She gazed into his face. Her stomach started to churn again. And the words stuck in the back of her throat.
“Elena, you’re really starting to worry me. Nothing can be this bad.”
She nodded, trying to keep her emotions in check. “Yes, it can.”
“Whatever it is, I’m here for you. You know that.”
Her gaze rose to meet his. In his gaze, she found tenderness and warmth. She tried to impress that image upon her mind. She needed to remember this moment, because she doubted she’d see it again.
Where did she start? Did she blurt out about the pregnancy? Or did she start with the headlines? It was all such a mess.
She slipped off her shoes and started walking closer to the water. Letting the water wash over her feet always relaxed her in the past. She hoped it would do so again.
Luca walked beside her. He was quiet, as though giving her a moment to gather her thoughts. He was such a great guy. If he ever let down his guard, he’d make some woman a fantastic husband. It just wouldn’t be her. They’d given it a shot in Paris, and it hadn’t worked out. In fact, in the rays of the rising sun, it had gone from amazing to an utter disaster. The light of day had cast away all her silly romantic illusions and shed light on the stark reality—they did not belong together.
So what was she waiting for? It wasn’t like they were a couple or even had a chance at a happily-ever-after. She might as well put it all out there and let the pieces fall as they may.
She stopped and turned to him. “This morning my mother found an article about me in the tabloids.”
“And...”
She just couldn’t look him in the eyes when she admitted the next part. She didn’t want to see the disgust in his eyes. “And it had a picture of some loser kissing me. One of the headlines read, From Model to Home Wrecker!”
There was a slight pause as though he was digesting this news. “This is the guy you told me about in Paris?”
She nodded. “It’s not true.” She glanced up, willing him to believe her. “The whole thing is a twist of facts and lots of innuendo.”
“I thought you ended things with him. That’s what you said when I was in Paris.”
“I did.”
“Then how did they get a picture of you two kissing? And why is it showing up in the paper now?” Just as she predicted, his eyes were getting darker by the moment and clouds of doubt were forming.
Why did everyone in her life go for the worst-case scenario? Of course, the photo didn’t help things. Before she could mount a reasonable defense, Luca pulled out his cell phone. And thanks to the beach being part of the royal grounds, the cell reception was excellent.
She wanted to beg him not to pull up the tabloid photo and article, but her pride resisted the urge. So what if he looked? It wouldn’t change things. The tabloid was wrong. Surely he would see that. He knew her better. Knew that she would never knowingly cause problems in someone else’s marriage.
She turned to stare out at the water. Usually she found it relaxing, but not today. Today all she could think about were all the mistakes she’d made in her life. And they seemed to be escalating this year. But that was going to stop. Here. And now. She had a baby to think about. She would do well by it.
She turned back to Luca. “There’s more—”
“Did you read this?” His stormy gaze flickered to her and then back to the phone in his hand.
“It’s nothing but lies.”
“At the end, it says this jerk’s wife filed for divorce. She’s probably using this story as the basis for her multimillion-dollar settlement.”
“And?”
He slipped his phone back in his pocket and stared at her. “Did you see this guy after you and I, well, after I visited you in Paris?”
“No. Of course not. Steven fooled me once with his flattery and lies. There’s no way I would fall for his words again. I...I haven’t seen anyone since you.”
“And this story is the reason the press is at the palace gates?”
She lowered her head. “I had no idea they’d track me down here. I should leave Mirraccino.”
“I can’t think of any place better for you to be at this moment.”