"Did you help with caring for your siblings?"
He nodded. "Have I surprised you with my ability to handle an infant without completely melting down?"
Claire twisted her lips into a guilty smile. "Yes. I'm ashamed to admit it."
"In addition to my siblings, I have a dozen nieces and nephews that I see from time to time. I have cared for my fair share of children of all ages. Eva is in good hands, I assure you."
"Why didn't you say that at your lawyer's office?" That would've significantly reduced her stress level over this decision. She still didn't want him taking Eva without her permission, but knowing she wasn't the first baby he'd held made a difference.
Luca shrugged. "You made incorrect assumptions about me and I let you. Now that we're here-as you mentioned a moment ago-we can get to know each other as we are, not as others perceive us to be. You'll find most of your concerns are unfounded." He slid four perfectly golden pancakes onto a plate and added a few crispy pieces of bacon on the side. He placed the plate in front of Claire.
"That's a ton of food!" she exclaimed as she eyed the plate-sized pancakes.
"Well, that's the only problem I have in the kitchen. I don't know how to cook for two people. I cook for an army or not at all."
Claire couldn't even imagine having that much family. She had almost none. Jeff's family had been her own for many years and now... Eva was really all she had. She scooped the baby off her knee and put her into her high chair so she could eat. After she snapped on the tray, Luca put a handful of Cheerios out for her to pick up and nibble on while they had breakfast.
"What about you?" Luca asked as he made his own plate. "What is your family like?"
Claire frowned into her coffee mug. "Nothing like yours," she said. "I'm an only child. My parents were only children, as well. I didn't really grow up around our extended family. My father traveled with his job, so it was really just the three of us my whole life."
"And now?"
It seemed like a simple question, and yet it wasn't. Claire had family, and yet she didn't. It was a strange limbo to be in. "And now, it's really just Eva and me. My father had a heart attack and died when I was in college. My mother remarried, and since I was grown and gone, her life became more about her new husband. I don't see or talk to her very often because she lives in San Francisco now. I married Jeff not long after she moved, so I didn't notice the absence. His family was really good about including me for gatherings and holidays even before we got married. They were my family for many years, but now I've lost all that."
Luca settled beside her at the counter with his plate and coffee. "You mean they haven't included you since your husband died?"
Claire shrugged. "It's not that simple. His death was hard on us all. And the circumstances made it that much more awkward for everyone. I don't think they know what to say to me."
Luca looked at her with concern in his dark eyes. "May I ask what those circumstances were?"
She took a moment to butter her pancakes and pour maple syrup over the top. Claire had told this story enough times now that it shouldn't bother her anymore, but it did. The truth never got easier to take. "My husband died in a car accident with his mistress. He told me he had to go out of town on a business trip, but he was really with her. I would never have even known the truth, but they went off the road and hit a tree, killing them both. The police seemed to think she was...distracting him, somehow. I didn't have the heart to ask them why they thought that.
"I was five months pregnant at the time, after years of trying to have a baby," she continued. "It's hard to lose someone you love and yet be angry at him at the same time. There's so many emotions tied up in Jeff's death for me and for everyone else. I just don't think his family knew how to face me after that. Whenever they came to see Eva, his death hung over our heads like a dark cloud. And now they don't have to face it anymore. I haven't heard from his parents since I told them about the clinic mix-up. Apparently both Eva and I are disposable since we're no longer their blood relatives."
Spitting out the last of it, Claire shoveled a large bite of pancake into her mouth. There was something about admitting her pathetic story to Luca that made it worse than telling anyone else. She didn't want him to see her for the lonely, pitiful woman she felt like when she told her sad, sordid tale.
"That means it's just you and Eva now."
It was a statement, not a question, but Claire nodded as she chewed nonetheless. It was true. Eva was everything she had, which was why she'd fought so fiercely not to lose her daughter to a mysterious father. "Someday, I hope to have another chance at marriage and maybe another child if it's at all possible. But if that never happens, I'm thankful that I have Daisy, Eva's nanny. She's like family to me."
Luca's brow went up. "A nanny? After all the grief you gave me about handing Eva off to someone, you have a nanny?"
"It's not the same," Claire argued. "I didn't want Eva handed off and ignored. Daisy just watches Eva while I'm at the museum. When I get home, Daisy leaves and it's just the two of us. She gets one-on-one attention and care, and I thought that was better than putting her in day care while she's still so small. I plan to send her to a good preschool when she's older. I've already submitted a few applications."
"Where did you find this Daisy?" he asked. "Did you do the proper checks into her background to ensure she's trustworthy before you brought her into your home? Did you get several references from other clients?"
Claire sighed. "Yes. I did all that. She came highly recommended, and I haven't had a bit of trouble with her. She's been a godsend over the past few months."
Luca chuckled low and popped a bit of bacon into his mouth. "I know you did all that and more, I'm sure. I was just giving you a hard time, tesorina. It is only fair, don't you agree?"
She had given him a lot of grief, she knew that. Claire looked over at Eva as she studiously tried to capture a piece of cereal between her chubby fingers. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep her happy and safe, Luca. Do you blame me?" she asked.
Luca's gaze drifted from the baby back to Claire. There was a fierce fire of protectiveness there as he shook his head. "I do not."
In that moment, it was easy for Claire to believe that Luca would do anything for his young daughter, even after just a few short hours together. He seemed so deeply affected by his child it made her wonder why he hadn't married and started a family of his own by now. He was obviously comfortable with children and took to Eva immediately. Had running the family business really taken up that much of his time that he hadn't found someone to settle down with?
Or was there something he wasn't telling her?
* * *
"What's this?"
Luca looked up from making dinner in time to see Claire standing at the entrance to the kitchen. She was holding up the draft custody agreement his lawyer had given him. He'd left it on the coffee table so they could discuss it. "That's a love note from Edmund. It's the custody proposal we sent to Stuart a few weeks ago. I wasn't entirely sure if you'd read it, so he wanted to make sure we had something to redline while we're here."
A guilty expression wrinkled Claire's nose as she winced. "I didn't read it," she admitted.
Luca wasn't surprised. The woman who sat across from him at his lawyer's office hadn't been interested in his offer. Judging by the expression on her face, not much had changed. He poured dressing onto the bowl of salad for dinner and started gently tossing it. "Would you like to discuss it now?"
Claire eyed the folder and then set it on the kitchen island. "No, not really."
"May I ask why?"
With a sigh, she leaned against the counter. "Because I'm in a good mood. I'm enjoying this trip and I'm not ready to ruin it with our heated arguments. Besides, at this point, my position hasn't changed. You're still a stranger. A stranger who's good with kids, but not one I'm ready to hand over my daughter to."
"Our daughter," Luca corrected. She always said "my daughter." Claire seemed to have some kind of mental block where their daughter's paternity was concerned.
Claire ignored him. "My point is that I'm not ready yet, so there's no point in talking about it. I will read it," she added. "So when the time comes, I'll be well informed on your demands."