Proof of Their Sin(40)
Within moments Paolo’s wealth and name had been trumped by the mysterious quilting of intergenerational female relationships. Their hostess rushed to phone for refreshments while designers emerged from back rooms to coo over their special visitor.
Paolo left Lauren in their capable hands, spending a quiet hour at his office where half the staff had stolen away to Christmas shop. When he returned, he found Lauren so happy he stood arrested for a long moment.
She’d completed her transformation from widowed wife to a confident woman of means. Her yellow-brown eyes were sparkling, set off by a green-and-gold scarf knotted around her slender neck. Her smart tunic dress was straight enough, and loose enough, to disguise that her waist was thickening and she distracted from that area with a pair of chic, four-inch heels.
He realized that it hadn’t been hair weighing down her personality all these years. It had been lack of joie de vivre. Here was her true spirit in all its glory, and she stopped his breath.
Mine, he thought, but restrained himself from a possessive kiss. Everyone was now calling her “Signora Bradley.” The cat had a claw out of the bag.
He made arrangements for delivery of her purchases to the house on Lake Como, subtly signaled that Lauren’s credit card receipt should be torn up and the balance put on his account as he had originally requested, then waited until they were alone in the car to ask, “Did you tell them you’re pregnant?”
“Of course not!” Lauren angled toward Paolo, aware of his gaze flickering to her bare knees. A pleasurable warmth swished through her, making her feel beautiful and confident, something that had been wavering since meeting him again in New York. This visit with women who had subtly reminded her of all the qualities her grandmother had possessed had reinvigorated her toward believing she could get there, too.
With a brush of her wispy bangs to the side, she said, “They kept remarking on my weight though. I finally explained I’d been sick earlier in the year and lost a lot and when I made a point of gaining it back, I went overboard.”
“What is it with women? You’re healthy,” he protested. “But were you genuinely sick? I remember thinking you were too thin when I saw you in Charleston.”
“Depressed. After losing Mamie I didn’t have to make regular meals anymore. I thought Ryan would ask me to jump on a plane any day, so I kept the groceries low. Then I got that woman’s email and the fighting started. My stomach was in knots.”
Paolo’s heart jerked. He took his foot off the accelerator and drew a subtle breath, focusing on keeping both of them alive in heavy traffic as he absorbed how rough a time Lauren had been through.
It bothered him that he’d known nothing about her anguish, but why should he have? His coping strategy had been to avoid her and he had. He was nevertheless deeply disturbed by the fact that she had needed her husband and Ryan hadn’t responded.#p#分页标题#e#
“I’m sorry you lost her, Lauren. I don’t think I’ve said that and it’s always been apparent to me what she meant to you.” He reached across and squeezed her hand, the sexual tension there but subdued. He was utterly sincere in his condolences.
Lauren squeezed back, but released him right away and he thought it was to keep her emotions under control. Her voice was thick as she said, “Losing her was really hard. She was always the one to pick me up when my stepfather’s kids knocked me down.”
“Physically? They hurt you?” His protective instincts gathered.
“Emotionally. My father died when I was six. Mom never worked outside the home so when the insurance money ran out she needed a husband to support her. Gerald worked in the oil patch and had three kids. He was away a lot and I guess he thought Mom filled the void. If they love each other, I’ve never seen it. His kids hated us being in their home and tortured us when Gerald wasn’t there, calling me praying mantis and stealing my things. They were awful. My only relief was visiting Mamie, but Mom limited my time with her, afraid she’d poison me with self-assurance I guess. Although, Mamie could be a brat,” Lauren confided with a grin of appreciation. “She spoiled me, sending me the latest gadgets and designer clothes. It’s no wonder Gerald’s kids hated me. They must have been jealous.”
“I like her style,” Paolo said with affection for a woman he’d only met once, but whose fragile, yet elegant beauty had left an impression.
“She liked yours,” Lauren countered with a smirk. “Every time I came home from Charleston she’d ask, ‘Did you see that sexy Italian from your wedding?’”