Italian Billionaire's Stubborn Lover (The Romano Brothers 1)

Standing outside the Romano del Mare, he studied it. From outside and at a distance, the resort still looked strong and sturdy. She had stood against sea storms and had weathered the tread of thousands upon thousands of feet. Yet, she looked tired now. Her

windows were cracked. Those that were broken out had ugly plastic taped up in their place. The light pink of the plaster had faded over time and now looked an uninviting beige. Weeds had taken over planted flowers, and the dock was crumbling.

Inside the old building, he knew that things were not any better. The wiring was frayed in places and was now a fire hazard. Sections of floor had rot and needed to be replaced, not to mention the multitude of broken tiles. The soddering of the original pipes had used lead and the entire plumbing system needed to be updated. The boiler no longer worked and had to be replaced. The list of updates went on and on, and even the basic repairs would tally into the hundreds of thousands, if not more.

He shook his head. “The first good thing I’ve had in my life in a long time, and I’m going to lose her over a building.” His thumb rubbed the smooth face of his cell phone where it was tucked away in his pants pocket. The temptation to call his brothers to tell them that the plan had changed—that they would be restoring the Romano del Mare instead of selling her—balanced on the tip of his awareness, yet in the end he turned his back and walked to his car. He hadn’t built his fortune by letting his heart rule his head. He wished things could work out—that he could keep Adeline and the resort and his successful jet-setting lifestyle—but it just wasn’t possible.

He took his time driving the winding road back to the Verdura Resort and allowed his dour thoughts to chase themselves round and round within his head. Then, when he was finally back in his room, he sat down at the small table on his veranda and once more opened the little memory box that held the knick knacks of his past. He stared at a picture of a boy that he believed to be himself, splashing water on a little girl. He smiled, wondering if there was any chance that that little girl had been Adeline. Maybe they were destined to meet, and it was the Romano del Mare’s job to bring them together.

“And maybe I’m losing my mind,” he whispered.

Nicolo’s phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket to see Adeline’s name flashing on its screen. His smile was instantaneous.

“Ciao, bedda!” he said as the video call brought her lovely face into view.

“Ciao,” Adeline said, but she did not mirror his smile or joy.

I can’t have lost her already! I’ve only just found her.

“Bedda, I was thinking about you and those adventures you’re wanting. What if I take you to some of my favorite places this weekend?” To his immense relief, Adeline’s features softened to allow a delicate smile, but it faded as fast as it had come.

“I’ve gotten a call from Giro.” It was the unenthusiastic buyer who Adeline had arranged.

Surprise shot through Nicolo with a flash of adrenaline.

“He is offering 15 million euro,” Adeline continued.

Just as quickly, the adrenaline vanished, leaving him feeling drained and empty in its absence. “Oh.” It was far from the most eloquent of responses, but it was all that his conflicted mind would allow. Three million euro short of being able to cover the fines…

“I actually believe that it is a fair offer for the Romano del Mare in her current state.” Yet, even Adeline's beautiful features looked strained as if the news did not sit well with her either.

In the resort's current state… The words bounced off the insides of Nicolo’s head to crash into other words such as hopeless, legacy, and family. “And they will restore the Romano del Mare instead of tear her down?”

“I’m not sure that we would be able to get them to agree to make that a stipulation of the sale, but I do believe that is their intent.”

“So, someone else would fix the Romano del Mare,” Nicolo said more to himself than to Adeline. He sat back in his chair and sank into his own thoughts. “Would they want to keep the name?” he asked.

Adeline’s brows lifted. “I’m not sure, but I think that they might.”

My family name on a business being run by somebody else. His family had been down that road before, and it had literally ended in disaster. It was one thing for the Romano del Mare to be empty and in ruins, but what if the resort that the new owner put together became a joke to everyone who came to it… or worse yet, a joke to the locals? The island had many, many ruins. There was nothing shameful in being a ruin, but it was shameful to be less than great.

Then there was the issue of his family name. His family’s reputation would be damaged for generations. The Romanos would forever be associated with a resort that had once been the essence of Sicily but had been allowed to fall into disgrace. The story of the Romano del Mare would become a morality tale, a warning to other families to be careful when selecting who would carry on the legacy of their name.

“I can’t do it,” Nicolo said, surprising himself. He shook his head. “I can’t let the Romano del Mare go yet. I will fix it… some,” he quickly added. “I will fix it enough.” Enough for what, he didn’t know. He only knew that he wasn’t ready to let go.

It was not lost on him that his need to hold on to the Romano del Mar was so strong while he was looking at Adeline. The two were now intrinsically meshed together for him. If he wanted to care for and nurture his relationship with Adeline, he had to care for and nurture the Romano del Mare. He saw that now.

I will do it for you, t’amu… I’ll make the Romano homestead great once more.

9

Nicolo

“Are you sure?” Adeline asked, her face alight with excitement.

“I have never been more unsure of anything in my life,” Nicolo answered with a laugh, “but it feels right.”

“I can help you. I’ve made all kinds of notes.” Adeline’s image was bouncing up and down on Nicolo’s little screen, and it made him happier than he ever imagined anything could.