But that was nothing compared to the unpredictability of her baby’s father, Hana thought. As they stood in the small, crowded street, filled with pastel-colored shops, outrageously dressed mannequins, toy shops, fashionable high schoolers, so vibrant and young, Hana looked up at Antonio’s darkly handsome face.
“All right, we’re alone. What do you want?”
“Not yet,” he said grimly, glancing behind them. Following his gaze, she saw Ren’s face watching from the hotel lobby. A group of laughing girls walked by, wearing bold clothes and makeup, their eyes lingering on Antonio’s handsome face and powerful frame. He said grimly, “Let’s go where it’s not so crowded.”
Hana followed him down the small street to a larger avenue. Passing Harajuku Station, they crossed a bridge into a large, beautiful park. They walked some distance in silence, through a forest, past an
impressive shrine.
Hana took a deep breath of the cool, fragrant air, feeling the dappled warmth of the spring sun on her face, beneath the pink-and-white flowering cherry trees. She realized she was trembling as she waited for him to speak. Why? What more could Antonio possibly say to hurt her?
Nothing. Whatever it was, she told herself she wouldn’t care.
Finally stopping in a quiet clearing, he turned to face her. “What did you tell Tanaka about me?”
“The truth,” she said.
Antonio tilted his head. His black eyes were glinting in the sun, the hard line of his jaw already growing dark with five o’clock shadow. “That I was a heartless monster who seduced you, got you pregnant and then abandoned you?”
“I didn’t tell him you seduced me.” She set her jaw. “Is that why you tracked me across Tokyo? To give me a hard time for sobbing on a friend’s shoulder?”
His dark eyes flashed. “Friend?” he repeated incredulously. “The man’s in love with you!”
She could hardly deny it, not when Ren had acted like she was his personal property. She looked away. “I... I don’t know what that’s all about. We’ve been friends since childhood.”
“Is he your lover?”
Hana glared at him. “Don’t be ridiculous! He’s like a brother to me!”
“He wasn’t looking at you like a brother.”
Was that jealousy she heard in Antonio’s voice? No—impossible. He never cared enough about any woman to be jealous. She lifted her chin. “Why do you care?”
“I don’t.”
She felt an ache in her throat. “If you only came to yell at me, then I’m going back...”
But as she turned, he stopped her with his husky voice.
“Wait. Please.”
“Wait for what?” She lifted her chin. “For you to find new ways to insult me and hurt me? I’ve had enough of that.”
“No. Damn it.” He clawed his hand through his dark, rumpled hair. “I’m doing this all wrong. I came...” Taking a deep breath, Antonio came closer. “I came to tell you I’m sorry.”
Hana’s jaw dropped. In two years of working for him, she’d never heard him apologize to anyone. For anything.
“Sorry,” she repeated numbly.
“Yes.” He came closer, not touching her. “Please. You have to let me explain.”
Antonio Delacruz, who never explained himself to anyone, wanted to explain to her? Her mouth was dry as she said, “Go ahead.”
He stood in front of her, starkly handsome and broad-shouldered in his sleek black suit and long coat. Behind him, the park was a kaleidoscope of color, green and pink and white, beneath the sun’s golden light and bright blue sky.
His black eyes seemed strangely vulnerable, in a way she’d never seen before. “This isn’t easy.”
“Good,” she said, refusing to show him any mercy.