The Billionaire Who Saw Her Beauty

by Rebecca Winters

  But when he checked the caller ID, he saw that it was Maso Vanni, the attorney who’d helped him and Alessandra make application for adoption. The unmarried mother from Naples who’d been the right match for them was expecting her baby in a month. Rini hoped everything was all right. The last thing he wanted was to give his wife bad news.

  He clicked on. “Maso? What’s going on?”

  “Lauretta Conti is in labor.”

  “What?”

  “The doctor is trying to slow things down, but my advice is for you and your wife to get to the hospital as soon as you can.”

  “We’ll be there!” He rang off and phoned Alessandra, but her voice mail was on. He left her the message that he was on his way to the hospital in Naples because Lauretta Conti might be having her baby in the next little while.

  After leaving instructions with the crew, he drove to Metaponto for his helicopter flight to the hospital in Naples. There was no time to shower or change out of his khaki work clothes. En route he tried several times to reach Alessandra. “Please answer as soon as you can, cara.”

  Once at the hospital he was shown to Lauretta’s private room. The doctor said they couldn’t stop the baby from coming. “My patient needs a Caesarean. You’re about to become a father.”

  Rini had never felt so helpless in his life.

  “The nurse will show you where to scrub.”

  The situation was surreal as he washed and put on a gown. He was given a mask and gloves. Before long he returned to the room and stood by the head of the bed. He and Alessandra had met with Lauretta several times in preparation for the baby’s arrival. Where was his wife?

  Suddenly things began to happen. The anesthesiologist administered a spinal and a team came in while the doctor performed surgery. Everyone seemed so calm. When he heard a gurgling sound, a thrill shot through him. A second later the newborn cry of the baby filled the room.

  The pediatrician took over and Rini was told to follow him to the room next door. “I understand you’re going to be the father of this baby.”

  “Yes.” But fear held him in its grip.

  “Where’s your wife?”

  “She’s on her way.” She would be when she got the message.

  “He’s strong for a preemie. Six pounds, twenty-one inches long. Seems to be breathing on his own. As soon as we clean him up, you can hold him.”

  The baby had a dusting of dark hair. Rini watched in fascination as the doctor checked him out. One of the nurses came in and put the baby in a little shirt and diaper, then wrapped him in a receiving blanket.

  “Sit down, signore, so you can hold your son.”

  Nothing had seemed real until she placed the baby in Rini’s arms and he was able to look at him. The sight of the beautiful boy caused his heart to melt. He didn’t make a peep. Rini couldn’t tell the color of his eyes yet. His little mouth made an O.

  “You’ve got a cute bambino there,” the nurse said. “Don’t be afraid of him. He won’t break. I’ll get a bottle ready for him.”

  Taking her advice, he put the baby on his shoulder and patted his back. The warmth of his tiny body was a revelation. Emotion swamped him as he realized this baby would look to him forever as his father. Rini removed the mask and kissed his little head, wanting to be all things to him. A longing to protect him and give him everything possible filled his soul.

  “Here you go.” The nurse handed him the bottle. “He’ll be hungry soon. Tease his mouth with the nipple and he’ll start to suck.”

  He followed her advice. Like magic the baby responded and started to drink with gusto. “Hey, you like this, don’t you? I like food, too. I’m a big eater. Always have been.”

  “Like father, like son.” His wife’s voice.

  He turned his head. “Alessandra... How long have you been standing there?”

  “Long enough to watch you bond with him. I knew it would happen.”

  Tears filled his eyes. “It did. I was terrified when I got here, but when the nurse put him in my arms...”

  She smiled down at both of them. “Fatherhood took over.”

  “You need to hold him.”

  “I will in a minute. It’s enough to watch the two of you. What did the pediatrician say?”

  “He seems fine and his lungs are functioning even though he came early.”

  “We’re so blessed.” Her eyes glistened with moisture. “Can you believe we’re parents now? I’m a new mom and didn’t even have to go through labor.”

  “You’re the most gorgeous mother in the world.”

  “And you’re already a natural father. I can tell he’s so happy to be there with you. He has almost finished his bottle.”

  She put her arms around his shoulders and stared down at the baby with her cheek against Rini’s. “We’re going to learn how to do this minute by minute. I love you for being willing to adopt. I know it wasn’t an easy decision to make.”

  Rini was close to being overcome by his deepest feelings. “I never dreamed I would see this day.”

  “I know. It’s a surprise since you’re a true man of vision.”

  He cleared his throat. “I don’t think you have any idea how much I love you for marrying me when you knew I couldn’t give you a baby.”

  “But you have given me one, darling. He’s in your arms and you’re both in mine. What more could a woman ask for in this life?”

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from IN THE BOSS’S CASTLE by Jessica Gilmore.

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  In the Boss’s Castle

  by Jessica Gilmore

  PROLOGUE

  Hi, Hope,

  Truthfully I was a little shocked when they asked me to job swap with you for six months. I thought I was way too far down the food chain, especially since I changed careers and found myself back at the bottom of the ladder again. But I’ve never left the US—so my bags are packed, I actually have a passport and I’m on my way to London before they change their minds!

  I guess you want to know a little about the stranger coming to take over your life? There’s no big scandals you’ll be glad to know, so no need to warn the neighbours or hide the family silver. I’m Ma
ddison and I’ve been working for DL Media for just over three years, I started out in the PR and events team before Brenda, my boss (soon to be yours) poached me for Editorial. It’s a step down in some ways—back to making coffees and booking taxis and a lot less managing my own time, but somehow she convinced me that it’ll be worth it. It’s nice to be wanted for my brains and not my contact list, at least that’s what I tell myself when I pick up her dry cleaning. Because, in between the taxis and the coffee pick-ups, she is teaching me a lot—you’re lucky to be working with her.

  She’s very focused, doesn’t see the point of any life outside work and is absolutely obsessed with glass ceilings and reaching full potential, blah-blah-blah. It’s not that I don’t want all that, I’m as ambitious as they come in some ways, but I do want more. I want it all. I want to meet the right guy and settle down, picket fence, big dog, rugrats and all. Don’t tell Brenda that!

  I thought I’d found the right guy. Bart. AKA Bartholomew J Van De Grierson III. But turns out he’s not The One or rather I’m not The One for him. At least not right now. He wants a break. Thinks we should ‘explore other options’. So this opportunity has come at the right time for me. I’m exploring other options on the other side of the Atlantic and putting my career first for a change. Maybe working with Brenda has influenced me more than I knew!

  I do hope he misses me at least a little, though...

  So—New York! It’s the greatest city on earth, I promise. My biggest advice? Pack light! The good news is you’ll be living in the Upper East Side and it is fabulous! The bad news? No one expects to swing a cat in a New York studio, but mine...? You couldn’t swing a mouse. But, hey, location is everything, right? And when you sit on the fire escape with your morning coffee and watch the sun rise over Manhattan you won’t want to be anywhere else.

  Welcome to New York. City of reinvention, city of dreams...

  Maddison.

  * * *

  Hi, Maddison...

  Welcome to London and London’s greatest borough. I’ve compiled a ‘Welcome’ file which tells you absolutely everything you need to know, in alphabetical order, from where the boiler is—and the number of a good plumber—to the best place to buy coffee locally. There’s a guide to buses and Oyster cards (no Tube here in Stokey) under T for Transport, and a comprehensive section on work (W for Work) to help you find your feet right away.

  I hope you feel at home here. Stoke Newington is pretty sought-after now, but when my parents moved here it was still a scruffy, community-minded part of the East End—and even with all the swanky bars and yoga studios I miss the place I grew up in. Not so community-minded when you are more likely to bump into nannies and cleaners than neighbours, and everyone is obsessed with extending and rainforest wetrooms. But it’s still home and I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Except maybe New York, of course...

  I am so excited about moving to New York for a whole six months. I’ve always wanted to travel but never had the opportunity. Faith, my younger sister, is on a gap year and seeing the world, lucky thing—but living in a new city and progressing my career? That’s an amazing opportunity.

  I’ve also been at DL Media for around three years. Before that I was working at a local solicitors’ firm which fitted in with Faith’s school hours. But as soon as she was old enough for me to commute to work I came to DL, at first as a general PA, before getting the opportunity to work with Kit Buchanan as an editorial assistant.

  Brenda sounds like just what I need—a real mentor. Kit, your boss-to-be, is... Well, he’s brilliant. Everyone agrees with that. It’s just I’m not sure he ever sees me. Sometimes I feel like I’m just a piece of efficient office furniture.

  In fact it’s been a really long time since anyone has seen me as anyone worth knowing. It gets a little lonely, to be honest, especially now that Faith is making it very clear that now she’s grown up she doesn’t need me to fuss over her.

  Maybe she’s right. Maybe it’s time to put me first.

  Starting with New York!

  Enjoy London.

  Love, Hope x

  Copyright © 2016 by Jessica Gilmore

  ISBN-13: 9781488003042

  The Billionaire Who Saw Her Beauty

  Copyright © 2016 by Rebecca Winters

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