Page 54 of Hidden Heir, Italian Wife

Bree rose early to open the doors to the terrace and stepped out to a view of palm trees, a sugar-white beach and the surreal blue the Caribbean waters were famed for.

“I forgive you for making me come here,” she said over her shoulder.

“Enough to come back to bed?”

She crawled onto him and they lazily made love.

Later, when they had eaten, they walked along the beach holding hands like honeymooners. Bree was in a white dress that caressed her legs. Jax wore cropped linen trousers and an open shirt and such an air of ease, she fell in love with him all over again.

“This is a bad precedent to set. I may start pitching more tantrums if this is what my time-out looks like.”

An easy smile touched his lips, but his eyes remained hidden by his sunglasses.

“I have an ulterior motive.”

“Is it more sex? Because we already need an intervention.”

“We do.” His slow smile was deeply satisfied. “And, believe me, I’ve considered what the impact will be on that when I tell you what I’m thinking. I was going to wait until I’d buttered you up more.” He stopped walking.

She turned to face him, catching at her sun hat as she tilted her head up, curious.

“I want to ask when we might try for another baby.”

“Oh.” She blinked behind her own sunglasses. It wasn’t as though she didn’t think about it every day when she took her pill, but things had felt so nascent between them. She hadn’t felt ready to put more stress on such a new relationship.

She hadn’t been sure they would last. That was the stark truth. Why put two children through a breakup when she could keep it to one?

“I have an idea what I’m asking,” he said when she didn’t say anything. “Easy-peasy for me, but it’s nine months of discomfort for you and a not-fun time at the end. But… This isn’t a guilt trip.” He gave her upper arms a light squeeze. “I really wish I’d known Sofia from the beginning. That I’d seen her come into this world and—Bree.”

She pulled away, arms crossed defensively as she turned to face the water.

“That’s not a condemnation. I understand why you didn’t tell me about Sofia. I really do. The way your father treats you is unconscionable. You deserve better.” He stole her hat and set his forearm across her collarbone, drawing her into the solidness of his strong frame.

“I shouldn’t let it bother me.”

“You’re allowed to be angry, Bree. You’re allowed to be hurt. Have you got back to them?”

“No.” She was waiting until she’d activated her new phone and had put that off while they’d been traveling. “I know why she asked. I’ve arranged discounts in the past, when they went on vacation. WBE has a family thing as long as I do the booking.”

“Did they invite you to go with them on those vacations?”

“Yes. I went a few times, but it was a lot of work with Sofia being so young. Eventually, it was easier to book it for them and bank the favor in case Sofia needed a doctor.”

“Speaking as your husband, I think you should tell them to go to hell. Speaking as a Visconti executive, we offer a similar perk to employees. If you want to ask the Event Coordinator in DC to get in touch with them and give them a quote, I’m willing to sign off on an appropriate discount. Having said that, I will also back you up if you want to tell them you’re no longer employed directly by WBE or Visconti and are therefore no longer eligible.”

“If I cut the cord, it’s cut. No going back.” Something in her tightened with resistance, hanging on out of habit, even though she was exhausted from clinging to it. “I’ve always thought that as long as I kept trying, kept communication open…” She clenched her eyes shut, refusing to let the sting of her gathering tears leak out. “I feel so pathetic for continuing to hope. I don’t give up on people, Jax. I know you think I don’t trust you enough, that I’m not committed enough, but I commithard.”

“I know.” The hand that held her hat came across her stomach. His arms closed tighter around her, holding her together as she drew shaken breaths.

“If I throw that relationship away, what does it say about who I am? I don’t leave just because things are hard. Having a baby is hard, you know,” she said over her shoulder. “They never let you sleep and worry you to death. Sofia is false advertising. She walks and talks and is out of diapers, but that first year is stressful.”

“I know you’re scared that I won’t be there for our children. I’m only asking you to think about it.”

“I think about it all the time,” she admitted, letting her head tilt against his shoulder. “Can we discuss it after I’ve decided what to do with my father?”

“Of course.” He touched his lips to her temple. “But let’s forget about him for now.”

They did. For the next few days, they did little but walk and swim and sightsee. They shopped aimlessly, and she made him take her to lunch at the WBE resort, which Jax had to concede was an excellent meal. They napped whenever they felt like it, enjoyed intimate dinners at sunset, and made love often.

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