Whisked Away by the Italian Tycoon

‘Yup. My mum loves the idea.’

‘So do I.’ Happiness for him swept through her, that he’d started to move on from revenge, from the emotional turmoil caused by James’s actions in life and death. Yet the happiness was tinged with sadness, because she’d hoped Luca had wanted to see her for something different.

He cleared his throat. ‘I hoped you would stay and have the very first cocktail served here.’

‘I’d like that. I wanted to talk to you as well.’ She sat down at the bar. ‘I want to thank you. For going to my parents. I’m not sure exactly what you said but it’s made a world of difference; opened up a whole new facet to my relationship with both of them.’

‘I’m glad. Truly glad.’

‘I think things will be different from now on. They actually turned up together, said it was their way of showing me that they truly wanted to try and change things up. I’m going to spend some time in Mumbai with my dad on our own and then stay with the family. My mum said she knows she can’t change the past but she hopes she and I can spend a lot more time together and she offered to not go to Derek’s—her current husband’s—film premiere so she could be with me instead. I told her there was no need, but I appreciated the offer. Anyway, she took me on a girls’ day out—hence the new look.’ She glanced down at her outfit, aware she was talking too much but she couldn’t stop. ‘We had a lot of fun...massages, spa, shopping and lunch. So it’s a start. Thank you.’

Because right now, whatever happened with her parents, she knew that Luca had gone the extra mile to do something for her. And that sent an appreciative glow through her veins.

‘There is no need to thank me. I wanted to do that. For you.’

The expression on his face was so genuine, so warm, that something melted inside her, urged her to throw caution to the wind and vault over the bar into his arms. No way. That would embarrass them both and there had been enough mortification to last her a lifetime. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘I was wondering—have you managed to track Jodi down? Did you meet with the Princess?’

‘No on both counts.’

Surprise widened her eyes. ‘Oh... I assumed...’

‘Once I got your email I realised exactly what I needed to do and I did it. I went to see Ava and then I flew to Mumbai to talk to your father, then I went to see your mother and here we are.’

‘But...’

Luca shook his head. ‘I will, of course, try to speak with the Princess and continue my search for Jodi. But in the end Jodi is an adult and she knows she can turn to me or our mum any time she needs to. I knew you were hurting and I wanted to—’

‘Put me first.’ The realisation cascaded over her skin and her heart sang.

‘Yes. Because that’s what you deserve, Emily. To be put first. And you didn’t deserve what I did. I should have been upfront.’

Now she reached out, a small tentative touch of his arm, revelled in the familiar hardness of muscle under her fingers. ‘It’s OK. I understand why you did it. You love your sister and you couldn’t take the risk that I wouldn’t help.’

‘That is the reason but that doesn’t make it right. Not when it hurt you, not when it made you doubt that everything else between us was real. Because it was real, Emily. All of it. I meant every word. I believe in your talent, I believe in you. I hold your grief about your baby in my own heart. Because I love you.’

There was a silence and her heart fluttered in her chest. ‘You love me?’ The words seemed impossible, words she knew he’d vowed to never say again. Yet she knew them to be true, knew this man would never say those words unless he meant them with all his heart. Because he knew the power of love, the immensity of the gift and the responsibility that went with it. For Luca love meant a promise to never leave, never abandon the other.

‘Yes, I do. I love you, with all my heart and soul. I know you may not love me back, but I want you to know how I feel. I love you. I love your courage and your strength in the face of the grief and pain you have faced. I love your sense of humour, your grace, the way you smile. I love how you feel in my arms when I wake up. I love how caring you are and how you see the world. Whether it is from behind a lens or not. I love you.’

Words welled up inside her, but she knew the most important ones. ‘I love you too, Luca. With all my heart.’

She watched as he absorbed the words and then he vaulted across the bar and pulled her close, twirled her round and then gently placed her down, still safely encircled in his arms. ‘Are you sure? After what I did?’

‘I understand what you did. Yes, it was wrong, but you also did so much that was right—you started my healing process, you made me believe in myself, listened to me, held me and you made me happy.’

His silver-grey eyes lit up. ‘I appreciate that—that you have found it in you to absolve me. Because I know what I did was indefensible; I regret it with all my heart. The idea that I hurt you, hurt the woman I love. It will not happen again. I promise you I will never lie to you again, not by omission or fact. If there is something difficult to face up to...’

‘Then we will do it together.’

‘Yes.’

‘I did not know it was possible to be this happy.’ He tipped her chin up with his finger. ‘To know I will see your face every day when I wake up and last thing before I go to sleep.’

She looked up at him, gave a small mischievous smile. ‘But surely you would prefer a different arrangement? One where we only see each other every blue moon.’

‘No. I would emphatically not prefer that.’ He tugged her closer. ‘The idea makes my blood run cold.’ Now his face became serious. ‘You changed me, Emily. When my father died I felt such an influx of emotions, and I didn’t know what to do with them. I wanted to bury them; you helped me to face them. I felt as though I had failed because I hadn’t got my revenge. You showed me it was OK to feel and how to channel that emotion, to genuinely believe it wasn’t my

fault he left. You showed me that talking about how you feel is a good thing. That feeling is a good thing. You taught me that spending time with someone, getting closer, is a risk worth taking, is fun and rewarding. Today you have shown me it is possible for me to make a mistake, do wrong and still be loved. My actions did not drive you away for ever.’