Summer Sins

‘If this is true, then why didn’t you tell me the night I told you about my past?’

She looked at him with a dull light dimming her eyes. ‘Would you have listened, would you have believed me? It would have sounded just as fantastic then.’

Then she remembered something he’d said and her face paled even more with the hurt that sliced through her. ‘And if you think that I could ever admire someone who could do something like that, then you don’t know me at all.’ She emitted a harsh sound somewhere between a laugh and a moan. It was a sound of pain, if Dante could only recognize it, but Alicia knew he wouldn’t.

‘Actually, do you know what, it’s not even about knowing me, the truth is—you don’t want to know me. All you want is a body in your bed.’

He took a step forward and opened his mouth to speak but just then his mobile rang shrilly in his pocket. With a grunt of irritation he plucked it out and answered it, his eyes never leaving Alicia’s face. ‘Si …’

All she heard was rapid incomprehensible Italian, she turned away, wrapping her arms around herself and thinking of how she would try to get a flight tomorrow—get away. After hearing what Dante had been through, she could understand where his mistrust stemmed from. She knew now that that woman had taken his heart and crushed it to pieces before he’d had a chance to experience real love. She felt weary; she was obviously not the woman who could unlock his heart. There were too many awful similarities. It was cruel how the divine forces had brought them together.

‘Alicia.’

She turned and opened her mouth, about to ask him to just let her go to bed—without him—and closed it again. His face looked bleak and had a completely different expression. Immediately adrenalin flowed through her.

‘It’s Melanie, isn’t it? Something’s wrong.’

He put out a hand to her shoulder and she flinched. He winced.

‘Tell me.’

‘She’s been rushed into the clinic; they have to do an emergency Caesarean section.’

Her hand went to her chest. ‘But she’s only seven and a half months pregnant.’

She swayed and Dante put his arm around her, the abject fear and worry on her face mocking him and his obstinate suspicions. In that instant many things became clear to him and yet … so much was still obscured, but it would all have to wait now.

He helped her from the room, made her put on something more practical and within the hour they were taking off for England.

By the time they reached the clinic the early morning rush hour was starting to clog the autumnal London streets. Alicia didn’t wait for her door to be opened; she ran from the car, straight inside. When she found the room, she burst in to find Melanie and Paolo holding hands, their faces wreathed in tired smiles.

She felt weak and had to cling to the door for support. Melanie was obviously exhausted but stretched out a hand, tears glistening in her eyes. ‘Lissy, you’re an aunt. You’ve got a beautiful baby niece called Lucia. She’s tiny but strong, a little fighter. She’s going to be fine.’

Alicia hugged Melanie so tight that she had to pull back for fear of hurting her. ‘Oh, Mel, I’ve never been so worried in all my life …’

‘We didn’t bother calling because we knew you and Dante were on the way.’

Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks. Her sister seemed so different, so grown up … and so did Paolo, he looked like he’d become a man since she’d seen him last.

A shadow darkened the door. Dante. Alicia couldn’t look. She barely heard Melanie telling Dante that he was an uncle, blissfully unaware of Dante’s suspicious mind that would doubt the outcome until he had the results of the paternity test. The man had so many reasons to be mistrustful, but Alicia couldn’t forgive him, not yet. Not when she knew he was going to put them through this final test.

She focused on Melanie and barely noticed Paolo leave the room to talk to his brother.

When Paolo came out into the corridor Dante was struck initially by how much more mature he seemed. Paolo stood in front of him, tall and proud and distant, and, for the first time, Dante regretted that he had been the one to put that distance there. Ever since his experience with Sonia he’d protected Paolo, dreading the day he too would be taken in. And he’d thought that, despite his best efforts, he had, but now …

‘I’d like you to see something, Dante.’

He nodded and followed his brother down the corridor but then suddenly Paolo stopped in his tracks and looked at him.

‘You don’t even know how I met Melanie, do you?’ Paolo answered himself with a sharp laugh. ‘Of course not. You don’t know that it wasn’t even at work. We actually met at a fundraiser for your charity … do you remember? Late last year when you were in South America for a few weeks and you asked me to be your envoy. She was there, Dante, because she does charity work in her spare time with a local orphanage that we subsidise. And do you know why?’

Dante could feel himself going pale, a sick feeling spreading outwards from his chest. He couldn’t keep pretending to himself any more that it wasn’t true.

But Paolo continued, oblivious. ‘Because Melanie grew up in an orphanage too, Dante. With Alicia. Their mother left them, just like ours did.’ His young mouth twisted and Dante hated to see the cynicism in his eyes. ‘No doubt you don’t believe that, though, probably think it’s too convenient—’

‘Paolo, stop.’ His brother’s words were too painfully reminiscent.

Paolo closed his mouth.