So she would be doing him a favor? By what? Being his decoy? A shield?
No. No. No.
She wasn’t comfortable with any of those titles. Elena had enough of her own secrets. She didn’t need to be drawn into anyone else’s drama.
The past few months in Paris had consisted of making one bad decision after the other. It had gotten to the point where she had no faith in her own judgment. And now that she was pregnant, she had to make the right decisions. There was an innocent baby counting on her. She had mixed emotions about her unexpected condition. How could she tell Luca she was pregnant when she didn’t even know how she felt about it?
That was why her mother’s request for her to return home couldn’t have come at a better time. She had hoped some downtime would clear her head. At the time, she’d had absolutely no idea that Annabelle was having a big celebration or that she would include Elena in the festivities.
Her gaze landed on Luca. He looked uncomfortable and anxious to be anywhere but here. Things had definitely changed between them. Where there had once been an easiness, there was now this crackling tension. If she needed any confirmation that they could never go back to how they used to be, this was it.
Tonight, she would be nervous enough being a guest at the palace. She really didn’t need the added awkwardness she felt around Luca. If only he wasn’t so insistent on being a gentleman and escorting her.
“I’m not quite ready to go.” When he didn’t say anything, she added, “I don’t want to make you late.”
“I don’t mind waiting,” he said. “It’ll give me some more time to talk with your mother.”
Her mother smiled. “And I just made a fresh batch of those amaretto cookies that you enjoy.”
“They’re my favorite,” Luca said. “And I haven’t had them in a very long time. You really are the best in the kitchen.”
Her mother shook a finger at him. “You have grown up to be quite a flatterer. I’ll just go get you a few.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll join you.”
Her mother nodded and set off for the kitchen with Luca following closely behind. Elena stood alone in the entryway. What exactly had just happened?
CHAPTER TWO
LUCA COULDN’T TAKE his gaze off her.
Had Elena always been this beautiful?
Thankfully she’d turned her head to stare out the car’s window at the passing fields of wildflowers while in the background the setting sun painted the sky with streaks of orange, pink and purple. But tonight Luca was in no mood to appreciate nature’s beauty.
In the weeks since he’d last seen her in Paris, he’d convinced himself that everything about their evening together had been blown out of proportion by the champagne. He just couldn’t accept that he was attracted to his childhood friend. He couldn’t allow that to happen, because they could have no future.
He wasn’t into commitments.
Not now. Not ever.
But there was something about Elena that pulled at him...even to this day.
And then he remembered how he’d woken up the morning after they’d made love and heard Elena sniffling. The sound had ripped him apart. No one had ever cried after spending the night with him. And the fact that it was Elena, of all people, made the situation so much worse.
He hadn’t moved for an indeterminable number of minutes. Her muffled sobs had sliced through him. Clearly she’d thought their night together had been a mistake. Unable to think of anything to say to comfort her, he’d continued to breathe deeply as though he’d still been asleep. Each breath had been painful, as his entire body was tense. The memory was still so crystal clear.
He had done that. He had made Elena cry. And he felt awful.
If only he hadn’t let things get out of hand. But he’d thought she’d been having a good time. Still, he should have resisted kissing her. He should have made their friendship the priority. If he’d been thinking clearly, he would have realized there would be no coming back from holding her all night long.
He swallowed hard as the limo glided through the estate to the palace. The ride only took a couple of minutes, but with Elena so close to him, time seemed to stand still. For the first time, he wasn’t sure what to say or what to do.
Boy, he’d really messed things up between them. He resisted the urge to rake his fingers through his hair. He needed to look his best for the professional photos his sister would undoubtedly insist upon.
On second thought, this date is not a good idea.
Not good at all.