Within seconds Marco had flung some clothes on and raced around to her side of the bed. He crouched low, his face ashen. “Are you sure?”
“No. I have no idea. I’ve never had a baby before. Have you?”
Concern darkened his eyes, and his lips thinned. “But you are only thirty-six weeks. Maybe it’s indigestion.”
“If this is indigestion,” Carly bit back, “I must have eaten an elephant. I think it’s time to phone the hospital.”
While Marco did as she asked, she eased herself off the bed. Pains came every few minutes. Wasn’t that a bit fast? She wished it was indigestion, but somehow knew it wasn’t. This baby was about to arrive whether she was ready or not.
Despite her protests, she was taken to the hospital by ambulance. At the hospital the white lights and voices passed in a blur as she concentrated on her baby. Marco never left her side.
“I’m right here.”
She nodded. “Perhaps you could do this next time,” she whispered, teeth clenched as another contraction subsided and they wheeled her into a side room. Carly looked back. Marco’s face was gray, his eyes somber.
“Don’t worry,” she said, trying to smile, “the baby will be fine.”
“It’s not the…” But his words were broken off as they wheeled her through the swinging doors which closed behind her and cut him off from view.
“Where is my wife?” Marco demanded.
“Mr. Valente, if you will lower your voice a moment.”
“No,” Marco stormed. “My wife is about to have my baby. I want to be with her.”
“Yes, yes. The nurse gave the other staff a rolling glance. “Another first timer,” she muttered under her breath. The other nurses merely smiled.
“Your wife is delivering rather fast, Mr. Valente, she’s losing a bit of blood.”
Marco shuddered, and the nurse gave him a concerned look.
“You’re not going to faint on me, are you?”
He brushed aside her concern. “No. My wife…”
“Come with me.”
He followed right on her heels, not giving the woman a moment to change her mind.
“Your wife is fine,” she said. “A bit tired, that’s all. We’ve already put her on a drip and she’s getting a bit of plasma. We don’t want her to become anemic.”
Marco said nothing and his thoughts raced with what-ifs as the nurse held the door open and he walked in. He took two steps to Carly’s side and reached for her hand, holding it in both of his. “Cara?”
Carly’s eyes fluttered open. “The baby—”
“Is fine,” the nurse interrupted. “Baby wants a quick entry.”
“Push,” the doctor instructed.
Marco’s head jerked sideways. At the end of the bed stood the doctor. He gave Marco a cursory nod and looked back at the action. “She’s nearly there.”
Marco stared down at his wife. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her jaw clamped as she concentrated. Beads of sweat dotted her brow. Holding her hand, he reached for a nearby cloth and brushed aside the straggling, damp strands of her hair. “I’m so proud of you,” he said. What he didn’t add was that he’d never been so scared.
White-faced and already bracing for the next wave of contractions, Carly still managed to giggle. “I’ve never seen you so circumspect.”
But before he had time to reply, she let out a wail, and her nails dug hard into his palm. His gut churned. He wanted this over. He didn’t want to see her in pain.
“Here it comes,” the doctor announced.
Marco didn’t know what to do. He felt more than useless, but as Carly exhaled, a last, harsh whoosh rushing from her lungs, he felt her relax. A hive of activity erupted around him. A nurse took the baby, and then suddenly the sound of their baby’s cries echoed around the room.
“Congratulations, you have a daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Valente,” the doctor exclaimed. The nurse passed the baby to Carly and then retreated to finish with the delivery.
A daughter.
He was a father.
A swell of exultant pride rippled through Marco as he stared in wonderment at the baby now snuggling against Carly. His child. “She looks like a cherubic angel,” he whispered, smiling. “Just like you.” He bent to kiss the top of his daughter’s head.
Just then the head nurse walked in. “Right, you two, no more canoodling. That’s what got you here in the first place, Mr. Valente.”
Marco chuckled. Nothing could drown his buoyant mood.
“Now, I need to take the baby for a few minutes to weigh her.”
“Is there something wrong?”
“No, sir, you’ve got a fine and healthy baby. It’s simply procedure. Won’t be long.” With that, the nurse gathered the baby in her arms, whispering cooing noises as if the wee babe was her own, and retreated to an auxiliary room off to one side.
“Marco,” Carly began, but he placed a finger on her mouth and felt the light rush of her breath against his skin.
“Shush. The baby is fine. It’s you I…”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“I do, cara,” he said, dropping a kiss to her tousled hair.
But as Carly let out a heavy sigh and a tear trailed down her cheek, pain ripped at his heart. The most joyous day of his life and he watched his wife cry. He lifted a finger and wiped away the tear, brushing the corner of her mouth. Her lips trembled and she looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.
“I didn’t try to trap you. I want our baby and would never have gotten rid of it. If you want to carry on with Rosaria, it’s okay. Just don’t forget our baby, that’s all.”
“Carry on with…? You think that I’ve been…that I’m interested in her?”
“What else would I think? She called you her lover.”
“Oh, cara, it’s true, Rosaria and I go a long way back. But that was before you came into my life. How could I abandon our child or her mother? You are unforgettable, Carly. Your auburn curls and luscious body.” Marco searched for the right words then he smiled, remembering. “You empower me.”
“Empower? That sounds mighty challenging.”
“Si. Like Mama said, two hearts, one soul, equals empowering love.”
“One soul…love?” Carly’s brow creased, eyes darkening with confusion, a wariness washing across her face.
“Mama is a wise woman when it comes to these things.”
“I want to believe you, Marco, but I…” She stalled over her words.
No. He had to make her believe in his love for her. He gripped her hands in his, pleading silently with his touch, his heart.
“Oh, Marco, it’s just the emotional high of becoming a father.” Her voice was but a whisper, and he had the distinct and fearful sense he was losing her. “There’s been so much anger between us, so much distrust, for too long.”
“But if those hearts change,” he said, hope coloring his every word. “It’s not just the baby, cara. It’s you. From the very start, it was you who stole my sanity, kept me up at night, made me want things I never thought I’d want from a woman.”
For a moment, there was silence, and he watched his wife, seeking assurance. He brushed his lips across hers and felt her tremble again. He pulled away.
“Don’t go.” Her voice was a plea and stirred his dreams and hopes.
He clasped her hand firmly, his fingers stroking in circles on her palm. “Never,” he replied.
It brought a tentative smile to her lips. Seeing it swelled his heart, and he realized with distinct clarity he had to take a chance. He glanced over his shoulder toward the other room where the nurse was busy settling their daughter then back to his wife. Dragging in a breath, he prayed as he’d never done before. He was about to gamble his life, everything he’d known or thought he’d wanted, on the most precious thing in his life: the love he felt for his wife. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t,” Carly confirmed.
“I need to explain.”
Carly shook
her head, but he silenced her with a soft kiss on her warm lips. “I must. When you told me you were pregnant, it was as if it was happening all over again,” Marco bit out.
“Again?”
“Some time ago, before we met,” he admitted, “Rosaria Santos led me to believe she was pregnant with my child. She got rid of it.”
“Oh, God, no.” Carly’s nails dug into his forearms, but he ignored the pain. It was no more than what he’d felt hearing Rosaria’s cruel words.
“However, she wasn’t pregnant—at least not by me. The night she phoned, she admitted she’d made those calls to you. She also told me she’d taken an overdose.”
“That other phone call, in the bathroom?”
“I phoned emergency services, said I would meet them at the hospital. I wanted to tell you, but she pleaded with me not to.”
“Loyal till the end,” Carly said dully. “It should hurt. It does, but I do understand why you did it. Your loyalty to a friend is admirable.”
“I’m truly sorry. It was foolish and cruel, something I will regret for all my days. Rosaria and I were once friends, good friends, but I have never, ever felt for her what I feel for you cara mia, believe me.”
Marco waited, his heart hammering, hoping and praying his gamble on life would pay off. It had to.
“I want to,” Carly said, lifting tear-filled eyes up to him. “But you hurt me. I married you understanding you didn’t love me, and it wasn’t a real marriage…”
A vicious pain tore into Marco’s heart. What had he done? “What I feel for you is real.”
“Until she turns up again. Or you get tired of playing daddy.”
“No. That’s not going to happen. Do you hear me? I need you in my life, Carly. Need our daughter. But, mostly, I need and want you at my side. Please understand.”
For a long moment, Marco didn’t dare breathe, but clutched his wife’s hands in his. He searched her face. “You are everything to me, and I’ve been foolish, scared to believe in love, scared to even try, until I nearly lost it all. Help me believe. Stand at my side.”
A flurry of emotions crossed her face. He desperately wanted her to understand and to forgive him. “I need to tell you about Rosaria.”
“You don’t have to.”
Marco’s chest heaved with a raw and caustic sigh. Oh, yes, he did. “If I am to expunge her from our marriage, cara, I do.” For a few moments, he offered a silent prayer to the heavens. Then he began. “Rosaria got caught up with some casino high flyer. Trouble was she fell in love, hard and fast.” He shrugged ruefully. “But her gambler was gambling not just with money, but with her heart, and she became pregnant by him.”
Carly’s eyes widened.
“Yes, I know. A bit like calling wolf. However, the father didn’t want to know.” Marco bent closer to Carly and stroked her cheek with the side of his hand. “But believe me, I have been with no other woman since our time in paradise.”
A slow, lingering smile lit Carly’s face. “That long, huh?”
“Si. How could I?”
“Thank you. To know that means everything to me and, despite my disapproval of the sex-pot, I do feel sorry for her. To love and not be loved in return is a cruel fate.”
“Si. Rosaria thought to end her life, or at least that trying would bring him back.”
“And has it?”
“No,” he admitted with sadness. “She has gone back to Italy to heal her wounds. She won’t bother us again.”
“Good.”
“My love, you are the one for me. You are my heart, my life. I fought hard to resist. I struggled to understand love. I didn’t want to believe it, tried to ignore my heart. I couldn’t. It wouldn’t let me.”
“So you forced me back.”
Guilt washed over Marco, but he knew the accusation was deserved. “I was determined to use anything to get you back. I know it was harsh, but I was a desperate man.”
“And desperate people use desperate measures,” Carly added.
“It was the L word.”
“Love?”
“It was foreign to me, an emotion I’d dodged with ruthless determination for years. But once you came into my life, lighting up my heart and soul, love grabbed me when I wasn’t expecting it. The way I feel for you threw me. It was a new experience, something I wasn’t sure how to handle. I was scared. Can you forgive me? I never meant to hurt you. I only want to love you.”
Marco waited. How he loved this woman. He prayed to the gods for forgiveness, that she could love him enough.
“You want my forgiveness?”
He nodded. “Desperately.”
“Well.” She hesitated then her eyes lit up with a twinkle. “I love you, too, Marco, though I fought hard against it. My father disappeared when I was a child and I grew up with a string of ‘uncles’, while my sisters’ constant stream of men didn’t impress me much, either. It warned me off men. I thought they were unreliable and I determined I would go it alone and be independent.”
“And my trying to blackmail you didn’t improve the image, I bet.”
Carly gave him a sheepish grin. “But how can a woman resist a knight in shining armor?”
“Always at your service, my love.”
“Mm. The fates were with me the night my car decided to die. Oh, Marco, I love you. I always have and will. I want you to be in our baby’s life.”
Tears glistened in Carly’s eyes, and his heart broke in two. “Shush, don’t cry,” he pleaded, brushing away the sprinkle of teardrops. “To think I have done this to you.”
“No, it’s not you. Giving birth, seeing your joy at becoming a father is wonderful, but tinged with sadness, too. I may not have liked my father’s desertion, but it hasn’t stopped me loving him. Not really, not deep down. He left me with the belief that when a woman loves a man, that man eventually breaks her heart and leaves her.”
Carly had to believe him.
“You are my life. I want you in it forever. I was a fool. My mother has a penchant for husbands, giving me too many fathers that weren’t particularly fond of having someone else’s offspring hampering their lives.” Marco grimaced as he finally doused the mental pictures of his tormented childhood once and for all. Carly squeezed his hand slightly, encouraging him, giving him the confidence to carry on.
“Mother loved all her husbands. However, sending me off to distant relations in Italy wasn’t conducive to giving me a good idea of family life or a good impression of fathers. I vowed never to marry, never to have a child and risk putting an innocent life through that much heartbreak.”
Carly’s face froze. “Never marry?”
“Until I met someone who needed a gigolo.”
She laughed. “I never asked for a gigolo.”
“Well, this woman needed a mystery man to play Romeo and I decided I wanted a change of job for a while.”
“Only for a while?”
Marco’s expression softened. “Do not be afraid, cara.”
“I’m not.”
“I see the hint of fear pass across your eyes. But my new job has rather good conditions with it. Ones I cannot resist. Believe me, my heart and my soul are with you and our daughter.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“Doesn’t it?” he said, smiling. “You love me?”
Carly looked up at him from beneath her lashes.
“Absolutely.”
Marco’s overriding fear vanished into thin air, and his heart swelled with pride and love. “Cara, my heart, I thought you hated me for forcing you into a marriage you didn’t want. I’m so sorry. I had no idea you were protecting your heart, thinking I didn’t care for you.”
“Just as you were.”
“Hmm,” he agreed. “Though I didn’t know it. My brain refused to listen to my heart for far too long.”
“And now?”
“Now, dear wife…” He took her hands in his once more and idly rubbed his finger over her wedding band. It thrilled him to realize she was still wear
ing it. “This employer holds a power over me which is unbreakable. She holds me in her loving heart, forever. Carly, I love my job as your husband, father to our daughter. I’d like to keep the job for the rest of my days, if you’ll have me.”
She didn’t reply straight away, and a sudden panic gripped his heart. Please say yes. Please. As the silence lingered, Marco realized he’d never prayed so hard in his life, but then he’d never wanted someone so much or loved so deeply as he loved his wife.
“When we parted at the heliport, I never thought I’d ever see you again. Then you turn up demanding marriage because of the baby. Marriage wouldn’t have happened if I’d not been pregnant,” she challenged.
“No.” Marco dragged a hand through his hair. He had to make her believe. “All those months after our time on the island, I was a wreck. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, couldn’t sleep because you filled my dreams, taunted me with your delicious body. I wanted you.”
“For sex,” Carly countered.
“No. Well,” and he grinned, “not only sex, although your body constantly delights me. But it was more than that, though I tried to avoid admitting to myself exactly what I felt. I had no idea how to find you, and when you turned up in my office, I decided not to let you get away, though I fought an internal battle. Remember, I went through all the Masons in the phone book to find you, and that was prior to knowing about our child. And although I was scared of marriage, I want us bound to each other eternally. Our daughter has made it extra precious to me. Something I would not change for anything.”
He held his breath. It seemed as if the world had stopped. Everything hinged on Carly, on her accepting him, loving him.
“Do you mean it? Really mean it?”
He heard her hesitation, her fear. And it was all his fault. He needed to put it right—for both of them.
“You’ve taken a huge step in letting me into your life,” he said.
But his desperation was insidious, gnawing at his gut and at his heart. Words were easy, slipping off the tip of his tongue. He needed to show his wife how much he loved her.
Romeo for Hire Page 18
