“But Mamma begged me to reconsider for her sake. I adore her and since she’d always supported me in everything I did, I knew she was relying on me so I joined the company in an official capacity. Soon after that, I met Catarina and married her. This took my father by complete surprise. I was surprised it didn’t bring on another heart attack.”
He was feeding her so much information, Gabi couldn’t believe it. She had so many questions. “Where were you married?”
“In Venice at her family church. I’ll show you pictures.”
“Did your father attend?”
“No. He pretended that he couldn’t come because of his heart condition. Everyone who knew the truth was scandalized by his behavior, but I had my mother, plus lots of ski friends and members of the board who supported us.”
“How hard all that must have been for you.”
“He’s always been a hard man and his own worst enemy. I knew he’d been waiting for me to cave in and get together with Giselle. My marriage to Catarina infuriated him, particularly because the Guardino family had no money or influence. It inflamed him more when I offered Tomaso a better position in the company because I knew it would make Catarina happy.”
Gabi was absolutely stunned over what she was hearing now.
“The most important thing you need to know is that my father only tolerated Dino after he was born. My son doesn’t know the reason, but he’s aware he doesn’t have a loving grandfather.”
“That I can’t believe, not when he’s the dearest boy on earth.”
“Be thankful you haven’t ever known anyone like him. After Catarina was killed, he started in again talking about a marriage to Giselle.”
“There’s something wrong with him.”
“Agreed. Mamma finally admitted something to me recently that I’d never known. She said that he and Giselle’s father had a business together after the war years, but they couldn’t sustain it between their two countries. So they made a pact to get their two children together. My father swore her to secrecy, but she wanted me to know the truth when she could see I would never bend to my father’s will.”
Gabi folded her arms to her waist. “It sounds like the story of two kings arranging affairs of state and treating their own children like chattel.”
Luca smiled without mirth. “Exactly. He missed his calling as one. Now he’s worried about you, with good reason.”
Gabi averted her eyes. “This puts a different complexion on everything.”
“I had no idea you’d been holding all of this in since the hospital.”
She buried her face in her hands, incredulous over what she’d heard.
“The rest of the family can see how I feel about you, and I know for a fact they approve. You’re the best thing that has happened to Dino and me since the avalanche, and they know it. They love him.”
“Who wouldn’t—?” she said.
“Gabi—” He put his arms around her neck. “You and I were meant to be together. I know it in my DNA. So do you. I don’t care how long we’ve known each other. I want to marry you.
“My mamma considers you an angel from heaven. The staff never want you to leave the villa, and Nero came straight to your room. They say a dog follows a gentle heart.”
“Luca—” she whispered in tears.
“So I’m not letting you out of my arms until you say yes, that you’ll marry me.”
She cradled his face in her hands. “You make it sound so simple, so easy.”
“Why isn’t it? I’ll come to Padova. We’ll call the priest and make arrangements for the wedding. I want to marry you right away. My father might try to cause more trouble, but he’ll be powerless to get away with anything.”
Gabi shook her head. “You don’t know what you’re saying! You haven’t even met my mother yet, or my friends. I’ve been divorced, and it was ugly. I have a position with Edda, who depends on all of us at the foundation.”
“She’s a tycoon, Gabi, a woman who understands life. When you tell her we’re going to be married, do you honestly think she would stand in your way?”
“No,” she admitted. “Of course not.”
“Then what are you afraid of? Forget my father.”
“Y-you wouldn’t understand,” her voice faltered.
“Try me.”
She eased away from him. “You’re not thinking clearly right now. Too much has been going on to confuse the issue for both of us. Given time you’ll—”
“I’ll what?” he cut her off. “There’s no other woman for me.”
She flinched.
“Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? Have you noticed every man on the street practically having an accident as you walk by because they’re so taken by your beauty? How about Paolo? Do you remember the excitement on his face when he asked if you’d be at the villa again and Dino said yes?
“Have you seen into my son’s eyes and noticed anything but genuine love? Have you forgotten you’re the reason he found the courage to have the operation? Talk about the perfect woman...”
Gabi could hear what he was saying. He believed what he was saying. She wanted to believe it. But how long would his feelings for her last?
“Tell me what’s wrong, Gabi!”
She took a deep breath. “I thought Santos would love me forever. He said and did all the right things and swept naive little me off my feet. I was flattered that the bank manager who had a solid position had fallen for me. When I conceived so fast, I was in heaven.
“But then I miscarried and when I needed to talk about it, Santos always seemed to be preoccupied or working late. He didn’t comfort me. It was a terrible time for me. It wasn’t long before my friend at the bank told me about his long-term affair with another woman. I thought it was true that a man couldn’t be satisfied with one woman.
“I’d married forever, or so I’d thought. If I marry you, I want it to be forever, but what if something happens and your feelings change for me? It terrifies me to think of being married to you, then lose you. Luca—I can’t answer you right now, but I promise I’ll go home and think about it.”
“For how long?” he demanded. Just then he sounded like Dino. They were both so much alike that way. Once their minds were made up, they acted swiftly with no regrets.
“Trust me. Not long. Now I need to get to bed. Please don’t follow me. Morning will be here before we know it and we’ll be busy helping Dino learn how to take care of his new dog.”
Gabi raced out of the living room and up the stairs. She cried herself to sleep, which was the last thing she should be doing. Luca wanted to marry her. Dino had survived his operation and had been given a clean bill of health. There shouldn’t be a dark cloud in her sky. But Santos’s betrayal after losing their baby had come back to haunt her.
Morning came when Dino brought Nero to her bedroom door on a leash. His barking woke her up. She lifted her head. “Come on in!”
“He’s already minding me, Gabi!”
She was amazed that Dino acted as if he hadn’t undergone brain surgery. “That doesn’t surprise me.” He’d dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and loved his dog so much it did her heart good.
Gabi hurried in the bathroom to get dressed. Then they went downstairs to the kitchen, where Pia had fixed breakfast. Luca walked in a minute later looking rugged and gorgeous in jeans and a navy crew neck sweater. He hadn’t shaved yet, making him more attractive than ever. He hunkered down in front of Nero and scratched his head.
“Are you being a good dog?”
“He’s the best, Papà!”
“While you eat, I’ll take him outside, then we’ll settle down and work on that puzzle. Tomaso phoned a minute ago. They stayed at your grandparents’ last night. He and Maria will be over with Nonna to spend part of the day with you.�
�
“I hope they don’t stay a long time.”
Oh, Dino...
Luca darted Gabi a speaking glance, letting her know that Dino adored her and wanted her to himself forever. She got the message. There was nothing she wanted more, too.
The day turned out to be a hard one to get through when it shouldn’t have been. Luca’s family stayed all day and enjoyed playing with the dog, too. At one point, she went upstairs to get her packing done so she could leave early in the morning.
They all ate dinner in front of the fire in the living room and listened to Christmas carols. Dino and Luca stretched out on the floor and played with Nero, who stayed by them, soaking up the warmth. This was bliss, except for the fact that Gabi had to go home and make the most important decision of her life.
She finally said good-night to everyone and went upstairs with Dino to put him to bed. Luca said he’d come up later. His son asked her to read How the Grinch Stole Christmas to him after he’d said his prayers.
When she’d finished she said, “Don’t you love it when the Grinch realized Christmas didn’t come from a store? Christmas was in a person’s heart, and his grew three sizes that day.”
“Can a heart really do that?” Just as Dino asked the question, her telephone rang.
“Yes,” his father answered it from the doorway. He’d brought Nero in the crate with him.
She glanced at both of them. “Excuse me. It’s my mother. I need to get it. Buona notte, piccolino.”
After giving him a kiss on the forehead, Gabi rushed past Luca and hurried to the guest bedroom. For the first time since staying in the villa, she locked the door. It wasn’t to keep Luca out, but to keep her from giving in to temptation when she hadn’t made any decision yet.
She called her mother back and said she’d be at the house in the morning before going to work. They’d talk then.
By four o’clock she still hadn’t fallen asleep and gave up trying. After getting dressed, she reached for her suitcase and purse and left the villa for her car. This was for the best. Another prolonged goodbye would kill her.
Two and a half hours later after driving on parts of the highway with black ice, she arrived in Padova. Thank heaven her mother was an early riser. After Gabi got home, she didn’t have to wait long to hear her mother making coffee in the kitchen.
Gabi ran to her and they hugged.
“What on earth is going on?”
“You won’t believe what happened after we took Dino home from the hospital.” For the next little while she told her about the events that led up to Dino’s entry into her bedroom following his dog. “I about died when he asked if Luca and I were making a baby.”
“Oh, no!” Her mother laughed till the tears trickled out of her eyes.” Then silence filled the room for a minute. Her mother had sobered. “Tell me what’s going on with you.”
“Luca has asked me to marry him, but I’m afraid I can’t.”
“Because Santos proved to be what your father would have called poor protoplasm?”
“He was worse than that, Mamma, but even being the womanizer he was, I couldn’t keep him interested.”
“Santos married you to make himself look good, but you couldn’t have known that at the time. It didn’t take long before you found out he’d never intended to be faithful. Apparently he’d had that woman on the side for years, but she wasn’t the kind you married.”
“But what does that say about me?”
“That the moment you found out he’d been betraying you, my courageous daughter moved out that very day and filed for divorce. Do you know how many thousands, probably millions of women, would have stayed and put up with that in order to have a man take care of her? I was so proud of you, I could have burst!”
Gabi blinked. “I didn’t know you felt that way. If you only knew how terrible I felt to intrude on you when you thought I was happily married.”
“I was thrilled beyond words you had the gumption and the strength to walk away even if your heart had been ripped out and you felt humiliated. Not every woman is lucky enough to be married to the right man the first time.”
“You were.”
“Your papà was a special man. When we lost him, I know you missed him so terribly, it’s the reason Santos’s interest in you filled the void he left. But only temporarily. I’m glad you found him out so fast. The person who told you about Santos’s activities did you the greatest favor of your life.”
“I agree.”
“Gabi—I know you were very bitter in the beginning, with reason. Since the day you moved back in with me, I’ve prayed the right man would come along when the time was right. Who would have dreamed it would happen through a precious child needing an operation? I think you were guided to work for Edda.”
“That’s a beautiful story.”
“You need to believe it.”
“Last night Luca told me a lot of things about his life I never knew that aren’t beautiful. He has a dominating father who has tried to run his life.” Gabi told her about Giselle. “Luca said he wouldn’t let his father interfere with us, but nothing’s that simple.”
“I think you’re using that as an excuse.”
Gabi grabbed hold of a chair back. “Maybe I am. But what if we got married and he finds me lacking once the bloom of the marriage has worn off? There will always be women attracted to him, and some who’ll want to do something about it.”
Her mother cocked her head. “Santos did a lot more damage to you than I thought. Have you told Luca everything about your marriage?”
“Yes.”
“But he has no idea how afraid you are to trust a man again. This is where faith comes into the picture. If you helped Dino believe in a miracle to get through his operation, don’t you think you should show the same faith and trust in Luca?
“That little boy’s father molded him, and he adores you. So does his father, who needs you to help him raise that child. Do you know if he wants more children?”
She nodded. “He said he did.”
They looked at each other for a minute. “Are you going to say anything to Edda when you go to work this morning?”
“How can I? I don’t know my own mind yet.”
Her mother finished her coffee. “Don’t take too long. There’s a child and his father waiting for your answer.”
* * *
A sad-looking child stared at Luca as they sat having breakfast together. Not even getting a new dog could make a dent in what was wrong. This wasn’t the way things were supposed to go after Dino’s operation.
“How come Gabi didn’t come and say goodbye to me before she left for Padova this morning?”
Luca had to think fast. “She was worried she’d get caught in traffic if she didn’t leave early.”
“She promised she’d come back. But what if she doesn’t?”
His son had just brought up Luca’s greatest fear. “We have to give her time to get her work done.”
“I want her to help us train Nero.”
Luca took a deep breath. “She’ll be back soon.” While they were in the family room playing with the dog, Ines came in. “Your father is in the living room.”
Luca patted Dino’s shoulder. “I have to talk to your nonno for a minute. I’ll be right back.”
He walked through the house to the front room, where his father stood in front of the fire. Naturally he hadn’t come to see Dino. “Papà?”
“Good. You’re here. Now that Dino is out of the woods, I thought we’d make our announcement together.”
“What announcement? I thought you were supposed to be taking things easy.”
“I’m much better. The doctor says I can go back to work full-time now as long as you and I share the CEO job.”
That was news to
Luca, who couldn’t imagine anything worse. He didn’t have to guess why this had happened the minute the operation was over. Luca hadn’t been wrong when he’d told Gabi that his father wasn’t through running his life.
“Before you say anything, I want you to know that Giselle and her father will be having dinner with your mother and me at home this evening. I expect you to be there. Leave Dino at home with Ines. This is for business.”
More than ever he understood why Gabi had been so alarmed after having been left to deal with his father in the hospital room.
Luca fought down his anger. “You’ll have to have dinner without me. End of discussion. Please leave, Papà. You know the way out.” He stared at him until the older man left the room and slammed the front door on his way out.
CHAPTER TEN
“HERE’S THE FRIDAY bundle of letters.” Stefania passed them around the conference table at the foundation. The whole place was lit up like a Christmas tree. But Gabi had been in such a bad way since returning to Padova, she couldn’t get into the spirit of the holiday.
There’d been no word from Luca, or emails from Dino. Why would there be when she’d told Luca she wasn’t ready to give him an answer yet?
Work should be saving her life, but nothing was helping her. She started opening the letters, but for once she couldn’t concentrate. Before long the women took turns reading. When it came to Clara’s turn, she read, “My name is Dino Berettini and I’m seven years old.”
Gabi gasped out loud and almost fell out of the chair.
“I’m all better from my operation.”
She’d already told her coworkers the marvelous news on Wednesday morning when she’d reported for work. Everyone smiled and looked at Gabi.
“Now I wish Gabi would be my new mamma. I love and miss her. So does my new dog, Nero, and my papà. He still isn’t happy.”
Gabi shot to her feet. She remembered what Giustina had said about Dino. He was an angel and an imp.
The Magnate's Holiday Proposal Page 14
