Full Circle (32 page)

Karma imagined what Giada had witnessed were
Mark’s first steps into the disconnected lifestyle that eventually
brought them together.

“Carol’s name was the worst, of course,”
Giada said. “I used to be so nervous trying to talk to Marcus about
her. He would grow so moody and agitated then turn off completely.
I learned to avoid talking about her. I never knew what to say, so
I said nothing to keep from upsetting him.”

“I know the feeling.” Karma looked down at
her hands. “I don’t like to say her name around him even now.” She
glanced back up and shrugged sheepishly.

Giada’s shoulders slumped. Not much, but
enough for Karma to notice. “She’s still causing trouble, isn’t
she? Still interfering with his happiness after all this time.” Her
eyes sliced into Karma’s. “Tell me I’m wrong. I
want
to be
wrong.”

Karma couldn’t tell her what she wanted to
hear. Carol was still interfering. She was still in Mark’s mind,
even if he didn’t admit it.

“I can’t.” Quiet agony laced her voice.
“Because I think she is.”

Giada murmured something in Italian that
sounded like verbal disappointment then took Karma’s hand in both
of hers. “He loves you. You know that, right? I can see his heart
in his eyes when he looks at you. I can feel the love he feels for
you. A mother knows such things.”

Karma nodded. “I know he loves me,
but . . .” So many of her old insecurities had been
stirred to life tonight.

“But what? Tell me, dear.” She gave her hand
an encouraging pat. “I can tell something worries you.” Her eyes
were kind, her words gentle, not prodding.

At the moment, everything worried Karma. The
money, Carol, the wedding that might never happen because Mark
wouldn’t set a date.

Tears stung her eyes. For weeks, she’d held
her fears inside. She’d kept them hidden, trying to appear strong
while inside she suffered. Now, with just a few kind words and the
discerning eye of a wise matriarch who wasn’t blind where her son
was concerned, her protective shield fell.

“He won’t set a date,” she quietly blurted
with a sniffle. “He keeps pushing it off.”

“And you fear Carol is the reason.”

“Yes. It’s like he can’t let go of her. Carol
is always there. Always in the shadows. Always between us.”

Giada let out a heavy breath. “Marcus has
always been one to feel things deeply. His emotions run deeper than
those of anyone I’ve ever met. Not only does he love deeply, which
is why I know you two will find your way through this, but he hurts
deeply, too. He internalized the pain of what Carol did to him at
such a profound level it nearly destroyed him. He became a Marcus I
no longer recognized after Carol left him at the altar. I feared
for him. I really did. Then he met you.” Her face filled with
happiness. “And you brought back the son I knew and remembered. For
the first time since Carol, I recognized him again. He was my
Marcus. My boy. All because of you. You’re good for him, and he
knows it. So don’t give up.”

Karma glanced around the room. “I don’t want
to, but I’m so confused right now.”

Giada’s forehead creased as she frowned
quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not just Carol, or the fact that Mark’s
dragging his feet to set a date, but . . .” How
could she say this tactfully? “I’ve never dated a man like Mark. A
man who has so much . . .
um . . .”

“Money?” Giada offered with a suggestive tilt
of her head.

Karma winced and dropped her gaze. “It’s such
a culture shock. I don’t want him paying for everything. He’s
already given me a set of credit cards. He’s hinted that he wants
to pay off my student loans. He chartered a private jet to fly us
to Saint Lucia for Christmas. I don’t want to leech off his money.
I don’t want to be seen as a gold digger, because I’m not. I
want—”

Giada grabbed her hands and clutched them to
her chest. “Dear, you are not a gold digger. The mere fact that you
cringe at the idea is proof enough you’re not. And Marcus would
never have fallen in love with you if you were.”

“But—”

She held up her hand. “Hear me out, dear.”
She scooted closer. “You’re not making Marcus pay for anything. He
wants to take care of you. It’s how we raised him. To be the
provider. To be responsible for his
famiglia
. Providing for
you is his purpose. Do you understand?”

The look on Karma’s face must have conveyed
she didn’t, because Giada pursed her lips and turned her gaze
upward as if searching for a better way to explain.

“Okay,” she said a moment later, standing.
“Think of it this way.” Her accent stroked her words in a way that
made her sound wise. “You’re two dancers. Man and woman. Together.”
She lifted her arms and swayed smoothly side to side. “The man is
the foundation. He’s the rock. Without the man, the woman has no
support.” She halted and met Karma’s gaze. “Now, you may be asking
yourself, if Mark is your foundation—your rock—then what are you to
him?” Giada paused only a beat before continuing, speaking slowly,
dragging out the words to give them weight. “You are what gives him
purpose.” She lowered her chin pointedly. “Without you, Marcus is
just an empty frame. No purpose. Nothing to hold. Without him, you
are a piece of silk on the wind, nothing to keep you grounded. But
together, you are art. You are beauty. You are strength.” She
placed her soft palms on either side of Karma’s face, a wistful
expression in her eyes. “As one, you are breathtaking.” She took
her hands away and lifted them as if she were catching rain. “With
support, a woman can leap higher.” She spun once. “She can spin
faster.” She bent to the side. “She can bend more deeply.” She
straightened and clasped her hands loosely in front of her. “She
can do all these things because he’s there giving support. She can
do more because of him.” Giada sat down beside her once more. “The
two of you are synergistic. Better together than apart.”

Leave it to a dancer to create such fabulous
imagery.

“Some people . . .” Giada
bobbed her head toward the bedroom door to indicate the people
they’d left in the ballroom. “They let their money go to their
heads. They become entitled, thinking happiness and materialism is
owed them. That they’re somehow better than those with less and
should be treated differently. As if they’re special.” She scoffed.
“Mark isn’t like that. That’s not how we raised him, and he knows
better than to think that way.”

Karma understood completely now why she’d
never noticed how much money Mark had until he’d started spending
so much of it on her. He wasn’t one to show off his financial
status. He never held himself the way the others downstairs did.
And he never looked down his nose at
poor people
. And he
didn’t do any of those things because his mom and dad had raised
him better than that.

“I just don’t want to lose my identity,”
Karma said.

“You won’t. You’re simply building a new one
with Marcus. You’re still you, and he’s still him, but together,
you’re becoming someone new. A pair instead of two individual
people.”

Giada took her hand again. “One more thing,
dear. If Marcus is buying you extravagant gifts, it’s because he
feels you’re worthy of his money. He’s never been one to squander
his fortune. Marcus is very responsible. For him to spend so much
on you means he sees a future with you. A long, fulfilling future
he wants to invest in. Trust me on this.”

“Then why won’t he set a date for our
wedding?” This conversation had been such an eye-opener, but in
some ways she was more conflicted now than she’d been an hour
ago.

Giada’s gaze drifted back to the picture on the
shelf. “If I had to guess, I’d say he’s still battling old
ghosts.”

“But how long will he be battling them?”

She shrugged. “That I can’t tell you. But
just be there when he’s ready. He’ll come to you. I know he will.
He sees his salvation in you.”

The question was, salvation from what?

* * *

Mark heard voices coming from his bedroom and made
his way down the hall.

“Karma?
Mamma?
”

It took a moment for an answer to come, and
then his mom said, “In here, Marcus.”

His steps quickened until he reached his old
bedroom and pushed open the door. Karma and his mom were sitting on
the couch he’d fallen asleep on many times in his youth while
studying. Two half-eaten pieces of cake sat on his old desk.

“What are you two up to in here?”

His mom stood and gave Karma a wink. “Just
getting to know my future daughter-in-law better. You’ve kept her
hidden from me far too long, honey. Shame on you for that.” She
gave his arm a gentle swat. “But we had a fabulous visit, didn’t
we, dear.”

With a nod, Karma smoothed her palms down her
pant legs. “Yes. It was very . . . educational.”

He frowned and cast a suspicious glance
between them. “Okay, what were you two really talking about up
here?”

“You know better than to ask your
madre
such a question,” his mom said, playfully chastising
him. Then she turned toward Karma, patting her hand. “Just a little
girl talk, right?”

Karma stood and joined him, wrapping her arm
around his, and shared a secret glance with his mom. “That’s right.
Girl talk. Top secret stuff.”

Something about the way her eyes sparkled
made him smile. She looked utterly adorable. Coquettish yet
innocent, a combination that always lit his fire.

His mom gathered the plates and carried them
to the door. She stopped, stacked one plate on top of the other,
and put her hand on the doorknob. “I’ll leave you two alone.” She
pulled the door closed.

As soon as the latch clicked, he pulled her
against his body. His conversation with Rob dissipated in a blink,
leaving only his love and the intense chemistry he and Karma
shared. She was his home base in a game of hide-and-seek. The place
he could come back to time and again and find safety from the shit
running after him from his past.

Her compassionate gaze, so full of love, met
his. Whatever she and his mom had talked about had hushed whatever
discontent was left over from his surprising announcement last
night and his continued avoidance of the subject of their wedding
date today.

“I told you my mom would like you.” His arms
settled around her waist, holding her close.

Her palms skimmed up his chest, coming to
rest just below his shoulders. “I think I’m her new best friend.”
She let out a soft laugh. “She seems very happy we’re engaged.”

His mom had witnessed in one way or another
the residual effects of Carol’s betrayal, including the long string
of women he’d dated but never let himself get involved with beyond
a certain point. For her, seeing him finally settling down was
probably an answer to a prayer.

“I think she was beginning to think I would
never fall in love again.” He sighed. “And, honestly, so did
I.”

She snuggled closer, pressing her pert
breasts against his chest. “Only because you wouldn’t allow
yourself to love and be loved.”

Trailing the tip of his finger down her
exposed shoulder, he pushed the loose fabric of her blouse even
lower, revealing more skin. “I didn’t allow it with you, either,
but you got through anyway. I still fell in love with you.” He
tucked his chin, bringing his face within an inch of hers.
“Hard.”

Her fingers linked at the back of his neck
and pulled him even closer as she turned her face up to his. The
moment her lips brushed over his, a waterfall of heat poured over
his body. His eyes drifted shut, and his arms coiled tighter around
her lithe form.

He deepened the kiss and sought her tongue
with his, inhaling her breath. And again, deeper still, he invaded
her mouth, his arousal rapidly rising. When she moaned a moment
later, hot shivers danced down his spine straight into his
scrotum.

He pulled away, already breathless, his right
hand under the back of her shirt, pressed firmly against her
skin.

“You ready to leave?”

She nodded, bottom lip caught between her
teeth.

“Me, too.” Searching her face, he forced
himself to take a step back and wrapped his hand around hers.
“Let’s go back to the hotel so I can show you just how hard I’ve
fallen.”

“I’d like that.” She hesitated, blinking up
at him, eyes doe like and beguiling. “Maybe we
can . . . you know . . . rent a
movie?” Her eyebrows rose suggestively.

“What? You mean, like a dirty one?”

She nodded, her cheeks flushing red as she
lowered her eyelids a split second before she ducked her head and
tucked it against his chest.

He chuckled, stroking her hair. “It’s too
late to go all shy on me now,” he said. “You’ve already planted the
seed. This is a done deal.”

He’d thought she wasn’t interested in
pursuing the fantasies they’d discussed, but maybe Rob was right.
Given her bashful reaction just now, perhaps she’d just needed time
to adjust to the idea. After all, watching a dirty movie was her
fantasy, and if acting on her own fantasy made her behave this
shyly, he could only imagine how she felt about acting on his.

“I know.” Her voice was muffled against his
shirt, and she giggled nervously.

Pulling away, he placed his thumb and
forefinger under her chin and tilted her head so he could look into
her eyes.

“Why are you so nervous? This was
your
fantasy.”

“I know it was, but . . .” She
fought back another giggle, pressing her lips together. “I’ve just
never watched a dirty movie with someone else in the room.
It’s . . . just . . . this is going
to be—”

He placed his fingertips over her mouth.
“Sexy as hell. That’s what it’s going to be.”

She blushed and lowered her eyelids. Then she
lifted her gaze to his again, her long, delicate lashes framing her
pale-green eyes. “You make it sexy.”