Baby Mine (8 page)

* * * *

Jada didn’t get a chance to
talk to Renzo until the next afternoon. She had thought he would come
to her room later, but Marie informed her Renzo returned to his
office after the tasting, and it wasn’t unheard of that he
would stay late in the night working. Jada had to admit she missed
him, but the fact that almost twenty-four hours had passed since
she’d seen him when they were staying in the same house
solidified what Nicoletta had said. She understood working long
hours. The lawyers in her office did so whenever a big case came up,
and sometimes she did as well, but when the baby came she had no
intention of neglecting him or her with work.

Marie found her in the library
going over her notes for the two cases she was assisting the lawyers
on. Since she’d been sitting in one position for a couple
hours, she welcomed the interruption.

“
Ms. Thompson, Mr. Renzo
called to say he will be here in two hours to take you to dinner.”
She laced her fingers together and hesitated.

“
Thanks, Marie. Was there
something else?”

“
He wondered if there was a
reason you weren’t answering your phone.”

Jada checked. Her cell was off.
She recalled powering it down in a snit the night before, and she
must have forgotten to turn it on again.
Oops
.
She suppressed a laugh. “I’m guessing he didn’t
sound very pleasant when he made that comment.”

“
No, ma’am.”

“
Thanks, Marie. I
appreciate you passing on the message.”

Rather than complain about him
not asking if she already had plans, Jada showered and dressed for
dinner out. She needed to talk to him anyway, and it might be better
away from interruptions from his family.

Some time later, Renzo arrived in
a sleek black Porsche, but Jada caught her breath at the glimpse of
the man more so than the car. His dark hair lay slightly damp on his
head, and he wore a dark suit that complimented his muscular build
and made her want to jump into his arms. She kept her cool when he
strode up and held out his hand. “Ready?”

She placed her hand in his. “You
already showered?”

“
I did at the office,”
he acknowledged. “I keep clothes there for last minute plans,
and my private restroom has a shower.”

“
Must be nice.” She
folded into the low-riding car and buckled in. Renzo slipped into the
driver’s side, and soon they sped down the highway toward
whatever restaurant he’d chosen for the evening.

In the well-appointed restaurant
with low lighting and real flowers on each table, Jada perused the
menu. Searching everywhere for prices, she frowned and decided this
place was so exclusive, they didn’t print them. Several couples
occupied the various tables around the room, giving the impression of
a lover’s hotspot. Jada turned to Renzo determined to flesh out
their relationship and make him see that her best choice was to
return home.

“
Renzo,” she said,
not sure where to start.

“
Marry me.”

She blinked. “What?”

He reached across the table and
took the menu from her hands to lie down. When he held on, she tried
pulling away, not wanting him to see how he shook her with his words.
Maybe she’d heard wrong.

“
I said marry me,” he
repeated. “If you like, I will get down on one knee right here,
right now, and I will slide the ring I have in my pocket onto your
finger.”

“
Ring…in
your…pocket?” She yanked her hands free. “Wait,
hold on. Damn it, why can’t I drink at a time like this? You
know this isn’t the old days where because I’m pregnant
you feel like the right thing to do is to marry me, don’t you?
Renzo, I can take care of myself, and I can definitely take care of
the baby.”

“
I don’t doubt it for
a second.” He made a gesture with his hand, and a waiter
appeared out of nowhere. Renzo spoke in rapid fire Italian, and the
waiter answered in the same language. When he returned moments later,
he held a bottle of wine. He poured two glasses and put one in front
of Jada. She glared at Renzo, but he smiled. “Non-alcoholic.”

She sipped the drink and found he
spoke the truth. The cool liquid was both refreshing and delicious.
She appreciated the fact that Renzo had chosen not to imbibe as well.
Reiterating her stance, she said, “We don’t have to get
married, Renzo. You can see our son or daughter whenever you like.”

“
And if I still want you as
my wife?”

“
Why in the world would
you?” She balled up the ends of the tablecloth in her lap.
“We’re from two different worlds. I mean we have great
sex. I’ll admit that, but it doesn’t make a
relationship.”

He leaned forward, capturing her
gaze as if he touched her. Something fluttered in her chest, and she
tried to calm her nerves.

“
Tell me you don’t
love me,
cara mia
.”

“
L-love?” she
croaked. He put her on the spot, as if she were the one who brought
him here to make a declaration. She didn’t know how he felt.
For all she knew he might have picked up on her love for him and
decided he could use it to his advantage to gain control of both her
and the baby. That kind of thing from powerful men wasn’t
unheard of, but she wasn’t the one. She released the tablecloth
and clenched her hand into a fist. “What’s love got to do
with us? We had sex. It was good, but we weren’t careful, and
now we have a situation. We can deal with it like two civilized
adults.”

When his eyebrows rose, she knew
she had surprised him with her reaction. She liked that. Watching the
lawyers in her office, she’d learned a thing or two about
keeping others guessing.

She took another swig from her
glass and set it down with as much calm as she could muster. “You
expected me to fall into your arms because you offered me your name.
Well, sorry, pal, I’m not that kind of woman.”

Okay, that part’s weird.
It’s not like he asked me to become his mistress.

A slow smile spread over Renzo’s
features. “Everything you say and everything you do—your
reactions to the world around you—confirm that you are the one
for me, Jada. I will slow down. However, you
will
be mine on a permanent basis.”

He pulled out the small black
box, proving he hadn’t been lying, and opened it. The gigantic
diamond ring inside blew her mind. That thing would need its own
personal bodyguard, she mused, and couldn’t imagine how much it
cost. Whatever the expense, it was probably pocket change for him.

Renzo put the ring away and
picked up his menu, the smile still in place. “Shall we order?”

She watched him a few moments
longer and then followed suit. They made their selections, chatted,
and then ate some of the most delicious food she’d ever tasted.
All the while, Renzo kept her entertained, making her laugh and
regaling her with stories of the places he’d traveled and the
people he’d met. At the end of the night, he returned her to
his house, and she found an excuse for him not to join her in bed. To
Jada’s surprise, he didn’t push the issue. Longing and
hurt vied within her as she fell asleep.

Chapter
Seven

Jada flew home a couple days
later, scarcely containing a sob at leaving Renzo. He had given her a
ride to the airport with her trying to pretend she was happy. The
whole problem was that he appeared upbeat as well. The man
practically radiated it, and although she didn’t expect it,
she’d almost hoped he would beg her not to go and declare his
undying love. He’d done neither. He’d tilted her chin up
and kissed her until she felt faint. Then he let her go.

Jada walked into her office the
next morning, praying the old adage was true, that absence and time
would heal her heart. She headed toward her cubicle wishing for
higher walls so she could let go of the forced smile as if nothing
were wrong. After all, this was the life she had chosen, wasn’t
it? No maid, no bodyguards, no unlimited funds—and no family.

But I will have my baby.
That’s the important thing.

“
Jada! You’re back,”
her coworker Leena exclaimed. “How was California?”

“
The weather was nice.”
She didn’t elaborate but kept walking.

Leena chuckled and linked arms
with Jada. “I think more than the weather was nice.”

Jada frowned. “What’s
that supposed to mean?” She had shared with Leena the reason
for going to California but didn’t admit her feelings for
Renzo.

“
You’ll see,”
Leena quipped.

When Jada turned the corner
leading to her area, she just saw into her cubicle ahead, and the
sight took her breath. Every available spot on the U shaped desk had
been taken up with flowers of all kinds. “What the hell?”

She stopped in the entry to her
area, staring at the various sizes of vases. Cards were attached to
each bouquet, but Jada couldn’t make herself reach out to read
one. Leena had no such qualms. She plucked a tiny square envelope
from a red rose arrangement and opened it. “
Voglio
amare per sempre
,”
Leena read. “What’s that?”

“
Italian.”

“
What does it mean?”

“
No idea.” Jada
swallowed and read a few more notes. Some were in English, some
Italian. All, she guessed, were expressions of affection. All were
from Renzo, but she hadn’t needed the signature to know who
sent the flowers. The man must have bought out an entire shop to send
so many.

She spent the next hour removing
notes and handing out bouquets to anyone who would accept them for
their office. The prettiest, especially the roses, she kept for
herself. Flowers perfumed the air of the entire floor where she
worked, yet none of the lawyers or her direct supervisor complained.
They didn’t question her either, which was unusual. She guessed
that was another way Renzo showed his influence. After having a good
cry in the bathroom alone, she texted him a simple, “Thank
you,” and then forced the man from her thoughts so she could
get down to work. Over the next month, amid biweekly gifts sent from
her former lover, Jada went on with her life the best she could.

At three and a half months
pregnant, she began to show, and she spent each morning standing
naked before the bedroom mirror staring at her body. She wondered if
Renzo would still find her attractive, and then tamped down those
thoughts so she could hold to her calm state of mind. She wasn’t
exactly happy, but the nightly crying had eased up. Besides, she’d
blamed all of that on wacky preggo hormones so she could convince
herself that her love for Renzo faded.

Today she pulled open her closet
door and surveyed the hanging dresses. A couple weeks after she
returned home, a delivery had arrived at her door, and she’d
been shocked to find an entire wardrobe of maternity clothes. At the
time, Leena had been visiting. “Whoa, I know you’re going
to keep these,” her friend had said.

“
Damn right,” Jada
agreed. “I’m not too good to take a useful gift. Now the
jewelry, yeah, I sent it back. We’re not together, but these
clothes I consider all a part of taking care of his baby. My clothes
were getting tighter.”

She had sent another text to
Renzo and informed him that in no uncertain terms did it mean
anything that she would accept this gift. She expected him to call
and argue or at least try to push his claim, but he never did.

Preparing for her doctor
appointment, she selected a powder blue sundress that reached
mid-thigh. Somehow the dress was both comfortable, with its flair
allowing her stomach room to expand, and sexy, showing off her still
shapely legs. Charlotte had grown warmer, so she was glad for the
outfit.

Dressed, she ate a light
breakfast of scrambled eggs and fruit, drank some juice, and then
left her apartment. On the street, the expensive black car parked
next to hers was her first clue that Renzo had given up keeping his
distance. When he unfolded his tall form from the rental, her
heartbeat raced.

“
Good morning,” he
said in his deep, panty-wetting tone. “Sleep well last night?”

“
Renzo, what are you doing
here?”

He put his hand out, and she
couldn’t resist touching his palm with her fingertips. When she
did, his fingers closed over hers, and he guided her to the passenger
side of his car. “You have a doctor’s appointment, don’t
you?”

“
How do you…?”
She didn’t bother to complete the question. “Surely, you
don’t intend to fly over here every time I go to the doctor.
That’s insane—and expensive.”

He raised an eyebrow at her, and
she flushed.

“
Well, it’s still
crazy. I mean when I’m further along, the appointments will
become more frequent.”

“
I travel quite often for
business. There’s no reason I can’t be here.”

“
It’s not sensible.”

“
Being an absentee father
makes no sense.”

Goose bumps rose on her arms, and
she ran her hands along them as she sat in his car. The baby hadn’t
been born yet, and he already began to prove he could and would spend
time with him or her, but how long would it last? And what would
happen when they couldn’t agree on some aspect of raising the
baby? Looking across at him as he handled the vehicle with practiced
ease, she admitted she still loved him, and because of it, she’d
never felt more vulnerable.