Chapter Seventeen

Luca and Hadley were in her room at the Rome Marriott Grand Flora at last.

Luca had not said anything during the drive to the hotel, knowing there would be plenty of time for questions later. Now, in the room she had reserved, he couldn’t stop looking at his wife, reaching out an arm to touch her, making sure she was really okay. That he wasn’t imagining her.

Luca couldn’t wait to be with Hadley. But she held out her hand.

“Luca, there’s something I have to tell you,” Hadley said, softly, as Luca started to undress her. “Need to tell you.”

“We can talk later. I want to go to bed.”

“No, I need to tell you now before I lose my nerve,” Hadley replied. “I haven’t been honest with you about wanting to start a family.” Honesty could destroy a relationship, she knew.

Luca frowned and faced his wife. “I thought you wanted to have children.”

“I do, but not this fast. I didn’t think I was ready. I have so much to learn about the art detective business. I love my job, and I want to have a career.”

“I understand. You are so good at what you do, and why shouldn’t you work if you want to. I think you can teach your boss a lot. I think you are keeping the lights on at that place.”

“But how can I keep working and raise a family?” Hadley hesitated. “I made an appointment to see a doctor before I came to Rome, but I rescheduled.”

“A doctor? Are you sick?”

“No. I was looking into ways not to get pregnant.”

“Not to get pregnant? I don’t understand.”

“I was avoiding you because I didn’t know how to tell you, and when we’re together, well, I know what always happens when we’re together.”

Luca frowned. “I thought we were on the right page.”

Hadley tilted her head and pursed her lips. “Oh, you mean on the same page.”

“Yes, what I said.”

“We are,” said Hadley, smiling. “It just took me a little longer to come around. I mean I can imagine a little Luca running around the house.”

“Or a little Hadley,” Luca said.

“I just thought we could wait a while longer. I mean, we just got married.”

“Hadley, I will do anything for you. If you want to wait to start our family, I understand. My mother, she is a different color horse.”

“You mean a horse of a different color.”

“Yes, but cara, I don’t want you to hide anything from me anymore,” Luca said, holding Hadley’s hands in his and staring into her eyes. “Promise me.”

Hadley squeezed Luca’s hands. “I promise. But when we were apart, I realized just how much you mean to me. I was afraid I would never see you again. And I decided I don’t want to wait anymore. I want to start a family as soon as possible.”

“If my mother wants us to have a baby, I’m sure she would love to watch our child while you work. If you are ready, I am ready. How soon did you have in mind?”

Hadley reached up to kiss Luca’s lips. “Now is a good time.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. But you are exhausted. You’ve been through a lot.”

“I am tired, but I want to go to bed with you.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

Hadley sighed. She could hardly wait to get started delving more deeply into the mysterious missing masterpieces, on her next day back at work. She would put in some hours with Lorenzo at the warehouse, answer his questions, but then the real work would start after the artwork was transferred to Florence. She had a lot to discuss with Massimo to get her boss up to speed. He would be ecstatic and remain front and center all over this story once it hit the news—the biggest cache of stolen art since the war, and right in their backyard.

But she was going to take a few days off to relax and relieve the stress of the past week. Tonight, her focus would be on the man in front of her—her handsome, considerate, courageous, amazing husband. There were other ways to relieve stress, after all.

Whatever obstacles lay ahead, she knew she and Luca would overcome them, together. She was ready to get on with her life. If that included a baby or babies, then she would happily welcome them into the family and fit her work schedule around them. Luca’s mother would ultimately forgive her for missing the special dinner, if she knew there was a possibility of grandchildren on the way. Because she loved her son, she would want to see him happy. And Hadley was going to make her husband very happy.

Hadley loved Luca, and she reached up to kiss his eager lips, anxious to show him just how much.