Expecting the Prince's Baby (Harlequin Romance\Princes of Europe) (10 page)

BOOK: Expecting the Prince's Baby (Harlequin Romance\Princes of Europe)
10.56Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

“I’ve changed my mind.” Abby had compassion for him and his father, who wanted his son to be happily married and was trying to make it happen in the only way he could think of as king. “You need to see what an impact you’ve made on the life of your subjects.”

Maybe this album would make Vincenzo realize what an important man he was. To live out his life alone wasn’t natural or healthy.

“I know the court has a historian who records everything, but this is more personal, with some of my own photos and articles I’ve found interesting from various magazines and newspapers coming from the U.S. Dad’s been receiving the Stateside news for years and I read everything right along with him.”

From the moment Vincenzo opened the cover, he went away from her mentally. While she watched the news, he turned page after page, thoughtfully perusing each one. No sound came out of him for at least an hour.

Eventually he closed it and looked over at her. “For the first time in my life, I know what it feels like to have your life flash before your eyes. I don’t know what to say, Abby. I’m speechless.”

“You’re probably tired from viewing all the good works you’ve done over the years. I hope you realize you’ve
never
received negative press. Do you have any idea what a great accomplishment that is?”

He studied her as if he’d never seen her before. “I hope
you
realize I’ve never received a gift like this. You’ve touched me beyond my ability to express,” he said in a husky voice she felt all the way to her toes.

“I’m glad if you’re pleased. I consider it an honor to be a friend of yours, and an even greater honor to be the person you and Michelina chose to carry your child. Only a few more months before he or she is here.”

She had the impression he wasn’t listening to her. “All these photos of yours. I wasn’t aware you’d taken them.”

“While I was darting around on the grounds with my little camera, I took a lot of pictures and sometimes you were there.”

“You got me on my motorcycle!”

“If you have a boy, he’ll be thrilled to find out you didn’t always behave with perfect decorum. I daresay he’ll love it that you were a daredevil. The skinny-dipping I missed, because I had to be in bed and asleep by eleven.”

Low laughter rumbled out of him. “I can be thankful your father was the head of security and made sure his daughter minded him.”

She smiled. “Do you think you’ll be a strict father if you have a girl?”

He got up from the chair and put the album on the coffee table before staring at her. “Probably.”

“But since kindness is part of your nature, she won’t mind.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking tired. “Have you had any feelings yet whether you might be having a boy or a girl, Abby? I understand some women instinctively know.”

“I’ve heard that, too, but since I’m not the mother, that’s not going to happen to me.” Secretly she didn’t want him to know how involved she really was with this baby and that she thought about it all the time. “However, there’s no law that says the father can’t feel inspiration about his own unborn child.”

He shook his head. “No indication yet.”

“Well, you’ve got a month before there’s the possibility of your finding out. That is, if you want to.”

“If it’s a girl, Michelina wanted to name her Julietta after her grandmother on her mother’s side.”

“That’s beautiful. And if it’s a boy?”

Their gazes held for a moment. “Maximilliano, after three kings in the Di Laurentis line. I’ll call him Max.”

“I love that name!” she cried. “We had a wonderful Irish setter named Max. He died before we moved here.”

Vincenzo looked surprised. “I didn’t know that. Why didn’t your father get another one when you settled in your apartment?”

“The loss was so great, neither he nor Mom could think about getting another one. They kept saying maybe one day, but that moment never came. Did your family have a pet?”

He nodded. “Several, but by my later teens I was gone so much, my mother was the one who took care of them and they worshipped her.”

“That’s sweet.”

“Whether I have a boy or a girl, I’ll make certain they grow up with a dog. It’s important.”

“I couldn’t agree more. Whether you’ve had a good or bad day, they’re always there for you and so loving. My cousin and I liked little creatures. I once kept a cockatoo, a turtle, a snake and a hamster. When each of them died—not all at the same time, of course,” she said with a laugh, “Max helped me get through their funerals. Daddy used to say the best psychiatrist is a puppy licking your face.”

“Abby...”
There was a world of warmth when he said her name. “No wonder Piero’s father called you the little nurse.”

“It’s a good thing he didn’t get together with my father to compare notes. If you got him alone, Daddy would tell you I probably killed them all off without meaning to.”

She loved the sound of his laughter so much, Abby never wanted it to stop. But for the sake of her sanity and her heart, it was imperative he leave. Quickly she got up from the couch and handed him the scrapbook.

“This is yours to keep. You once saved my life, and now you’re taking such good care of me, my thanks will never be enough. Now it’s time someone took care of you. Please don’t be mad at me if I tell you to go to bed. You look exhausted.” She walked to the door and opened it. If he didn’t leave, she was on the verge of begging him to stay the night.

“Good night, Your Highness.”

* * *

In the weeks that followed, Vincenzo made certain his schedule was packed so tight with work he wouldn’t be tempted to spend every free moment at Abby’s apartment. Though he phoned her every morning before she went to work to know how she felt, he stayed away from her.

The night she’d given him the album, she’d shown him the door before he was ready to leave. When he’d told her the true situation that had existed between him and Michelina, there’d been a definite shift in the universe. He didn’t regret his decision to tell her. At this point in the pregnancy, they shared an intimacy that demanded she understand what his marriage had been like so there’d be honesty between them.

The day of the ultrasound was here. His greatest concern was the health of the baby. If something was wrong, then he’d deal with it. Vincenzo had gone back and forth in his mind on the subject of gender and finally decided he didn’t want to know. That way both sides of his family would have to go on speculating until the delivery. As for himself, he preferred to be surprised.

He had the limousine pulled around to his private entrance. When Abby appeared in a kelly-green dress with flowing sleeves and a high waist, he lost his breath for a moment. She was finally looking pregnant and more beautiful than she knew with her silvery-gold hair upswept and caught with a comb.

Dr. DeLuca met them in his office first and smiled. “This is the big day. Are you ready for it?”

“It’s very exciting,” Abby answered. Though she seemed calm, Vincenzo knew she had to be nervous.

“Will you come in to watch the ultrasound, Vincenzo?”

“Yes!”

Abby looked stunned. “You really want to?”

Vincenzo caught her blue gaze. “I’ve been waiting for this from the moment we found out you were pregnant.”

“I—I’m excited, too,” she stammered, rather breathlessly, he thought.

“Excellent,” the doctor said. “If you’ll come this way with me. It won’t take long.”

They followed him through another door to the ultrasound room. The doctor told Vincenzo to sit at the side of the bed while Abby lay down. His heart picked up speed to realize this moment had come. He didn’t intend to miss a second of this whole process.

* * *

Abby’s face had blushed when he’d said yes. He knew she’d been trying her hardest to keep her professional distance, but at this point in the pregnancy that was impossible. Having a baby was an intimate experience and she’d never been “just a surrogate” to him.

Over the last few months she’d come to be his whole world. It was miraculous that a sonogram could see inside her gorgeous body, where his baby was growing. The body he’d once rescued from the sea. How could he have known that one day she’d carry his child? He couldn’t think about anything else.

Michelina was the mother of his child, but right now his focus was on Abby while the doctor put special gel on her stomach. For several nights he’d had trouble sleeping while his mind thought of all the things that might be wrong with the baby.

She shared a searching glance with Vincenzo as the doctor moved the transducer around her belly. Suddenly they both heard a heartbeat coming from the monitor. The doctor pointed to the screen. “There’s your baby. The heart sounds perfect.”

“Oh, Vincenzo—our baby! There it is!” In the moment of truth, her guard had come down, thrilling him with her honesty. As for himself, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing and reached for her hand. She squeezed it hard. “It looks like it’s praying.”

The doctor nodded with a smile. “Nice size, coming along beautifully. No abnormalities I can see. So far everything looks good. This test can’t detect all birth defects, but it’s a wonderful diagnostic tool and tells me the pregnancy and your baby are both on the right track.”

Relief poured off Vincenzo in waves. He looked into her tear-filled eyes. Without conscious thought he leaned over and kissed her mouth. “You’re a wonder, Abby,” he whispered. “You’re giving me the world.”

“I’m so thankful everything’s all right.”

The doctor cleared his throat. “Do you two want to know the gender?”

“That’s up to Vincenzo,” she said first.

He’d already made up his mind. “I’d rather wait and be surprised.”

“Very well. Here are some pictures for you to keep.” The doctor explained what Vincenzo was seeing, but he didn’t have to, because the shape of the baby was self-evident and filled him with awe. If Michelina were here, the tears would be overflowing. “The fetus is four and half inches long and developing well.”

Vincenzo put them in his jacket pocket. “Doctor? How’s Abby?”

He removed his glasses. “As you can see, she’s fine. No more nosebleeds?” She shook her head. “I’d say Abby is in perfect health. If she continues to do what I told her and rest a little more often after her swims, she should get through this pregnancy in great shape.”

That was all Vincenzo wanted to hear, though it didn’t take away his guilt that she was risking her life to give him this baby. “Thank you, Dr. DeLuca.”

After the older man left the room, Abby got up off the table to fix her dress. “Can you believe it? Our baby’s fine.”

“I’m glad to hear you say
our
baby. It is our baby now, Abby. And I’m overjoyed to know you’re fine, too.” He got up from the chair. “This calls for a major celebration.” As they walked out of the hospital to the waiting limo, he said, “After work, we’re leaving for a weekend aboard the yacht. The doctor wants you to rest and swim and do whatever you like. I’ll let you decide our destination once we leave port.”

She looked startled. “How can you get away?”

“Very easily.”

* * *

Once inside the limo, she turned to him. “Vincenzo? Do you think this would be wise?”

A dark frown broke out on his face, erasing his earlier happiness. “Obviously you don’t.”

“When I tell my father where we’re going, he’ll tell me it’s not a good idea. Already he’s talking about our move back to the States. I can tell he’s getting nervous about you and me spending any more time together that isn’t absolutely necessary.”

Vincenzo’s jaw hardened. “Has he spoken to my father yet about leaving?”

“Yes. Last night.”

That was news to Vincenzo. “How did he take it?”

“He wanted to know the reasons and asked him about our extended family back home.”

“Was my father upset?”

“No. He said he’d been expecting it for some time.”

Vincenzo grimaced. “Then he didn’t try to dissuade your father from leaving.”

“No, and we both know why.” Her voice trembled. “You and I have shared a unique relationship for many years. The baby’s on the way and Michelina is gone. Guilio wants you to take a wife ASAP.”

Vincenzo’s dark head reared. “Father knows my feelings on the subject. I’m not planning to get married again and am already looking into finding a full-time nanny to help me with the baby.”

“You’re serious—”

His mouth tightened. “Do you think I would make that up? If so, then you don’t know me at all.”

“I don’t think Guilio has any idea you mean it. The situation is even worse than I’d feared,” she muttered.

“What situation?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. The only reason I felt all right about becoming a surrogate was because you and Michelina were a team. But she’s not here anymore and
I
am.”

He sat forward. “I still don’t understand you.”

“Yes, you do, even if you won’t admit it.”

“Admit what?”

“You and I have shared a unique relationship over the years. With Michelina gone and me carrying your child, our friendship is now suspect. The fact that your father isn’t begging Dad to stay on tells me it will please him once we’ve left Arancia for good. He wants you to take Odile on the yacht, not me.”

“You haven’t been listening to me,” he ground out.

Her heart thudded harder, because she could feel how upset he’d become. “Vincenzo, you’re in a very rocky place right now and grabbing at what is easy and familiar because I’ve always been around. But you’re not thinking straight. For us to go on the yacht could spell disaster. That’s why I’m not going with you.”

He said nothing while her guilt was warring with her heart, but her guilt won. “Your wife has only been gone a few months. Of course you haven’t been able to figure out your future yet. You’re in a state of limbo and will be until the baby is born.”

“Have you finished?” came his icy question.

“Not quite yet.” As long as she’d been this brave, she needed to get it all said. When she felt her lips, they still tingled from Vincenzo’s warm kiss. She’d felt it to the very marrow of her bones. If the doctor hadn’t been in the room, she would have kissed him back and never stopped.

BOOK: Expecting the Prince's Baby (Harlequin Romance\Princes of Europe)
10.56Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

The Link by Dara Nelson
Gun by Banks, Ray
The Mysterious Lady Law by Robert Appleton
Salida hacia La Tierra by George H. White
The Becoming: Ground Zero by Jessica Meigs, Permuted Press
Sixkill by Robert B Parker
Sebastian by Anne Bishop