“And then what?”
“In the morning I plan to buy a car. By afternoon I’ll meet with an attorney to expedite the divorce. Don’t worry about anything. My grandparents are kind people who’ve given me the breathing room I’ve needed. I couldn’t ask for better. They love you and will supply you with the best counsel available.”
He opened the door. “With that said, I’ll say good-night. As of now, you’re free to embrace the life you were meant to live. In case you didn’t know it before, I’ll tell you now. You are the best.”
* * *
Through blurry eyes Luna watched her husband leave. He’d delivered his ultimatum. She’d known no power under heaven would cause him to change his mind. If she’d told him they were going to have a baby, that would have hastened his exit from the room. His guilt over divorcing her would increase. The last thing she wanted to do was overwhelm him. The revelation they were expecting would have to come later when she could think.
An hour passed while she toyed with the one what-if idea she’d been entertaining in her mind. He’d thrown down the gauntlet, but unlike the knights of old, he didn’t expect her to pick it up.
Luna had news for him.
Considering she had nothing to lose, she got to her feet and started for the entrance, determined like she’d never before been in her life.
“Rini?” She knocked on the guest bedroom door.
“Come in,” sounded his deep voice.
Surprised it was that easy to gain access to his new inner sanctum, Luna entered the room. He’d propped himself on top of the bed with his laptop. Those long, powerful legs were visible below the hem of his robe. “If you’re here to argue with me, it would be useless.” She noticed his gaze never left the screen. He’d gone into battle mode.
“I know that. I came for a different reason.”
“What would that be?”
She sat down on the end of the bed, close enough to touch him, but she resisted the temptation. “Before you put your plans into motion tomorrow, I’d like to ask a favor of you.”
That request captured his attention. His dark head lifted, and their eyes met. Rini’s male beauty had never been more evident. “Go on.”
“Since you’ve been home from Slovenia, it dawned on me we haven’t taken a trip or been anywhere together. There’s been no time for us to relax and just have fun. Between everything, we haven’t had the opportunity to simply enjoy ourselves.”
He closed his laptop. “I wasn’t aware you wanted to get away. Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“We’ve been so busy I haven’t even thought about taking a break from routine. But since you’ve decided you want a divorce I’m hoping you’ll take me on a vacation before we go our separate ways.”
“You can leave anytime.”
“I wouldn’t want to travel alone. That wouldn’t be any fun at all.”
One black brow lifted. “You never mentioned wanting to go on a trip.”
“Where would I go? Why would I want to do anything without you?”
“You could have asked your friend Suzanne at the office.”
“No, Rini. I was too grief stricken to make any plans. But all that changed after Zigo helped me find you and bring you home. Since we’ve built a friendship over the time you’ve been here, I think we could have a terrific time together. Why not celebrate your freedom? We’ll speak Romansh to our heart’s content and forget Italian. When we get back to San Vitano, you can visit with your grandparents and tell them your future plans.”
She could hear his mind working. It was a good sign he hadn’t shut her down yet. Her heart leaped when he said, “If I were to agree, do you have a destination in mind?”
“Yes! I’d love it if we took a driving trip down through Bolzano and Venice. We could visit some wonderful little out-of-the-way spots and walk around without worrying about a schedule. I was thinking a week maybe. Does any of that appeal to you?” They’d gone to Venice on their honeymoon. This was a last-chance effort to see if anything triggered his memory.
Though he said nothing, at least he hadn’t given her an outright no yet.
“Why don’t you think about it, Rini? Tell me in the morning at breakfast. Remember it’s only an idea. I promise I won’t fall apart if the answer is no.”
Not wanting to overstay her tenuous welcome, she got off the bed and headed for the door. It delighted her that silence followed her into the hall and back down to their suite.
* * *