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“Who says I don’t want to have a baby?” He stares at me for a moment, and I see that he thinks it’s because I chose to have an abortion. “I don’t have to justify my decision to you, but the timing wasn’t right,” I mutter defensively.
“Because of your amazing career?” he asks sarcastically.
“You’re being an arse,” I snap and snatch my towel from the bed. “For your information, Hulk told me he didn’t want kids, and I didn’t want to do it alone, so yeah, I chose to abort the baby. It was for the best. No kid wants to grow up with parents who hate each other.”
“It didn’t look much like hate from where I was standing last night when you kissed him.”
I growl in frustration. “He kissed me, and for the first time ever, I felt nothing!” I stomp out the room, kicking myself for blurting out that piece of information.
I find Ella by the pool opening another bottle of something fizzy and alcoholic. I smile when she hands me a glass, and I drink it down in one go. “Thirsty?” she asks.
“Pissed at your brother.”
“Aren’t you guys supposed to be acting as the perfect couple this weekend?”
“That’ll be pretty hard when he keeps opening that stupid mouth of his,” I grumble. “He doesn’t know how to be nice.”
“I like you, Piper. I think you’re going to be good for Anton,” she adds with a wide smile, which makes me smile too.
We spend a couple hours by the pool enjoying the sun’s warm rays and chatting about anything and everything.
Anton eventually comes outside and orders that I dress for dinner. I’m dreading the thought of sitting alone with him. His insults are becoming tiresome and draining. Ella asks if she can do my makeup. I feel like she’s lacking female company since her mother got sick and she craves it. So, I agree, and she follows me up to get ready.
At nine, I go down to the foyer as instructed and find Anton waiting for me. One thing I’ve noticed is that he’s always punctual.
We take a short walk into a nearby village. It’s buzzing with life, and as we pass people sitting idly outside shops and restaurants, they nod in greeting to us.
Anton stops outside a small traditional restaurant. He looks down at me and smiles. “You’ll love this place, but I have to warn you that these people are over-the-top crazy and they’ll treat you like they’ve known you for years. I apologise in advance for their overly familiar ways.” Before I get a chance to respond, he opens the door and pulls me inside.
It’s small—there are maybe six tables and a bar—but it’s cosy, and I instantly feel at ease here. There are three old men chatting at the bar, and when they spot Anton, they stand and make lots of noise. They embrace him and kiss him on the back of his hand. One of the men shouts and a female who must be my mum’s age appears. She is delighted to see Anton and also embraces him. When they finish fussing around him, he takes my hand and pulls me to stand by his side. He says something in Italian, and they stare wide-eyed at me.
“Finally,” the woman says with a smile. She embraces me and kisses my cheeks. “I’m Louisa,” she introduces herself. “This is my husband, Franco, and his brothers, Giuseppe and Roberto.” They also kiss my cheeks and invite me to sit at their table.
“Louisa makes the best ossobuco. I can highly recommend it,” says Anton as Roberto pours us each a glass of red wine. I nod, and Anton asks Louisa for two dishes of ossobuco. I’ve never heard of it, but I don’t mention that because Anton usually chooses the best food.
ANTON
It’s relaxing being back in my home country. I don’t feel like I have to watch over my shoulder here because everyone respects me. And having Piper here, away from Hulk and Lucy trying to poison her against me, I can really put my plan into action.
I watch as she takes her third shot of limoncello and coughs dramatically. “Your wife drinks like fish,” Giuseppe says in Italian, grinning, and I nod. When we arrived, I told them Piper was soon to be my wife. Luckily, she doesn’t understand Italian.
Roberto tries to pour her another shot, but I take her hand and pull her to stand. “I think that’s enough for tonight.”
“I’m fine,” Piper protests. “I’m having fun.”
“And I don’t want to carry you back up the hill,” I tease.
We say our goodbyes with a promise to meet them again tomorrow night. Louisa tells me she’ll bring the villagers together for a celebration that their capo dei capi is home. I’m not sure Luke’s mum will feel much like celebrating when I go to pay my respects tomorrow.
The cool night air is refreshing when we step onto the cobbled street. “I had the best night,” breathes Piper, and I smile.
“You’re drunk.” As if to prove my point, she stumbles, and I have to reach out to catch her. She laughs and throws her arms around me. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t touch her until she begged. That way, she couldn’t deny her feelings, because when I finally walk her up the aisle, I want her to be happy about it and not feel forced in any way. But right now, as I look into her sleepy eyes, something draws me closer and then my lips are brushing hers. Lightly at first, until her hands grip my shirt, pulling me closer. She’s hungry for the kiss, and her hands work their way up to my face and then into my hair. Her soft body is pressed so tightly against my own, I can feel her heartbeat against my chest. I pour everything into this kiss, trying to convey how I feel, until she pulls away gasping for breath.
She gives me a hungry look, like she can’t wait to devour me. I wink, grabbing her by the hand and continuing to lead her up the hill. Once we get back to the house, I lead her straight up to our bedroom. Everyone else is in bed and the house is silent, but I still can’t wait to be completely alone in the safety of the bedroom.
Chapter Ten
PIPER
