rights. She wanted to whisper possibilities in the dark as they lay together in his bed.
The longing became an earthy need. This tall, gorgeous, strong man was the father of her child and she wanted to enjoy that to the fullest. To be lovers planning the birth of their baby—
But he didn’t.
She took a breath and pointed up. “The city lights block out the stars.” They were quiet a second, then she said, “I’ve done some traveling in Italy, taken some weekends and enjoyed the countryside. I liked seeing the stars. Natural. Shiny. As if they’re smiling down on us.”
He snorted. “We’re two city kids who can be wowed by the world.”
She nudged him with her shoulder. “Or maybe we’re two lucky city kids who get wonderful opportunities.”
He leaned against the wrought iron rail, his hands folded in front of him. “Yeah. We are.”
She leaned down, sliding her arm beneath his so she could nestle against him, the way they always did when they talked seriously. Warmth filled her, along with the crazy need to be with him, to enjoy every naked inch of him. She jerked away, pretending the snuggle was a quick friendly hug before he noticed her breath had stalled.
Bringing the conversation back, she said, “We are both lucky, and now we’re going to have a baby.”
He sucked in a breath. “Yeah.”
She shook her head. His serious demeanor was really turning her on. Because she loved that about him? Loved that he was strong and smart? Or because the guy being serious was the best-looking, best-built guy she’d ever met?
It could go either way.
Fighting the hormones and fantasies, she said, “Okay. I’ve worked all the angles to help you get back to being chipper and happy. But I still hear something in your voice. What’s the matter?”
“Truth?”
“Yes!”
“You are the one carrying the baby. You know how you feel. If you’re sick, you can take care of yourself. If you’re tired, you take a nap.”
Confusion made her face scrunch. “And that’s bad?”
“No. I just have this sense that I’m on the outside looking in. I don’t know when you’re hungry. I don’t know when you’re tired. I don’t know when you’re sick.”
That explained all the questions from the week before and the doughnuts, Danish pastries and bagels. But that was the price they paid for keeping their distance—which was his choice.
She sighed. “I don’t know how to fix that.”
“I don’t either.”
“I can tell you this. Stop Googling things. Unless I mention that I have a symptom, don’t look for trouble.”
He laughed.
They watched the skaters for another fifteen minutes, then they walked to his limo and went home.
Giving him time to digest everything she’d said, she immediately went to her bedroom and stripped for a shower, but while she was running a soapy cloth over herself, she saw that her abdomen had swollen. She smiled, then a thought hit her. She turned off the spray, dried and jumped into loose pajamas.
Racing into the front room, she didn’t see Marco. Both cats were on the sofa, so she knew he hadn’t decided on an evening stroll. She headed back to the primary bedroom and knocked lightly on the door.
“Marco?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you decent?”
“Yes.”
She opened the door and stepped inside. He stood at the foot of the bed. His jacket, tie, shoes and socks were gone, as if he was preparing to take a shower. That crazy need rippled through her again. Warm and sensual, it snaked through her bloodstream. She’d seen him like this before, but all those innocent images paled, and she remembered the night of the grand opening. Watching him unbutton his shirt, swoosh away his tie, kick his shoes across the room.
She swallowed hard. Forcing herself to remember her mission, she walked over to him, caught his hand and put it on her stomach. “Feel that?”
He looked at her as if she were crazy.
“It’s a baby bump.”
A surprised laugh escaped him. “Oh.”
She let go of his hand. “It’s better as a visual.” Lifting her pajama top a bit, she took his hand again and laid it on the actual bump. He could now see the small swell as he felt it.
He caught her gaze. “That’s amazing.”
“Nah. It’s only a few centimeters.” She smiled but didn’t move or lift his hand, letting him soak in the experience, driving herself just a little bit crazy in order to ease his mind.
His voice a hushed whisper, Marco said, “That’s our baby.”
“That’s our baby.”
His head tilted. “You seem really happy.”
“I am.” She held his gaze to make sure he heard and believed what she was about to say. In the stillness of his bedroom, honesty seemed to come easier. Truth insisted on being told. Apprehension bubbled through her, but she pushed it down. This was their moment of truth. She only hoped she had the courage to carry it through to the right conclusion.
“Like we said at Rockefeller Center, we are lucky. Maybe luckier than we even think.”
He frowned, not quite sure what she was getting at.
“After you explained why you didn’t want a committed relationship, I did some soul searching about my own life. I realized I’m happy with what I have too. All my experiences with men have sort of shown me that maybe I don’t want that happily-ever-after love. And when I think that thought through to its logical conclusion, I realize this baby is the next step in my life.” She laughed. “I’m going to be a mom.”
He studied her glowing face. “You’re saying that if you take the happily-ever-after out of the equation, your life is right on target?”
“Yes!” Another joyful laugh escaped her. “I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and I’m almost giddy about it. I don’t know if it’s pregnancy hormones or if it’s the decision to love my life as it is, but something finally made me see that I have everything I want. Not just pride in my professional life. But I look around at my condo in Rome, my friends, my family...and now a baby?” She shrugged. “I have it all.”
He chuckled. “Then it looks like we both have it all.”
“We do!”
The room grew silent. She stood in front of him the very proud mother of his child. His hand still rested on the small swell of her stomach. And he didn’t feel like he was on the outside anymore. The emotional distance between them melted into nothing.
Knowing they were treading into dangerous territory, he started to turn away again, but she stopped him by putting her hand on his elbow. “I’m not done with everything I need to say.” She took a quick breath. “I’m glad you’re my baby’s father. Yeah, we have some stuff to work out...but think of the losers I’ve dated.”
He burst out laughing.
“I’m serious. You’re my best friend, Marco. There’s no one else I’d rather raise a child with.” She pointed her index finger at him. “You’re not going to railroad me over visitation or custody. It’s going to be a challenge to figure that out. But we’ll figure it out. When it comes to who I want teaching my little boy or girl about life, about holidays, about fishing and cabins and making good decisions, I couldn’t have chosen anybody better than you.”
His heart turned over in his chest. When she put it that way, he realized he couldn’t think of anybody he’d rather have as the mother of his child.
“I couldn’t have chosen anybody better than you either.”
“We’re going to be great parents.”
He snorted. “I haven’t spent a holiday with my dad in three years. My sister and I communicate through texts and occasional calls. I’m just peachy.”
“Your family went through something. And everybody handles grief differently. You never stopped loving your dad, never lost touch with your sister. You held on when another person might have walked away.”
“My dad’s so eager for our Christmas reunion and I’m afraid Chiara’s going to bail. I can’t even blame her. There are days I wish I had any other plans than to go back to the place that reminds me the most of my mom.”
“But you’re going.”
He inclined his head. “I’m going.”
“And that’s part of what makes you such a great guy. You understand responsibility. You understand more about family than you think you do.”
That explained his protective feelings for her and his sudden longing to be a good dad. His strong sense of responsibility. He wasn’t crazy. His shifting feelings for her were normal. She’d gone from being his best friend to being something more.
His hand still on her stomach, he said, “Thank you for this.”
Time stood still as they gazed at each other. Then she stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips across his. The rightness of it tightened his chest. He couldn’t imagine anything more perfect. It was a moment he’d remember his whole life. They were as connected as two human beings could be. The power of it sent desire and longing rising in his gut. They met and merged in an emotion so foreign he couldn’t name it. He had never imagined a man could feel two incompatible things simultaneously, but here he was drowning in a happiness about parenting with her that seemed at odds with a burning male need.
“You’re welcome.” She took a breath and looked him in the eye again. “I’ve been thinking about this a little more than I let on.”
“Oh, yeah? What did you come up with?”
“This might be the only time either one of us has a child. The one time either one of us will go through a pregnancy. I think it’s sort of a shame to have only half the experience.”
“Half the experience?”
“Marco, we’re friends. We’ve been together. I think it’s a little foolish to stand back and be all prudish when we could be experiencing something wonderful.”
Just the thought of where this conversation was going made him swallow.
“It will be difficult enough when I go back to Rome and we’re doing all this long distance. Why would we waste this time now when we could be enjoying it the way parents should?”
He licked his suddenly dry lips. She gave him a hopeful smile and he was lost. This wasn’t just about sex or fun. It was the connection that got to him. He’d been longing for this since he’d first heard she was pregnant. He hadn’t put her in his penthouse in the hope of getting accustomed to her. He’d wanted to share this. All of it.
He kissed her, longer and slower than how she’d kissed him. His heart expanded to the point when it might burst, so he stepped back.
“You’re sure?”
“Marco, I’m not even sure why it took us so long to figure out that we should be sharing this.”
Her saying that made him laugh out loud. “Well, we’re certainly adding a new dimension to our friendship.”
Her hands reached for his shirt buttons. “Two if you think about it.” She paused in unbuttoning his shirt. “No. Really only one. We want to have the full parenting experience. This is it.”
Putting her hands under the shoulders of his shirt, she slid it back and it billowed away.
He didn’t waste a second in evening the score. Except he didn’t unbutton her pajama top. It was big enough that he could grab the hem and tug it over her head.
“Isn’t that cheating?”
He would have laughed, but she wasn’t wearing a bra and he’d revealed the beautiful breasts he remembered from their night together. He bent and nipped at them before running his tongue over the soft skin. He groaned. “Exactly as I remember.”
She drew a deep breath that ended in a moan. “Me too.”
He laughed, happier than he could ever remember being. With his hands floating down her naked back, he bent and kissed her deeply. Sensation rippled through him as pleasant anticipation grew into fiery need. The kiss leveled up to another dimension. His hands slid under the elastic waist of her pajama bottoms. Hers raced to his belt buckle.
Within seconds, they were flesh to flesh. Need drenched him in red-hot embers. He rolled her with him to his bed and indulged his hunger, allowing his hands to touch every inch of her. The feeling of her fingers streaming along his skin added fuel to the fire, nudging him to run his lips over her breasts and belly.
Desire roared through him, demanding release. He rolled her to her back and kissed her before joining them. The perfection of it nearly did him in, but he held on, taking her on a journey of sensation that rocked them both. It built and built until it exploded in a release that shook him to his core.