The Italian's Unexpected Heir

Enzo sat beside her. “This isn’t your fault. This is totally on that reporter’s shoulders.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“About the interview and this write-up? No.”

She noticed how he singled out the article, but he hadn’t said anything about the baby. She couldn’t stand the unknown. She needed to know where they stood. “And the baby? Are you mad at me?”

“Did you intentionally get pregnant?” His gaze searched hers, as though seeking out the truth.

“No. I wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“Then there’s no reason to be mad at you. But I am mad at myself for letting things get out of control and putting us both in this difficult position.”

She reached out to him, touching his arm. “You can’t take on all of the blame. I started everything by kissing you.”

Pain and regret were evident in his eyes as he pulled away from her touch. “But I shouldn’t have acted on it. This is all my fault—”

“Stop.” Her voice was firm. “We aren’t going to play the blame game. What’s done is done. We just have to figure out how to move forward.”

Enzo sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re right. Why don’t we start with breakfast?”

“Not yet. We haven’t finished talking.”

“Just tell me what you want me to do.”

“I don’t expect anything from you.”

“Except not to sell the estate.” Enzo frowned. “What I don’t get is why you care so much if I keep this place or not.”

“Because there’s something about this estate...an ease...a hominess...that draws me in. It’s so easy to imagine all the happy memories within the walls of the main house. It’s something a lot of people strive for all of their lives. But you have it all, right here.”

“What I have is a house of lies. Looking back, I can’t tell what was true and what was just a well-crafted lie by my parents. This house is where I let down my sisters. It is my biggest failure.”

She paused, considering her next words. “After my mother died, I lost our house. I was so far behind in the payments that it was only the bank’s goodwill that let my mother stay there until the end. But after that I was out the door. I was homeless. I never knew where I was going to sleep. But thanks to some amazing friends, I only spent a night or two without a roof over my head.”

“You never told me that before.”

She glanced down at her clasped hands. “I’ve never told anyone. It’s not something I’m proud of.”

That made him stop short. His gaze met hers. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, everything you did for your mother took incredible strength and love. It didn’t end the way you wanted but you did a remarkable thing.”

Heat rushed to her cheeks. He made it sound like she did something other people in her position wouldn’t have done. She didn’t think that was the case.

“Thank you but I just did what I had to do.”

* * *

The wedding was over.

The guests were gone.

And the villa had been put back to rights.

Late Saturday afternoon, Sylvie was exhausted. Even though it had been an intimate morning wedding with just family and close friends, there had still been an abundance of details to see to. It was a bittersweet moment for her as the wedding had been a smashing success, but it was also the last wedding she’d ever hold on the Bartolini estate.

With this mix of emotions churning within her, she felt restless. She needed some fresh air. A stroll would give her a chance to sort out all she needed to do once she moved to Florence. Because come the morning, whether she wanted to or not, it was time to move on—without Enzo.

He’d be there for the baby, of that she didn’t doubt, but he wouldn’t be there for her, not like the close friend he’d come to be over this past year. And maybe that was for the best. Because if she truly let a man into her life, she needed him to be there out of love, not obligation.