Page 7 of The Sweet Life

In reaction to that smooth, deep voice, butterflies danced in Gia’s stomach, and her face became embarrassingly warm. It happened every time she was in the same room with Flynn Monroe. He didn’t even have to touch her or speak to her. A simple look from across the room, and she reacted like a starry-eyed teenager in the throes of her first crush.

She glanced up, her eyes meeting his. The man was as breathtakingly beautiful as their daughter. She groaned inwardly. She had to stop thinking of Willow astheirdaughter. Gia might have raised Willow as her own, but Flynn and Cami were her biological parents. Cami was Gia’s younger sister, which meant the man was off limits.

Completely off limits, even in your dreams, she reminded herself while trying, and failing, to draw her gaze from his. After learning the other night that he was coming home for the summer to help out his father, she’d dreamed that Willow was her and Flynn’s daughter, instead of his and Cami’s.

“Gia?” he said, his brow furrowed.

Luckily for her, her deeply tanned olive skin ensured her now-burning cheeks would be barely noticeable. “Sorry.” She forced her gaze from his, nodding in her oldest daughter’s direction. “I’m worried about Sage. She was close to Alice.”

“Willow mentioned that when she called about the search. I was with a team near the beach when we got word they’d found Alice. I thought I’d check on all of you before heading to the hospital.”

It wasn’t fair that the man was as caring and thoughtful as he was gorgeous. “How is Amos? Willow said the surgery went well.” Flynn’s father had broken his hip in a fall earlier in the week.

“His surgery did go well. It’s keeping him in the hospital, that’s the problem. They want him to stay another two days, and he’s threatening to sue if they don’t release him.”

“Are you going to give in and bring him home?” It’s what she would do if it were her mother. Over the years, they’d discovered it was easier to give in to Carmen than to fight with her.

“No way. I’m going to enjoy the next couple of days without him.” He grinned. “I’ve shocked you, haven’t I?”

“No. I’m impressed. If Carmen ever breaks her hip, we’ll call you when she tries to sign herself out, which would probably be five minutes after surgery.”

“I think your mother might be a harder case than Amos.”

Gia could almost guarantee that her mother would be putty in Flynn Monroe’s hands. Carmen thought the man could do no wrong, which was high praise coming from a woman who had a low opinion of most men.

“You’re probably right,” Gia said. “Willow mentioned you were doing some work at Amos’s to get the house ready to bring him home?” It was embarrassing how Gia’s ears perked up at the mere mention of Flynn.

“She’s ruining my reputation as the coldhearted son leaving his father to languish in the hospital while he’s having a good time with the ladies in Sunshine Bay.”

Gia laughed. “Is that what he’s telling everyone at the hospital?”

“He is, and he’s obviously convincing because I’ve been pulled aside by his—”

“Hey, Dad,” Willow said, interrupting Flynn. “Thanks for coming.”

It still surprised Gia to hear Willow call FlynnDad. He hadn’t pressured or cared what she’d called him. He’d been happy to play whatever role in her life Willow wanted him to. But it became apparent early on in their relationship that Flynn, who had two other daughters and a son, took his newly discovered responsibility to Willow seriously.

“No problem. I’m just sorry it didn’t have a happy outcome.”

Willow glanced in the direction of her sister, who’d stepped back from Jake, nodding at whatever he was saying to her. “Me too. Losing Alice, especially like this, will be really hard on Sage.”

“Losing someone you love is never easy,” Flynn said. He spoke from experience. He’d lost his wife five years ago.

Willow gave him a side hug. “I’m sure it’s not, but Sage knows we’re here for her, so hopefully that helps.”

“I’m sure it will,” Flynn said.

Gia hoped they were right. “I’m going to ask Sage to spend the night, honey. I thought we could have a family dinner at the restaurant, just us girls.”

Her daughter wrinkled her nose. “I wish I could come, but I have a meeting with Cami and Hugh about the movie.”

Gia’s sister had sold her memoir for a substantial advance last fall and had completed the manuscript in early April. Cami’s boyfriend Hugh, an Oscar-winning director, had optioned the movie rights.

“Surely they can move the meeting to a more convenienttime given the circumstances.” Her tone was sharper than she’d intended. From her daughter’s sigh, she’d picked up on it.

While everyone else had forgiven Cami and welcomed her back into the family fold, Gia hadn’t been able to bring herself to forget the pain her sister had caused, especially to Willow and her. But her daughter was too young to remember. Willow was also kind and forgiving, never held a grudge, and found something good in everyone she met. Since those weren’t typical Rosetti traits, Gia figured Willow must have inherited them from her father, who at that moment was glancing from Gia to his daughter with a frown on his handsome face.

“Your mother is right, Will. I’m sure Hugh and Cami would understand. It’s a little early for promotional talks anyway, isn’t it?”

---