The Billionaire's Borrowed Baby(14)

More words, a pronouncement and then the moment she had unconsciously been waiting for. "You may kiss the bride."

In unison, she and Luc turned. The breeze ruffled his hair. His   expression was solemn, though his eyes danced. He took Hattie's hands in   his. Time stood still.

Ten years … ten long years since she had been free to kiss him whenever she wanted.

He bent his head. His mouth brushed hers, lingered, pressed more   insistently. His tongue coaxed. His arms tightened around her as her   skirt tangled capriciously with his pant legs.

Her heart lodged in her throat, tears stung her eyes, and she moved her mouth against his.

Aeons later it seemed, a chorus of unison laughter broke them apart. Luc appeared as dazed as Hattie felt.

Suddenly, hugs and congratulations separated them, but every moment, Luc's eyes followed her.

They led their small parade back to the house. Hattie had only seen one   of the bedrooms, but now they all entered the great room on the  opposite  side of the building. The ambience was rustic but elegant.  Exposed  beams of warmly-hued wood were strung with tiny white lights.  Dozens of  blush-pink roses in crystal vases decorated every available  surface.

A single table covered in pale pink linen was set with exquisite china,   crystal and silver. When they were all seated, with Luc and Hattie at   the head, Leo stood up.

As a waiter deftly poured champagne for everyone, Leo raised his glass.   "Luc here, my baby brother, is and will always be my best friend. When   Mom and Dad drowned, out on that damned boat they loved so much, Luc  and  I were shipped off to Italy to live for three years with a  grandfather  we barely knew. The language was strange, we were a mess,  but we had  each other."

He paused, and Hattie saw the muscles in his throat work with emotion.   He moved to stand between and behind the bride and groom, laying a hand   on each of their shoulders. "To Luc and his beautiful bride. May they   always be as happy as they are today."

Applause and cheers filled the room, and moments later, the unobtrusive waitstaff began serving lunch.

Hattie knew the food was delicious. And wine flowed like water. But she couldn't taste any of it.

She was married to Luc. For some undefined period of time in order to protect the baby she had grown to love. But at what price?

When Luc put his arm around her bare shoulders, her heartbeat wobbled   and sped up. He leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Are you doing okay,   Mrs. Cavallo?" Gently, he tucked a wayward wisp of her hair into place.

She nodded mutely.

Luc laughed beneath his breath. "It might help if you quit looking like a scared rabbit."

She shrugged helplessly. "I'm in over my head," she admitted quietly. "What have we done, Luc?"

He stroked her back as he answered a cheerful question from across the   table. "Forget reality," he murmured. "Pretend we're on Fantasy Island.   Maybe this is all a dream."                       
       
           



       

Beneath the table, his hand played with hers.

The silly, childish game restored her equilibrium. Moments later their   intimate circle was broken as Deedee demanded, in a loud string of   nonsense syllables, to be recognized.

Luc chuckled as he stood to take the baby from Sherman and handed her to   Hattie. Immediately, Deedee reached for the tiara. She yanked on it   before Luc could stop her, and soon Hattie's hair was askew.

Amidst shrieks of infant temper, the tiara was rescued, the baby given   one of her toys and the two at the head table became three. Luc tickled   one chubby thigh, making Deedee chortle with laughter. He growled at  her  playfully and reached to take her in his arms.

Deedee's eyes went wide. She clung to Hattie's neck, burying her little   face. And in a soft, childish, unmistakably clear voice, she said,   "Mama."





Eight




Luc had known Hattie for a very long time. And he saw the mix of   feelings that showed so clearly on her face. Shock. Fierce pride. Joy.   Sorrow. Almost too much for one woman to bear, particularly on a day   already filled with strong emotion.

He stood and addressed the small group. "Hattie and I are going to slip   away for a few moments to spend some time with Deedee before we have to   say goodbye. We'll cut the cake when we return. In the meantime,  please  relax and enjoy the rest of your meal."

He coaxed Hattie out of her seat, witnessing the way she held the baby so tightly to her chest. A crisis was brewing.

In the bedroom where Hattie had changed clothes, his brand-new bride   faced him mutinously. "I can't leave her. It's cruel. We'll have to   change our plans."

At that moment, Deedee spotted a carry-all stuffed with her favorite   toys on the floor in a corner. She wiggled and squirmed and insisted on   being put down. Hattie did so with patent reluctance.

Luc tugged Hattie toward the bed and sat her down. "Deedee will be fine.   You know it in your heart. Aside from the fact that we need to make  our  marriage look absolutely real, you need a break, Hattie. Badly.  This  past year has been one crisis after another. You desperately need  to  rest and recharge your batteries."

Hattie looked up at him, her lips trembling, her big, brown eyes suspiciously shiny. "She called me Mama."

"She certainly did." Luc smoothed her hair where the baby had disheveled it. "And that's what you are."

Hattie bit her lip, not seeming to notice that he was touching her. "I feel guilty," she whispered.

"Why on earth would you say that?"

"I'm happy that Deedee is growing closer to me. I know that's a good   thing in the long run. But does that make me disloyal to Angela? How can   I be so thrilled that the baby called me Mama when she won't even   remember Angela, her real mother … "

Luc struggled for wisdom, though he didn't have a good track record when   it came to Hattie. "As Deedee grows older you'll show her pictures of   your sister … . And later still, you'll explain what happened, when the   time is right. Angela will live in your heart, and by your actions, in   Deedee's."

"And what about Eddie? What do I tell her about him?"

Luc ground his teeth, unused to feeling helpless in any situation. Did   he want to replace Eddie as the baby's father? The temptation was   there-he felt it. But he had no desire to be a family man, and Hattie   had made it painfully clear that his help was only needed on a temporary   basis.

He tried to swallow his frustration. "None of us knows how that   situation will work out, but I doubt seriously if Eddie has any interest   in being a father. That truth will be hurtful when she's old enough to   understand it. But if you've filled her life with love and happiness,   Deedee will get through it."

"I hope so," she said softly, her gaze pensive.

He reached out with one hand and touched her bare shoulder, resisting   the urge to stroke the satiny skin. "You look beautiful today." The   words felt like razor blades in his throat.

Finally, he regained her attention.

A pale pink blush stained her cheeks, and she lowered her head. Her long   eyelashes hid her thoughts. "Thank you. I thought this was a better   choice than a traditional wedding dress."

Something in her voice made him frown. "Do you regret missing out on a church wedding?"

She shrugged. "I thought I would. It's what many women dream about. But today was … "

"Was what?" he prompted.

She touched his hand briefly, not linking their fingers … more of a butterfly brush. "It was … meaningful."

Her answer disappointed him. He'd hoped for more enthusiasm, more   feminine effusiveness. But it hadn't escaped his notice that she'd been   careful with the wording of the ceremony. He'd left that portion of the   day in her capable hands. The printed order of service she'd handed  over  on the plane had notably omitted any reference to "till death do  us  part" or even the more modern "as long as we both shall live."                       
       
           



       

He turned his attention toward the baby, trying not to notice the way   Hattie's rounded brea**sts filled the bodice of her gown. She hadn't   worn the pearl necklace today, and the omission hurt him, though he'd   chew glass before he'd admit it. The only reason he cared was because it   was an outward symbol of the fact that she belonged to him. She relied   on him. She needed him. No other reason.