Consequence of His Revenge(29)

“Oh, I did. Very deeply.” Bernadetta smiled at Cami’s reaction, then a wistfulness passed over her expression as she looked back at the photo. “But it took some time. Ours was a marriage of convenience. It was a work-around for some red tape he was trying to avoid. I wanted out from under my father’s thumb—he was a lovely man, but very strict. I somehow thought I’d have better chances with Leo. Dante takes after him in temperament, too.”

“Oh. Poor you,” she teased.

“Yes. They’re a dominant force, the Gallo men.” She looked at Cami as though she could see right through her. “And they don’t love easily, but when they do give their heart, it is forever.”

Cami was trying really hard not to wish for something so impossible. Nevertheless, yearning colored her voice when she asked, “What about you? Did it take a long time?”

“I resisted as long as I could. I wasn’t even planning to sleep with him, expecting to save myself for my ‘real’ husband. That didn’t last a day.” Bernadetta gave her a wink. “He was very persuasive.”

Cami couldn’t help laughing. It was too astonishing for this old woman to be making jokes about sex.

“If I hadn’t had a stubborn streak of my own, those first years might have been easier, but I needed some backbone to stand up to him. We found our way, though. So will you and Dante.”

Cami’s pulse skipped. Her first thought was that somehow Bernadetta had heard them in the vineyard last night, which was deathly mortifying.

“You didn’t drink any of our excellent wine last night,” the old woman said, her gaze sliding from her young husband to offer a soft look up at Cami. “If you think photos of you with Dante at the Tabor gala failed to catch my attention, you underestimate my desire to follow the antics of my very active family. My boys may have a few secrets from me, but I don’t make it easy for them to keep them.”

“I...” Cami’s voice dwindled to a congestion she had to clear from her throat. “I don’t want you to think I planned any of this.” She liked Bernadetta. A lot. She didn’t know how she would handle it if what seemed like her only ally turned her back on her. “It’s... I’m still in shock.” She wrung her hands.

“Oh, my dear, no one takes advantage of Dante. The only reason Arturo was able to was because he was that close to him all his life.” Grief washed over her face as she mentioned her other grandson. “In fact, I fear Dante could be destroyed by what has occurred between them. The only thing that could save him is your forgiveness.”

“Please don’t put that on me, Bernadetta.”

“If you reject him, if you deny him a place in his child’s life, he will blame himself and sink into even more cynicism than he already possesses. I understand these last years better now, that it was more than Leo’s passing and Dante’s having to take up the mantle that made him so hard. But that’s also how I know he’s in danger of letting bitterness destroy him. It could close him off to me and everyone else who cares about him. The only thing that could counter that is love.”

“No pressure,” Cami muttered, tucking her hair off her face with a slide of her finger. “He doesn’t love me.” It was so painful, it came out as a whisper.

“Not yet, but there is only one way to keep a man that strong, strong. By giving him a weakness who is equally strong. I’m speaking from experience.”

“I’m not you, Bernadetta.”

“No, you’re far braver than I ever was. Do you think I tried to break land speed records down an icy slope? Pshhh.”

“Here you are,” Dante said, coming into the lounge. “We should leave soon.” He was taking her to the first meeting with investigators today.

Bernadetta grasped Cami’s hand and beamed a smile at him. “You’ve made me the happiest woman, Dante. I don’t know how I could get through all that we face without something as wonderful as a wedding and grandchildren to look forward to.”

Cami choked.

Dante shot her a look, but it was the flinty one he’d sent her when Bernadetta offered to send them skiing. Let her have this.

He leaned to kiss his grandmother’s cheek, saying, “I’m glad you’re pleased.”

“She guessed and I didn’t know what to say,” Cami grumbled when they were in the car a few minutes later. “I’m sorry.”

“Why?” he said dryly. “Now we can sleep together.”

“You—” She rolled her eyes. “You’re really not angry?”

“I told you last night I wanted to marry you. You came around a lot sooner than I expected. Grazij, Noni.”

“I still think it’s a terrible idea.”

And yet, as the days passed, he made it easy for her to think otherwise. Despite how difficult their meetings were, or how short his temper became in some of them, he was extremely protective and solicitous toward her. Between the appointments, he showed her his island home, spoiled her with impulsive purchases and pestered her to eat properly and mind her leg and wear sunscreen. They were back to their camaraderie in Whistler, but without the clock ticking down. It was poignantly sweet, building up her hopes.

At night—oh, the nights. Could she spend the rest of her life joining her naked body to his every single night? There, at least, she had no doubts.

In fact, as the days wore into high summer, and her new doctor confirmed her pregnancy was coming along with textbook perfection, and her brother’s flight was booked so he could give her away at her wedding, she almost began to believe they had a chance.

She almost believed that someday, somehow, Dante might come to love her as she had come to love him.

Was she fooling herself all over again? Doubts crept in when she was alone like this, flicking through wedding dress images on the terrace. She lifted her gaze from the tablet to the idyllic view toward Mount Etna, astonished to find herself in the middle of a fairy tale.

She had learned the hard way not to believe in them, so how was she here, living one? How long could it really last?

Desperate for reassurance, she went looking for her intended. He had a lot of pressures on him right now, but no matter how busy he was with work or anything else, he always looked pleased to see her. Sometimes he took a break for coffee with her, occasionally a flirty kiss turned into a sexy tussle on top of his desk. If nothing else, his physical infatuation with her kept her heartened for their future.

Today, however, he had someone with him. She paused beyond the cracked door, not wanting to interrupt, then freezing to the floor when she heard her name.

* * *

If one of his more passionate relatives had confronted him, Dante might have taken it less seriously, but his uncle Giorgio was a tax auditor, one of the steadiest, most analytical and logical men Dante knew. He was also a neutral party, being married to Noni’s fourth daughter and never having shown favorites among his many nieces and nephews. He’d always been the ultimate egalitarian mediator, in fact.

“Arturo’s behavior aside, her pregnancy is awfully convenient.”

“You’re a bit late for ‘the talk,’ zu.”

“Have you had a paternity test? This wedding is very rushed. It’s not like you to be so impulsive, Dante.”

He was aware. When he had gone to Canada, he’d been driven by a need to provide restitution for Arturo’s crime against Cami and her family. Yes, he could admit that deep down he had longed to see her again, but given the circumstances, he hadn’t expected her to get on a plane with him, let alone into his bed. Her pregnancy had been a convenience for him, allowing him to pull her back into the intimate relationship he wanted.

Needed.

Damn, that scared him.

“You don’t even know for certain that the baby is yours. We already have a lot to lose. Insist on a paternity test before you marry her and wait until Arturo’s guilt is proved in court. You aren’t responsible for his actions or anyone else’s, but you are responsible for your own. Do your due diligence. Be certain this time that you’re not just seeing what you want to see.”

That stung because it was true. He had never once suspected Arturo’s involvement because it was too great a betrayal to consider. He had let himself see Stephen as the thief instead.

“Keep your eyes open,” Giorgio continued. “Even if the baby is yours, you have to question her motives. She was in a tight spot with you. It’s not as if this is a love child.”

Dante burned under that remark, trying to shutter himself to such a possibility because the idea of being in love meant being even more vulnerable to her than he already was.

“Point taken,” he acknowledged, only wanting his uncle to leave before he betrayed himself further. “I’ll give it more thought.”

Once he was gone, Dante stood at the window, only realizing as her lounger stayed empty that he was waiting to see Cami come back to it. He was entirely too susceptible to her. Too dependent.

But the piece of the puzzle that his uncle didn’t have, Dante realized, was that Cami had never lied to him. He had begun their association with condemnation of her and her family, yet she had proved herself again and again as truthful and trustworthy.