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Mattia crossed purposefully to his desk but didn’t sit, instead staring down at her. At them.
Too late, Elene realised she should’ve remained on her feet. Down here, she was at a disadvantage. No change then. But, for a moment, under that unnerving gaze locked on her, she’d forgotten how to fight her corner.
Two words cracked across the silence. ‘So? Danielle?’
No easy way to say this. ‘Died. Cancer.’ Two months down the track, it hurt like yesterday. The pain was a rock behind her heart. She missed her friend so much. There was anger at Danielle being taken so young, when she had so much to look forward to and a daughter who needed her and who’d barely got to know her mother.
A breath hissed over Mattia’s lips. ‘That I did not expect.’
‘Who would?’ Danielle had been thirty-four, fit, supposedly healthy, with everything ahead of her.
His fingers raked his dark hair. ‘Can I ask what type?’
‘Cervical. It was rapid.’ And brutal. A familiar nausea soured her mouth. Caring for her best friend in those last months had been the hardest thing she’d ever done.
Aimee squawked.
Grateful for the interruption, Elene lightened her grip and kissed Aimee’s cheek. ‘Sorry, darling.’ When she looked up there was no avoiding that dark, inscrutable gaze fixed on them. She had to get this over with. ‘The cancer was discovered before Aimee was born.’
One abrupt nod. ‘So the child is Danielle’s?’
You’ve already figured that out. ‘Aimee. Her name is Aimee.’ Elene leapt up and strode across to stand right in front of him. ‘Get it?’
She had to give him credit. He didn’t back away or make a dash for the door. ‘Yes, I get it.’
That stole her thunder. Did he really understand what she’d been saying without putting it into words? Probably not. Why would he? It wasn’t as though Danielle had rung and told him the instant she’d found out. She hadn’t told him at all. But there’d been that moment of recognition in Mattia’s eyes. Could be she’d misinterpreted it.
Returning to the chair, Elene sat down and tried to relax. Getting angry or upset wasn’t going to achieve a thing, and she hadn’t been kicked out—yet. ‘Aimee’s nearly one, was born on the third of May last year.’
‘Taurus.’
‘What?’ This man with a scientific mind knew his star signs? She’d thought she was beyond being surprised.
‘The bull. Deliberate in actions, methodical. Likes luxury.’
Surprise got the better of her. ‘You know this how?’
‘I too am Taurus. You’ve got your hands full with this one.’
‘We have.’ I want Aimee full-time, but I can’t deny your role.
‘Now we’re getting to the crux of your visit.’ Mattia parked his honed butt on the corner of his desk. ‘Tell me exactly why you’re here.’
* * *
Truthfully? Mattia did not want to know. He really, really didn’t. Sure, he’d made a summation of the situation, but to hear Elene confirm it would mean there’d be no way out. No going back to the life he’d had up until ten minutes ago. At this moment, there was still hope.
So Mattia focused on Elene instead. The instant he’d seen her standing in his reception area, that long auburn hair all askew, escaping the band meant to keep it in place, the slump in her small shoulders, the curve of her hips against the light fabric of her baggy trousers, he’d felt something he shouldn’t have. A wave of lust. For Elene? Couldn’t be, when they’d kept each other at arm’s length, especially after the night he’d come within a whisker of kissing her. Yet the tightening in his crotch was definitely the sensation that went with sexual need. The woman who’d done nothing but annoy the hell out of him had found another way to vex him.
Danielle Hicks had always laughed at how he got so uptight around her friend, said he should get to know Elene properly because she was the best. Sadness engulfed him. Danielle. No one deserved her fate. She’d been such a vibrant woman, bigger than life, fun with a capital F. Being a doctor, he knew there were no boundaries when it came to life dishing out bad calls, but that didn’t mean he had to like them. ‘I’m sorry about Danielle,’ he told Elene with all sincerity. She must’ve been devastated, still would be.
‘Thank you.’ Sì, definitely a wealth of pain and passion in those two simple words.
Mattia found his eyes tracking to the child now starting to grizzle.
Instantly Elene was cuddling and kissing her, before placing her on the floor to crawl. ‘There you go, sweetheart. Freedom at last. All that flying’s over. For now.’
Mattia ignored the ‘for now’. ‘You came straight through?’ That’d be some haul for anyone, let alone a toddler.
‘Yes. It might’ve been better to stop overnight in Hong Kong, but I thought I’d get here, then relax. A prolonged stop mightn’t have worked for Aimee. Then again, I could be wrong.’
The child sank onto her butt and stared around the room, finally bringing dark eyes to rest on him. His eyes. Mattia fought the stab of wonder hitting his belly. But she was his. No denying the toddler came from his gene pool. There were photos on his desk showing almost identical faces—only those belonged to his niece and nephew. Cute like Aimee. Some time in the few weeks he’d dated Danielle he’d created a child. His hands clenched against his hips. He was a babbo. Like it or not.
That he could accept—well, he would after time to think about it and absorb the truth of the matter. He wasn’t going to admit as much to Elene though. Not yet. Not until he learned what was behind this visit. It wouldn’t be straightforward—meet your child and get to know her.
Elene’s sudden appearance without warning was a worry in itself. Back in Wellington, her snippy remarks about his womanising had rankled. She’d also pushed the guilt button for that hot moment with her when he was in the midst of a fling with her friend. In defence, he’d always been honest with women about what he required from a relationship and if they couldn’t agree he moved on fast. Elene had never accepted that Danielle was happy to go along with the rules. Elene was a warrior when it came to protecting her friend. So it stood to reason she’d be the same with her friend’s daughter. My daughter. No. Don’t accept it so readily. There had to be proof and legalities and a whole load of other things to consider first. His stomach clenched so tight it hurt. Because he already knew half the score. Aimee was his. He’d never walk away from her, no matter what.
He demanded of Elene, ‘Why are you here?’ To ask for money? To hand over Aimee and leave, free of obligations? No, even with his high level of distrust he knew she wouldn’t do that. Or would she? Raising a child would interfere with her career, and he’d seen how serious she took nursing. Couldn’t fault her there. He could use her talents here, with the ridiculous lack of suitable nurses at the moment.
‘We don’t have anywhere to stay.’ She’d gone for the immediate situation, not the bigger one. ‘I’m hoping you can look past our previous disagreements to help me out.’
Sì, sh
e could still push his buttons. If he wasn’t careful he could find himself enjoying that. Mattia studied the pale face in front of him. Shadows stained her cheeks, her mouth drooped, as did her whole body, really. She was shattered, and who wouldn’t be after those long flights getting here from New Zealand? Throw a baby into the mix and it was a wonder she was conscious.
‘Believe me, the last thing I’m feeling like is arguing.’ Nor was he mentioning the unexpected heat lancing him internally from seeing her again. She was a breath of fresh, though angry, air.
‘I’m sorry for turning up like this. I’d hoped for a night to recuperate,’ she acquiesced, worrying him more than almost anything else she could’ve done.
‘You came here directly from the airport?’
‘Via the hotel that double-booked my room.’
Blink, blink.
Don’t cry. You are a tough, snippy woman—you don’t do tears.
Then her words swiped his brain. Elene meant it when she said she didn’t have anywhere to stay. Got it wrong about what would worry him the most, hadn’t he? She’d just handed him a grenade. Offering her a place to stay for a few days would mean seeing his daughter every day—bringing home the truth: bang, bang, bang. Having to spend endless hours in Elene’s company was another problem that’d be equally difficult to handle. He breathed deep. Tossing her out on the street wasn’t an option. His house was enormous; this mightn’t be as difficult as he envisioned. Besides, it was said, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. At the moment Elene fell into the latter category. ‘I believe you have a nappy to change.’ He’d overheard her conversation with Sonia.
Her head dropped, rose, in a slow nodding gesture. ‘I do.’
He took charge. ‘I have a patient to check on. It won’t take long, then we’ll head home. Unless you want me to change the nappy first.’ It wasn’t as though he didn’t know how.
She stared at him like there was no strength left in any part of her small frame. As if he’d offered her a gift she was waiting for him to snatch back. Finally she muttered, ‘I’ll do the nappy.’
