Ding. Ding. Ding.
It was her time of reckoning. She silenced the timer and then rushed to the bathroom. The breath caught in her lungs as her heart pounded. She picked up the first test.
Positive.
What? No. No. No.
She picked up the second test. Positive. Her heart was beating so hard it echoed in her ears. Her breaths came faster and faster. This can’t be happening.
One last test. She picked it up. Positive.
By now her breathing consisted of short, rapid gasps. She felt dizzy and sick to her stomach. She sank down on the white tile floor. She put her head between her knees to try and keep the world from spinning madly around her.
She was pregnant with Franco’s baby. How was she going to tell him?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THIS DAY WAS GREAT.
Carla was amazing!
And Franco couldn’t stop smiling. The day had been a whirlwind of interviews and photo ops celebrating the new Falco-Marchello project. Carla’s office had handled setting up all the PR, and they’d done a fabulous job. The conference room had been filled with eager reporters and plentiful cameras.
When he’d first had the idea of getting Marchello Spices back in the Falco restaurants, he’d just thought about getting a couple of spices back on the tables. But with Carla’s help and vision, they’d gone so far from his basic vision to something with momentum.
This project had taken on a life of its own from general spices to carefully blended combinations exclusive to the Falco restaurants. To new menu items that utilized Marchello Spices. And finally to the new ads featuring that special place Franco had taken Carla for that very special lunch. Every time he caught a glimpse of Gianna’s prints, he couldn’t help but smile.
They did great work together. And his grandfather was wrong when he said that working with a Falco was a mistake. Carla had proven time and again that he could trust her. And though he’d been leery of the marriage in the beginning—okay, more like downright opposed to it—it’d worked out. They hadn’t gotten too caught up in it. At least nothing that couldn’t be undone without destroying either of them.
And he was going to see if Carla wanted to continue seeing him after the divorce. Because he just couldn’t imagine his life without her in it. Every time he thought of her, he got this warm feeling in his chest. He refused to put a name to it.
Maybe she wanted the same thing—maybe that’s why she’d tried a couple of times that day to draw him away for a private word. But each time she’d approached him, right behind her was a member of the press. They’d latched onto this story because it had a lot of history—most families in Italy had at one time or another eaten a memorable meal in the Falco restaurants, and the red, white and green Marchello Spices shakers had at one point been a staple in most households. So their reunion was something that touched many lives. There was a lot of excitement.
But now as evening rolled around and they were about to head into the cocktail party, he didn’t see Carla anywhere. He was eager to find out if she’d had the same thing on her mind about them giving in to their rising desires. He really hoped so.
With a plan to seek out Carla, he started to move around the room. His progress was hampered by business associates. He pasted on a smile and shook hands, but all the while his gaze darted around the room, searching for Carla. Where could she be?
And then he reassured himself that there was nothing to worry about, as she probably wanted to make a spectacular entrance. That was something his stunningly beautiful wife could do without even trying.
When his gaze strayed to the door, he came to an abrupt stop. The breath caught in his lungs. He didn’t so much as blink as his mind rushed to make sense of what he was seeing.
It was his grandparents. They’d shown up at the party. Sure, they’d been invited—it’d been a matter of formality—but his grandfather had blustered on about not stepping foot in a Falco building or celebrating this ill-advised venture. Was his grandfather finally willing to admit that he’d done something even his grandfather hadn’t been able to do—make Marchello Spices relevant once more?
Once the initial shock had passed, Franco moved toward his grandparents. “Hello.”
His grandmother beamed at him. “I’m so proud of you. You’re finally living the life I’d always hoped for you—a sweet wife and making your mark upon the company.”
“Thank you.” He wasn’t so sure what else to say. His grandmother didn’t usually speak to him in this manner.
And then she did something so out of character for her—she stepped forward and hugged him. The simple gesture had a profound effect on him. Franco hugged his grandmother back. He blinked repeatedly—all the flowers in the room must be making his allergies act up.
When they parted, he turned to his grandfather, wondering if he felt the same way. His grandfather wore a noncommittal expression. “I still can’t believe you’re not only married to a Falco but also doing business with one. I told you they can’t be trusted.”
“And how many times do I have to tell you that Carla is different? She’s not like her father. She’s up front and honest. She’d never take advantage of anyone.”
“Don’t be too trusting.” Just then his grandmother elbowed his grandfather, and not subtly, either. His grandfather cleared his throat. “But you’ve done a great job with the business.”
His grandfather did something that Franco hadn’t been expecting at all—he held his hand out to him. When Franco gripped his grandfather’s hand, he gave him a firm handshake.
Then the most amazing thing of all, he saw pride reflected in his grandfather’s eyes. He hadn’t known how much he’d been craving that until this moment.
He walked his grandparents around the room, introducing them to some associates from the Falco group. They stopped at the buffet table. The spread was all finger foods with Marchello Spices being prominently displayed as well as utilized.
While his grandparents perused the table, Franco’s thoughts turned to Carla. He couldn’t wait to share his grandparents’ reactions to this joint venture. She was never going to believe it. Because the success of this venture would be a hollow victory without Carla to share it with him.
* * *
She was a mess of emotions.
And she was scared. Her world was imploding.
And worst of all, she still had to tell Franco. Carla had tried repeatedly that day to draw him aside, but there had been one interruption after another. She felt as though she was sitting on a powder keg that was about to explode at any given moment.
She was hoping by telling Franco sooner rather than later that he would take the news better. After all, how could he blame her when it definitely took two of them to get into this predicament?
And so she’d skipped out on a few media events that day, letting her trusted staff and Franco handle the countless questions, including the one about why the two brands had ceased working together years ago. No one wanted to answer that question, but the more they evaded, the more insistent the media became.
Instead she’d spent time closed up in her office, finishing up some final details. It was all she could do to focus. Her insides were twisted in a nervous knot. She had to do something to calm down, because she couldn’t show up at the party all frazzled. Everyone would know something was wrong—especially Franco.
She needed something familiar—something to ground her. As a matter of instinct, she grabbed her keys and headed out the door. It was time to go home.
Because when all was said and done, it was the place where she’d been raised, and her father was there. She might be upset with him right now, but it didn’t mean she loved him any less.
When she entered her father’s living room, she found him on the couch. His brows lifted in surprise. “I didn’t expect to see you today.”
“I.
..” She searched for a plausible excuse. “I needed to take a break before the party.”
“Everything’s all right?” His concerned gaze probed her.
She nodded. “The project is running ahead of schedule.”
“Maybe then you’ll be able to slow down and eat a meal with your father.”
“We’ll do that real soon.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if that invitation included her husband, but she stopped herself. She didn’t think she could keep her emotions at bay if she started talking about Franco.
“You must be excited about tonight. I’ve gone over all the information about this joint venture. I know I was totally opposed to it in the beginning, but now I think you’ve done a great job. And I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
His kind words broke the dam around her rising emotions. She blinked repeatedly, but a tear escaped and landed on her cheek.
Her father stepped up to her. “Carla, what’s the matter?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“You don’t cry for no reason. Tell me what it is.”
She swiped away the tear and forced a smile to her lips. “You’ve just never said anything like that to me before.”
“Said what? That I’m proud of you?” When she nodded, he continued. “I’ve always been proud of you. And that’s why I’m going to the party tonight.”
“You are?” This was the first she’d heard of it.
“Of course I’m going.” He moved to the hallway. “I already have my suit picked out.” He motioned for her to follow him. “I just need help choosing a tie.”
This was new. Her father never relied on her to make decisions for him—not about his wardrobe or any other part of his life. She didn’t know what to make of it.
Still, she walked with him and then chose a wine-colored tie. “Are you sure about this?” Her phone rang, but she ignored it. “It’s going to be a big evening, and I don’t want you wearing yourself out.”
“Do you need to get that?”
She shook her head. “I have staff to take care of any problems that might crop up. Right now, I’m more concerned about you overdoing it. Remember what the doctor said about you slowing down and taking it easy.”
“I’m not an invalid. Just because you have taken over the company doesn’t mean I’m going to languish at home.”
She nodded in understanding. “That’s not what I meant. I’m just worried about you.”
He paused and looked at her. “Now you know how it feels to worry about someone and want to protect them when they don’t want to be coddled.”
Carla opened her mouth to say something, but the words faded. She wordlessly pressed her lips together. What was her father saying? That everything he’d done—from trying to stop her from taking over the CEO’s position to his matchmaking—it had all been his attempt to protect her?
This was too important for her just to let slide by. “Are you saying you never wanted me to run the company because you were trying to protect me from something?”
He sighed as he sat down on a bench at the end of his bed. “I never wanted you to repeat my mistakes.”
Maybe with him calm this was the right moment to broach the subject of him lying to her. “Are you admitting that you cheated at the poker game?”
With a deep, resigned sigh, he lowered his head. “Yes.”
The one word was like a dagger in her heart. Her wonderful, amazing father whom she’d held up on a pedestal all these years fell back to earth with a resounding thud.
She struggled to speak as emotions clogged her throat. “But why?”
Her father ran a hand over his jaw. “It was a bad time in my life.”
“Bad enough to cheat and then lie about it—lie to me?” She didn’t know what he could say to make any of that all right.
“It wasn’t that long after we lost your mother. I was struggling.”
He was? “You never let on to me.”
“I couldn’t. I’d promised your mother that I’d make sure you were all right. But when you weren’t around, I was drinking a lot. The more I drank, the more I gambled. For a while, it was okay. I was on a winning streak. But then the tide turned and every hand was a loser. I drank more and gambled even more, trying to win back what I’d lost.”
Carla sat down next to her father. “Oh, Papa, if I’d known—”
“I didn’t want you to know. I knew how hard it was on you losing your mother. It got to the point where I’d lost all my money. I had to get it back. I only had one thing left that was worth enough money—the business.” His voice wavered with emotion as he stared straight ahead as though lost in his thoughts. “I was certain that my luck would change. It had to, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I’d slipped an ace up my sleeve. I didn’t think I’d need it.”
As her father revealed the whole sordid tale, Carla struggled to keep her mouth from gaping. Her strong, proud father seemed to shrink in front of her eyes. She didn’t know how to react. She was a ball of emotions: anger at being lied to, disillusioned that her larger-than-life father was fallible like the rest of us and sympathy for him that he’d suffered in silence.
“In the end, being accused of cheating was the best thing that could have happened to me. I just didn’t see it that way until now.”
“Why?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer.
He blew out an unsteady breath. “Because accusations were thrown about and Marchello had no choice but to walk away—without my company.”
“And yet you called him a liar?”
Her father’s head lowered. “It wasn’t my finest hour. I was so full of anger, and he became my target. It wasn’t right, and I regret it.”
“Then why haven’t you apologized?”
There was a drawn-out pause. “It’s not that easy. What would he think of me?”
“But Franco’s grandfather already knows the truth, and there’s a video—”
“There is?” When she nodded, he asked, “But then why did he just walk away? He could have taken everything from me.”
“Not everything. You will always have me.” She leaned her head against his shoulder and hugged him. “Maybe Franco’s grandfather was a better friend to you than you ever knew.”
Her father was silent for a moment as he considered her observation. And then he cleared his throat. “That was the moment I started to get my act together. But you have to understand that I made mistakes before the drinking and gambling.”
“Everyone makes mistakes.” She should know—she was carrying Franco’s baby.
“Before all that I made the business the center of the world. I always thought there would be time for other things—like taking your mother to see the world. It had been her fondest wish, but then she got sick and there was no more time.”
“I... I didn’t know.” Her mother had wanted to travel. And here she’d always thought her mother had been content to stay at home and look after her. She hadn’t realized her mother had other aspirations. She wondered what else she’d never known about her mother.
“Your mother didn’t feel a need to talk about it. She knew that eventually there would be time to follow her dreams. None of us expected her to get so sick so quickly.”
The pain of her mother’s sudden loss could still be felt after all these years. “And so you wanted me to get married and have a family because you wanted me to be like my mother.”
“No. Though would that have been so bad?”
She thought of the baby she was carrying now—with every passing moment, the idea of being a mother was becoming more attractive. “No, it’s not bad. But why did it have to be one or the other? Business or a family?”
“Because your mother told me from the time you were little that you were so much like me
. I, of course, didn’t believe her. I saw her in you from your dark curls to your caring heart. But your mother was known for seeing things that I was blind to. And then without your mother around to watch over us both, I feared that her prediction was right—you’d turn out just like me—make my same mistakes.”
She’d never known any of this. Her father had never opened up to her. He had always been the one to keep things close to his chest. But it appeared that his recent heart attacks had had a profound affect not only on her but on him as well.
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
Who kept calling her? She pulled her phone from her purse and saw Franco’s name on the caller ID. He was probably calling to remind her that they were to have some press photos taken with some prominent people at the party, but it was just going to have to wait. This conversation with her father was too important to walk away from now.
She placed the phone back in her purse. “What mistakes?”
His tired gaze met hers. “I made the mistake of thinking that if I built a successful business, it would keep my family safe. I was so driven to make sure my family wanted for nothing financially that I missed the fact that I was no longer an active part of your or your mother’s lives. I was absent for too many birthday parties and anniversaries.” His gruff voice hitched with emotion. “I... I didn’t want that for you. So I thought if you married and had children, you would see that there was more to life than just work.”
“I never knew.” Her mind rewound back to all the arguments they’d had over her marrying. They could have been avoided if he would have explained this to her. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because I knew you’d ignore my warnings. Your mother was right—you are stubborn, just like me.”
Carla wanted to argue with him. She wanted to tell him that his worries were wrong—that she wouldn’t have put her career ahead of everything else. Instead she bit back her denial, because ever since Matteo had hurt her in the worst way, she’d closed off her heart—she’d closed it off to Franco, too.
Harlequin Romance September 2021 Box Set Page 28
