His Unexpected Legacy(49)
‘And you have,’ Sergio assured her. ‘I’m glad you came to me for help, and I’m glad that you are both here at Casa Camelia.’
‘You didn’t leave me much choice after you brought Nico here without my consent.’ Kristen shot him a sharp look. ‘As soon as he is better I want to take him home.’
‘This is his home.’ He met her gaze levelly and although he spoke quietly Kristen heard the implacable determination in his voice, which filled her with despair.
‘You saw tonight how much he needs me,’ she said urgently.
‘I agree. But our son deserves to grow up with his father as well as his mother.’
For most of his childhood, after his mother had taken him to America, Sergio had longed to be with his father. But for ten years he’d had no contact with Tito and when they had finally met again it had been too late to establish the bond that should exist between a father and his son. A bond that Sergio was determined to forge with his own son.
Somehow he needed to convince Kristen that Nico would benefit from growing up with his father. But she mistrusted him, and he was beginning to understand how deeply she had been affected by the way he had responded when she had miscarried Nico’s twin. He had tried to reassure her that the miscarriage had in no way been her fault, but she had misunderstood his words and thought that he had not wanted their child. It was little wonder that she had kept Nico a secret, Sergio thought grimly. She was a fantastic mother, but it was obvious that she had been struggling to bring Nico up on her own, and the truth was the little boy needed both his parents.
Fear cramped in Kristen’s stomach. ‘So you still intend to fight for custody of him?’
‘I hope we can come to an arrangement by which we can both be involved in Nico’s upbringing. You told me you wanted to take a break from work to spend time with him,’ Sergio reminded her. ‘What I am suggesting is that you and Nico stay here at Casa Camelia for a few weeks while we discuss his future.’
‘And if I don’t want to stay?’
His eyes met hers, and for a split second Kristen thought she saw a plea for understanding in his gaze. But she heard the determination in his voice when he said, ‘You are not a prisoner, cara. You can leave whenever you like—but Nico will remain here with me.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE WARM, SCENTED bath water was having a soporific effect on Kristen. Her eyelids felt as though they were weighted down and she was having trouble keeping them open. Would Sergio find it convenient if she drowned in his bath? she wondered. It would mean he would gain custody of Nico without a court battle.
The thought of Nico being motherless made her haul herself upright. She would fight to her last breath to stay with him, but there was no escaping the fact that Sergio had the upper hand now that he had brought Nico to Sicily. He had told her she was not his prisoner, but she was trapped at Casa Camelia by her love for her son.
She was too tired to think any more. When Sergio had offered to run her a bath she had agreed without argument, especially when he had remarked in an amused voice that she didn’t smell too good after Nico had been sick on her. At least her hair was now clean and rather more fragrant, and when she stepped out of the bath she discovered that Sergio had left one of his shirts for her to wear.
After blasting her hair with a drier, she emerged from the en suite bathroom and was relieved to find he was not in his bedroom. On her way out of the room she noticed a photograph of a beautiful raven-haired woman on the desk, and her heart gave a lurch when she recognised it was the woman she had seen four years ago in a magazine— Sergio’s first wife, who he had loved but was now dead. She studied the photo. For so long she had felt jealous of the woman Sergio had married, but now she felt sad for her. She must have been tragically young when she had died. Her mind reeling with confused thoughts, Kristen walked through the connecting door into the adjoining bedroom where Nico was sleeping soundly.