Bella just shook her head, in awe of this man she loved. ‘What would you have done if you hadn’t got here in time? What if my plane had already taken off?’
‘I would have caught the next flight to New York,’ he replied without missing a beat.
‘Really?’
‘You’d better believe it. I wasn’t about to let you get away, my darling.’
Bella had never felt so loved as she did at that moment.
When they emerged from the terminal several minutes later, Bella was amazed to see Sergio’s silver Alfa Romeo waiting for them at the kerbside, a uniformed security guard holding the passenger door open for her.
‘Now there is one thing I must ask you,’ Sergio said once they were safely out of the airport and on their way, not back to Lake Como but heading for the Morelli factory. ‘Is there really a movie deal, or did you just make that up?’
‘No, it’s real all right. But they don’t need me in New York till the first of August,’ she confessed.
‘I see,’ he said thoughtfully.
‘If you don’t want me to do it, Sergio, I won’t. I’ll give up my career entirely if that’s what you want.’
His shock was genuine. ‘I would never ask that of you, Bella. That wouldn’t be right. And it wouldn’t work in the long run. You were born to perform.’
Bella bit her bottom lip as a new wave of emotion threatened to overwhelm her. How lucky was she that she had finally found that dream husband she’d always wanted and who she’d imagined did not exist.
‘I don’t have to work all the time, Sergio,’ she reassured him. ‘I will want to take lots of time off to be here in Italy with you, especially when the children come along.’
‘You do want children, then?’ he asked, sounding a little surprised.
‘I would love to have children. Especially your children.’
‘You’ve no idea how glad I am to hear that. Maria said you did but I thought she might have been getting a little carried away. Oh, dear God...’
‘What?’
‘I need to ring Maria and Jeremy and tell them everything’s sorted out between us. When I found out what had happened, I just bolted out of the place without explaining anything. Here! Take my phone and ring Jeremy. His number’s in the menu.’
* * *
Sergio couldn’t help smiling as he listened to Bella explaining everything to Jeremy. He could well imagine that doubting Thomas choking on the news that they were going to get married.
‘And tell him to tell Maria,’ Sergio said at one stage. ‘Also, we won’t be back at the villa for a while. After I do what I have to do at work, I’m taking you ring shopping.’
‘Jeremy said congratulations,’ Bella informed Sergio once she’d hung up. ‘You know, I wasn’t sure about him when he first arrived, especially after what you said about him being a Don Juan. But it’s hard not to like him, isn’t it?’
‘Yes. He’s very charming. And a very good friend. But he’s terribly cynical about love.’
‘He might surprise himself and fall in love one day. The way we did.’
‘I wouldn’t hold your breath.’
Bella nodded. ‘I suppose not everyone can be as lucky as us. Sergio, would you mind if I asked you about something I overheard Jeremy say yesterday? Nothing too bad, I assure. Just something which puzzled me at the time. And still does.’
‘Ask me whatever you like,’ he replied. ‘I want no secrets between us.’ Except perhaps my rather ruthless intentions when I first invited you to stay.
‘Okay... So how long, exactly, have you had the hots for me?’
Sergio chuckled. ‘Would you be scandalised if I told you since your sixteenth birthday?’
‘Good Lord! Truthfully?’
‘Cross my heart and hope to die.’
‘So when I kissed you and you acted like a dead fish, then you were just pretending?’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘But I don’t understand. Why did you have to pretend like that?’
‘You were my stepsister at the time. It wouldn’t have been right.’
‘I wouldn’t have minded.’
‘Your mother would have.’
‘Oh, dear heaven, my mother! Can you imagine how she’s going to react when I tell her we’re getting married? She’ll probably have a pink fit.’
‘She’ll cope, once you tell her I’m a billionaire.’