‘Four years ago I should have listened to my heart, which insisted that you loved me,’ he said deeply. ‘Instead, I was swayed by the ugly voice inside my head which taunted that if my own mother had not loved me, why should you. Full of bitterness, I remained in Sicily and concentrated on the only thing I seemed to be good at, which was brokering business deals and making money.’
His eyes grew bleak. ‘If I had not been in London on a business trip and you had not come to the Hotel Royale, I would never have known about my son. I don’t blame you for hiding him from me and I understand why you did. I had shut you out and never shared my emotions with you, and you were scared I would hurt Nico like I had hurt you.’
No one could accuse Sergio of not sharing his emotions now, Kristen thought. Her heart ached as she stared at his haggard face. But she still could not quite believe what her heart was telling her. She had hoped for so long, but maybe her mind was playing tricks.
‘After we had slept together at the hotel you only looked for me because you wanted me to make a statement to the press and deny the story they had published about us,’ she reminded him.
‘That’s wasn’t the only reason.’ Sergio held her gaze. ‘I wanted to see you again. The truth is I couldn’t stay away from you, Krissie. But I admit that at that point I only hoped to persuade you to resume our affair. I didn’t know...I didn’t realize...’ He hesitated, and in the silence Kristen was sure he must be able to hear the frantic thud of her heart.
‘What didn’t you realise?’ she whispered.
‘That I love you.’
Her heart stood still, but she was afraid to believe him. ‘You were angry that I had hidden Nico from you.’
‘At first, but I soon understood why you had decided to bring him up on your own. I had failed you when you had the miscarriage and let you think I did not want the baby we had lost. It wasn’t surprising that you believed I would not want Nico. I was a coward then...and I am still acting like a coward now,’ Sergio muttered.
‘What do you mean?’
Instead of replying, he strode across the room and opened the drawer in his bedside table. ‘I have something that I want to give you, something that might explain my feelings better than I seem to be doing with words.’ He walked back to her, holding a small square box, and Kristen caught her breath when he opened the lid and revealed an exquisite oval sapphire surrounded by glittering diamonds.
‘I...I don’t understand.’ The ring was clearly an engagement ring, but she didn’t dare accept what her head and the expression in Sergio’s eyes were telling her.
‘It’s very simple,’ he said softly. ‘I love you, Kristen. Four years ago I refused to admit that I felt anything for you and told myself I only wanted you as my mistress. But I never forgot you, and when I saw you at the Hotel Royale I knew I wanted you back in my life. But then I met Nico, and all my doubts returned. I reasoned that you would not have kept my son from me if you had cared for me.’
‘I did care for you,’ Kristen broke in, her voice cracking as a tear slid down her cheek. ‘I loved you with all my heart. Last night I wanted to tell you...’ Seeing him frown at her use of the past tense, she flung her arms around him and held him as though she would never ever let go. ‘I wanted to tell you that I still love you and I never stopped. But I lost my nerve, and then...you were so cold.’
‘Krissie...tesoro,’ Sergio groaned. ‘I was disappointed that you had only agreed to marry me because you wanted a brother or sister for Nico.’