Expecting the Prince's Baby (Harlequin Romance\Princes of Europe) (12 page)

Because of her control, he had to hold back, but they couldn’t exist teetering on the brink much longer. Thanks to cybertechnology, he’d found a way to assuage some of his guilt. Without others knowing, he could be with her every night for as long as he wanted to satisfy his need to see and talk to her while he focused on the baby.

Vincenzo intended to be a good father, but he was struggling with the fact that he’d fallen for the woman who was carrying his child. What did that say about him?

* * *

Abby hurriedly put away her clothes and got settled as best she could before heading for the library. Passing through the living room, she picked up the vase of flowers and carried it with her.

After putting it on the desk, she sat down at her dad’s computer, ready to answer Vincenzo’s call. The big screen rather than her laptop screen would be perfect to see him,
if
he did make contact. She didn’t doubt his good intentions, but she knew from her father that the prince followed a tight schedule, one that often ran late into the evenings.

In her heart she knew the decision to move home had been the right one, but when Vincenzo had walked out the door a little while ago, a feeling of desolation swept through her. Her move from the palace had marked the end of the third journey. Now she was embarking on the fourth into the unknown and had the impression it would try her mettle.

She’d lost Michelina, who’d provided the interference. Now it was all on Vincenzo to support her, but he’d made the wise decision to stay at a distance. So had she, yet already she felt herself in free fall.

Trust that clever mind of his to dream up Skyping as a way to stay in touch without distressing their fathers or the queen. As she was coming to find out, Vincenzo’s resourcefulness knew no bounds.

Unable to resist, she leaned over to smell the hydrangeas. She’d never see one again without remembering how he’d just stopped and picked an armload for her.

The way to a woman’s heart... Vincenzo knew them all,
she admitted to herself in an honest moment. He was in there so tightly, she was dying from the ache. There’d never be room for anyone else. The video-call tone rang out, making her jump.

“Good evening, Abby.” She’d put the speaker on full volume to make certain she could hear him. The sound of his deep, velvety voice brought her out of her trancelike state.

His looks went beyond handsome. Adrenaline rushed through her veins. “Good evening, Your Highness.”

“You’ve become very formal since I left you.”

“I’ve got stage fright.” It was the truth. No one in Arancia would believe what she was doing, and with whom.

“Our connection is good. We should have no problem communicating tomorrow evening.”

“I might have one problem with the time. Dad is going to be home early for a dinner I’m cooking. Would you mind if we said eight-thirty?”

“I’ll make a note on my agenda,” he teased.

She smiled. “This is fun, Vincenzo.”

“It’s not the same as being with you in person, but I’m not complaining. Would you answer a question for me?”

“If I can.”

“Did Dr. DeLuca let you know the gender of the baby?”

Her lungs froze. “No. He wanted to obey your wishes. I think you’re wise not to know yet. Then your father and the queen would either be planning on a future king or future princess. This way everyone’s still in the dark.”

He chuckled. “I love the way you think, especially when you read my mind so easily. However, there is one thing I’m curious about. You never talk about the baby.”

Pain stabbed at her heart. “I’ve been taking Dr. Greco’s advice—don’t think about the actual baby too much. Better to stay focused on taking care of yourself rather than dwelling on a child that won’t be yours.”

His face sobered. “How’s that advice working out for you?”

She took a deep breath. “I’m finding it’s very hard to carry out. I have to admit that if you hadn’t asked me that question just now, I would know you had a stone for a heart.”

“Abby,” his voice grated, “you’ve accepted to do the impossible for me. You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t thinking about the baby day and night.”

“You’re right. During the talks I had with you and Michelina before I underwent the procedure, I made a decision to be like the postman who delivers the mail without knowing what’s inside the letters.

“If a postman were to open one, he’d probably be so affected he would never make it to the next destination. Getting the ultrasound today was a lot like opening that first letter. I can’t not think about the baby, whether it’s a boy or a girl, if it will look like you or Michelina or someone else in your families.”

Vincenzo turned solemn. “I’ve told you before, but I’ll say it again. I’m in awe of you, Abby. You’ve taken on a weight too heavy to bear.”

“You took on a weight, too. Not every man would trust a stranger with the life of his unborn child.”

“You’re no stranger,” he answered in a smoky tone.

“You know what I mean.”

“I don’t think you know what
I
mean. You were never a stranger to me. A child in the beginning, of course, but from the beginning always a friend. I feel like I’ve known you all my life. It seemed a natural thing that you became our baby’s surrogate mother.”

She moistened her lips. “Depending on when the baby decides to come, we could be halfway home right now.” Abby didn’t want to think about the big event because of what it would mean. The thought of permanent separation was killing her. “Have you bought any things for the baby yet?”

“I’m glad you brought that up. In a few days I’m going to go shopping and would like your help to set up the well-furnished nursery.”

He couldn’t know how his comment thrilled her. “I’d love to be involved.”

“I’ll send you pictures online and we’ll decide on things together.”

“Do you know where you’re putting the nursery?”

“Either in my apartment or the room down the hall next to it.”

“What did Michelina want?”

“We never got that far in our thinking. Her concerns over telling Bianca about the pregnancy overshadowed the fun.”

Of course.
“Well, it’s fun to think about it now. If it’s in your apartment, you’ll have a nanny coming and going out of your inner sanctum.” His low chuckle thrilled her. “When you’re up all hours of the night with a baby with colic, will you be glad it’s near at hand or not?”

“I’ll have to think on that one.”

“While you do that, what’s on your schedule for tomorrow?”

“You really don’t want to know.”

“Why don’t you let
me
decide?”

His smile was wicked. “Remember that you asked. First I’ll do a workout in the pool when I get up, then I’ll get dressed and eat breakfast with my father, who will tell me what’s on his mind. I’ll scan a dozen or so newspapers on certain situations in the world.

“At ten I’ll visit the Esposito social enterprise to meet the staff and disadvantaged young people working on a building project at Esposito Ricci.

“At eleven-thirty I’ll meet representatives of the San Giovani Churches Trust, the National Churches Trust and restoration workers at Gallo-Conti.

“At noon I’ll meet with the different faith communities at Gravina, where I’ll be served lunch.

“At one-thirty, in my capacity as president of business, I’ll visit the Hotel Domenico, which has been participating in my initiative to promote the meet-and-greet program in all the hotels. I’ll visit the shop, which has been created in the meet-and-greet center, and chat with locals.

“At ten to three, as patron of the Toffoli Association, I’ll meet staff and residents working at San Lucca Hospital. At four I’ll meet pupils and staff at Chiatti Endowed Schools, where I’ll tour the school hall and chapel. The pupils have prepared a brief performance for me.

“At ten to five I’ll meet local community groups at the town hall in Cozza, as well as some members of the town council.

“At five-thirty, as president and founder of the Prince’s Trust, I’ll meet with young people who have participated in programs run by the trust, particularly the team program at the Moreno Hotel in Lanz.”

Abby tried to take it in, but couldn’t. “You made that up.”

He crossed himself. “I swear I didn’t.”

“You mean that’s all? That’s it? You didn’t have time to ride around in your made-for-the-prince sports car?” she exclaimed. “You’re right, Vincenzo. I really didn’t want to know and never want to think about it again.”

Coming over the Skype, his laughter was so infectious she laughed until she had tears, which was how her father found her when he walked in the den. He could see Vincenzo in all his glory on the screen.

“Abby? Why aren’t you talking?”

Her father had leaned over to smell the hydrangeas. “I have company.”

Vincenzo didn’t blink an eye. “Tell your father good evening.”

“I will.
Buonanotte,
Your Highness.”

She turned off the Skype. Nervous, she looked over at her dad, who had the strangest look on his face.

“Guilio told me his son has always been perfectly behaved. I wonder what could have happened to him.”

Abby got up from the desk, needing to think of something quick. “He’s going to be a father.”

Carlo gave her a hug. “That must be the reason. Welcome home, sweetheart.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

R
EPORTERS
BESIEGED
A
BBY
as she and Signor Giordano came out of the Palazzo di Giustizia in downtown Arancia. She’d won the case for him and it meant some big changes for the country’s trade policies. Judge Mascotti had summoned her to the bench after announcing his ruling.

“I realize the palace was interested in this case, but I want you to know I made my decision based on the merits you presented.”

Abby couldn’t have been more pleased to hear those words.

For court she’d pulled her hair back to her nape and used pins to hold a few coils in place.

She’d worn a navy designer maternity outfit with a smart white jacket. The dress draped from a high waistline and fell to the knee. Her bump seemed quite big to her already, but the jacket camouflaged it well. On her feet she wore strappy white sandals.

Mid-August meant she was into her twenty-third week of pregnancy. Two days ago she’d had her first episode of Braxton-Hicks contractions, but the doctor said it was normal because her body was getting ready. When Vincenzo found out, he had a talk with Dr. DeLuca and they both decided she should quit work.

Abby wasn’t ready to stay home yet. Without work to do she’d go crazy, but she’d made an agreement in the beginning and had to honor it. When she got back to her office there was a celebration with champagne, not only because this case was important to their firm, but because it was her last day at work.

Everyone thought she was going back to the States, so she let them think it. Carolena poured white grape juice into her champagne glass when no one was looking. That was how she got through the party. If some of them realized she was pregnant, no one said anything.

After Skyping with Vincenzo every night from the start, except for the night she’d gone to the hospital about her false contractions, she told Carolena to Skype her at the apartment. Until the birth of the baby, Abby planned to do research for her friend to help pass the time. Carolena had a backlog of work and had gone crazy over the idea.

They drank to their plan and Abby left the office in brighter spirits than before. She walked out to the limo pretty much depleted energywise after her court appearance. Once settled inside, she rested her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes, still thinking about what the judge had said to her.

She worked hard on every case, but that one had special meaning because it would benefit Arancia. After listening to Vincenzo’s schedule for one day, she realized he’d spent his whole adult life promoting the welfare of his country. It felt good to know she’d made a tiny contribution toward his goals.

“Signorina?”
She opened her eyes to discover they’d arrived at the harbor. “Your presence is requested aboard the yacht. If you’ll step this way, please.”

Her heart thundered in her chest as she climbed out and walked with a security man up the gangplank into the gleaming white royal craft. Angelina was there to meet her.

“The palace heard of your victory in court and wishes to honor you with an overnight cruise. A few of your personal things are on board. Come with me and I’ll show you to your cabin. Your orders are to relax, swim, eat and wander the deck at will.”

“Thanks, Angelina,” she murmured, too overcome to manage any more words and followed her. Strange as it was, this meant she’d miss her nightly conversation with Vincenzo. How crazy was that, when anyone else would be jumping out of their skin with joy at such a privilege?

But she’d lived on the palace grounds for years and inside the palace for four months of that time. She’d learned that if Vincenzo wasn’t there, it didn’t matter if the whole place was paved in gold. Since the judge’s ruling, she’d been living to talk to him about everything tonight. Now she’d have to wait until tomorrow night.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Angelina asked from the doorway. The separate cabins were on the main deck, with a glorious view of the sea.

“I’m fine, thanks. Right now I just want to lie down. It’s been a long day.” She checked her watch. Five to six.

“Of course. If you need something, pick up the phone and the person on the other end will contact me. There’s food and drink already on the table for you.”

She nodded and closed the door after her. The queen-size bed looked good. After closing the shutters over the windows, Abby went to the bathroom, then removed her jacket and sandals. She ate half her club sandwich and some fruit salad before walking over to the bed. She’d undress all the way later. For the moment she was too tired to take off the sleeveless dress before she simply lay down to close her eyes for a little while.

The last thing Abby remembered before she lost consciousness was the movement of the yacht. When she heard someone calling her name, she thought it was the prince talking to her through Skype. She stirred.

“Vincenzo?”

“I’m right here.”

“Oh, good. I wanted to talk to you and was afraid we wouldn’t be able to until tomorrow night.” But as she sat up in the semidark room, she realized something wasn’t right. Abby wasn’t at the desk. She was on the yacht and there was Vincenzo standing right in front of her in jeans and a sport shirt.

Her pulse raced. “You’re here! I mean, you’re
really
here.”

“I knocked, but you didn’t hear me, so I came in the room to check up on you. You didn’t eat a lot of the dinner Angelina brought in.”

“I was too tired to eat very much when I reached the room.” Abby’s hair had come unpinned and fell around her shoulders. “How did you get here?”

“I flew aboard on the helicopter. Are you all right?”

No. She wasn’t! Abby hadn’t seen him in person in about six weeks. The shock was too much and she was totally disoriented.

“Abby?” he prodded.

“Yes,” she said too loudly, sounding cross. He was much too close. She smoothed the hair out of her eyes. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

“Don’t get up,” he admonished gently, but she felt at a disadvantage sitting there and stood up anyway. “You’re the loser in our contest, remember? This is the penalty I’ve chosen to inflict, so you’re stuck with me until morning.”

Her body couldn’t stop trembling. “I confess I didn’t think you could stick to it.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

She’d been caught off guard and didn’t know if she could handle this. A whole night together? “What do you want me to say?”

“That you’re happy to see me.”

“Well, of course I am.” But the words came out grouchy.

“You really do look pregnant now. Will you let me feel you?”

If he’d shot her, she couldn’t have been more astonished. That’s why he kept standing there? It was a perfectly understandable request. It was his baby, after all. But this was one time when she didn’t know what to do. To say no to him didn’t seem right. But to say yes...

On instinct she reached for his hand and put it on her bump, to make it easier for both of them. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t touched her before. Heavens, he’d saved her life. She’d sobbed in his arms.

But there had been a whole new situation since then. The warmth of his fingers seeped through the material of her dress, sending a charge of electricity through her body. She held her breath while he explored.

“Have you felt it move?” he asked in a husky voice.

“I’ve had quickenings, kind of like flutters. At first I wasn’t sure. They only started a few days ago. But when I lay down a few hours ago, I felt a definite movement and knew it wasn’t hunger pains.”

“It’s miraculous, isn’t it?” His face was so close to hers, she could feel his breath on her cheek. He kept feeling, shaping his hand against her swollen belly. “I’m glad you’re through working and can stay home, where you and the baby are safe.”

She bowed her head. “No place is perfectly safe, Vincenzo.”

“True, but you were on television today in front of the courthouse. I saw all those steps and a vision of you falling. It ruined the segment for me.”

“Signor Giordano had hold of my arm.”

“I noticed. He’s recently divorced from his wife.”

How did Vincenzo know that? But the minute she asked herself the question, she realized how foolish she was. He always checked out everything she did and everyone she worked with.

“I found him very nice and very committed to his fast-track proposal.”

“Has he asked you to go out with him?”

Why did Vincenzo want to know? It couldn’t be of any importance to him. “He did when he put me in the limo.”

His hand stopped roving. “What did you tell him?”

“What I told everyone at my goodbye party. I’m moving back to the States.” If she said it long and hard enough, she’d believe it, but his tension heightened. Being barefoot, Abby felt shorter next to his well-honed physique. She took the opportunity to ease away from him before turning on the switch that lit the lamps on either side of the bed.

He gazed at her across the expanse. “Are you still exhausted?”

No. His exploration of her belly had brought her senses alive and no doubt had raised her blood pressure. If he was asking her if she wanted to go up on deck and enjoy the night, the answer was yes. But she could hear her father saying, “I wouldn’t advise it.”

They’d both crossed a line tonight. His wish to feel the baby was one thing, but she’d sensed his desire for her. Since her own desire for him had been steadily growing for months, there was no point in denying its existence. Once you felt its power and knew what it was, all the excuses in the world couldn’t take that knowledge away. Could you die of guilt? She wondered...

But to give in to it to satisfy a carnal urge would cheapen the gift. She’d told the queen this was a sacred trust. So she smiled at him.

“Maybe not exhausted, but pleasantly tired. I need a shower and then plan to turn in. Why don’t we have breakfast in the morning on deck and enjoy a swim? That I would love.”
Keep him away from you, Abby.

“We’ll be along the coast of Corsica at dawn. If you’re up by seven-thirty, you’ll see the water at its clearest.”

Part of her had been hoping he’d tell her he didn’t want her to go to bed yet, but he was a highly principled man and had made a promise to get her safely through this experience. “I’ll set my alarm for that time and join you.”

“Good night, then.” As Vincenzo turned to leave she called his name.

“Thank you for this unexpected surprise.”

“You won the court case and deserve a treat. Everyone in the country will benefit.”

“Thank you. But I’m talking about more than a night on this fabulous yacht. I want to thank you for our nightly video sessions. I looked forward to every one of them.”

His brows lifted. “They’re not over.”

“I’m so glad to hear that.”

“They’ve saved my life, too, Abby.” On that confession, he left her cabin and shut the door.

To read more into those words would be Abby’s downfall. They were both waiting out this pregnancy on tenterhooks in a cage no one else could see. It was an unnatural time under the most unnatural circumstances a prince and a commoner could be in. The closer they got to the delivery date, the more amazed she was that she and Vincenzo had made things work this far.

* * *

During the early-morning hours, the sun burned a hole through clouds over the Mediterranean. The ray of light penetrated the turquoise water near the guard tower he’d told her about. Abby had thrown on a beach robe and leaned over the yacht’s railing to see how far down it went, causing her braid to dangle.

Vincenzo had done several dives and wore his black trunks, so she could see his hard-muscled body clearly. The dramatically rugged landscape continued underwater in the form of more mountains, canyons, needles, peaks and rocky masses. He clung to some huge rocks below the waterline, then moved downward until he was almost out of sight.

Though he swam like a fish, she was nervous until she saw him come up for air. Abby wished she’d brought a camera to capture him on film, but when she’d left the courthouse yesterday, she could never have imagined where she’d end up.

“I’m envious of you!” she shouted to him. Even though it was August, she’d bet the water was cold this morning, but he seemed impervious to any discomfort.

“One day soon you’ll be able to do this,” he called back to her.

Not this. Not here. Not with him.

“Is there anything dangerous lurking down there?”

“Only a big white.”

“Vincenzo!”

A grin appeared on his striking face. With his black hair slicked back, he was the stuff women’s fantasies were made of. “Is breakfast ready?”

She giggled. “Have I told you how funny you are sometimes? You know very well your food is always ready!”

“Well, I’m starving!”

“So am I!”

He swam with expertise to the transom of the fifty-two-foot luxury yacht and came aboard. In a minute they were seated around the pool being served a fantastic meal. Once they’d eaten, Abby took off her robe to sunbathe for a little while. Their loungers were placed side by side. Talk about heaven!

The yacht was moving again, this time around the island. By tomorrow evening her idyll would be over, but she refused to think about that yet.

After the intimacy they’d shared last night when he’d reached out to feel the baby, she decided it didn’t matter that he could see her pregnant with only her bikini on. Those black eyes slid over her from time to time, but he never made her feel uncomfortable.

The deck steward brought them reading material in case they wanted it. Vincenzo propped himself on one elbow to scan the newspaper. “You made the front page yesterday. I quote, ‘A new star has risen in the legal firmament of Arancia.

“‘One might take her for a film star, but Signorina Abigail Loretto, a stunning blonde with the law firm of Faustino, Ruggeri, Duomo and Tonelli, has a brain and pulled off a coup for import trade in Judge Mascotti’s court that had the attorney for Signor Masala already filing an appeal.’”

Vincenzo handed it to her so she could have a look. “Have I told you how proud I am of you?”