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In the car, she fought back tears, especially when she caught Cesare’s bleak stare.
‘How are your parents?’
His haunted gaze connected with hers. ‘They didn’t know and they’ll need time to process it. I’ve arranged for the specialist to speak to them and I plan to speak to them myself in a few days.’
She nodded and glanced at Annabelle, then blinked back more tears as emotion welled up.
‘Mummy! You’re not listening.’
‘Yes, I am, sweetie. You’re telling me how tall the giraffes were.’
‘No, I said the leopard had millions and millions of spots.’
‘Oh yes, of course, the leopard...’ Her gaze caught Cesare’s and her heart tripped at the sheen of tears in his eyes. Pushing aside her own pain, she grasped his hand and felt it tighten around hers.
Her life might have fallen down a rabbit hole, but her reason for living—her daughter—was also Cesare’s reason for living. She had no doubt about that now.
They got to Lake Como by mid-afternoon. Although she protested long and hard, Annabelle eventually went down for a nap after a quick swim with Cesare.
Ava immersed herself in the last preparations for the wedding. She chose three of her best cameras, then, after a short contemplation, added the newest camera.
She reached for it and, almost on automatic, clicked onto the pictures of Cesare she’d taken that morning. Pain tightened in her chest as she read the meaning behind his anguish. Without warning, the tears she’d held at bay prickled her eyes. The faster she dashed the tears away, the quicker they fell.
‘Ava?’
She stiffened. ‘Not now, Cesare. I’m going to need a bit more time to deal with this.’
He came closer. Of course he did. ‘You’re crying.’ His observation sounded hugely pained.
‘I suppose you’re going to order me to stop.’
‘I learned a long time ago that I can’t order you to do anything, cara. But I would like you to tell me why you’re crying.’
‘So you can add it to the list of things to protect me from?’
‘So we can work through it.’
A bitter laugh scratched her throat. ‘Do the words too little too late mean anything to you?’
He sat down next to her and every cell in her body reacted to his heat and proximity.
‘We haven’t reached there yet.’ Without warning, he reached out and took the camera from her. Tense silence permeated the living room as he clicked through the pictures. When he’d finished, he turned off the camera and placed it on the large antique table where she’d been working. ‘If those pictures moved you to tears, then we’re not as irredeemable as you make out.’
Her lips firmed. ‘Maybe they were cathartic tears, the I’m-moving-on type.’
He reached out and pulled her close, one hand capturing her nape to hold her steady. Tilting her chin with his thumb, he looked deep into her eyes. ‘You’re hurting for me, for us. And, as much as I would like to take your pain away, I’m learning that it’s your pain; you have to deal with it. I don’t like to see you cry, of course, but don’t tell me to walk away when you’re hurting.’
She tried to swallow past the huge lump lodged in her throat. ‘Stop it, Cesare.’
‘Stop what?’
‘Stop teasing me with the promise of the man I thought I married. I can’t take it.’
A grim smile curved his lips. ‘We’ll get through this, cara.’
Tears surged again. ‘I really don’t see how.’
‘We agreed on a truce on your first day back. I know the past few days have rocked that a little.’
She gave another laugh. ‘That’s the understatement of the millennia.’
He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Heat surged through her, desire drenching her in a heady rush. When he pulled away, she nearly moaned in protest. ‘It’s strong enough to hold for a little while longer, at least until after the Marinello wedding on Saturday. We’ll get away from here, go to the vineyard in Tuscany for a few days, yes?’
The promise of a reprieve, of not having to make a decision one way or the other about the state of her marriage, was one she welcomed, despite the full knowledge that it was only temporary. At Cesare’s insistent look, she nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Bene. I’ve told Lucia to serve dinner early. She’s making your favourite—fettucine ai funghi. I’m hoping this time we’ll make it past the seeing-but-not-eating stage.’
