Page 32 of Secret Match
Caro’s voice rose. Kiwi thought she heard Gio next door. He shouldn’t have to overhear this conversation, though the idea that Gio would go to Piper if they didn’t work out played in her mind.
Would she lose him to the movie star? Piper and Jennifer were made from the same cloth and Jennifer had obviously run off Peter’s wife.
“I didn’t.” Jennifer folded her hands before her like she was praying.
Caro raised her voice. “You ruined his marriage. I don’t know why Peter is here other than the fact you’re having his baby. I’ve tried to understand you because you’re the closest thing I had to a sister as a girl, but I just can’t.”
Jennifer rubbed her rounded pregnant belly and nodded like she’d made a decision. “Fair enough. You’re right. My baby is my best weapon. I’ll tell Peter I’ll go back to Miami with him only if he marries me.”
“Seriously?” Caro looked at the ceiling. “I just want Belle back.”
Jennifer strutted toward the door but looked back at her as she said, “Kiwi, grab your chance at happiness before it slips away.”
Kiwi’s mind raced. She wasn’t a bombshell like Jennifer. She didn’t want to run off and lose out on love because someone else stepped in the way.
And if she said yes to Gio now, did that cement their relationship or was that the way to stop them from ever truly being happy?
If love existed—and maybe it did—rushing sounded like a sure-fire way to lose.
But if she lost Gio because some beautiful woman kept calling him? A small part of her brain suggested that might be a reason to just say yes.
Her mind was a whirlwind in a tornado of her thoughts.
Gio then popped his head inside the library door. “Kiwi, are you ready?”
His brown eyes seemed so big and clear, making her ache for his grounding touch. “Yes.”
She waved goodbye to Caro and headed out.
As soon as he took her hand, she knew she liked being in his arms. But was this love? Or was she just being a fool, wanting to wait to see if she could have it all when she wasn’t sure “having it all” was possible... If she said yes to his proposal now, did that make her the kind of woman she never wanted to be?
She followed him outside. Hopefully she could clear her thoughts, fast.
Chapter 12
Gio Morgan’s rough hands had a few nicks from stitching together a collar-point sample for Victoria in his at-home conference room, but now that he held Kiwi’s hand, life was calmer. As he stood and opened the window in his office, he took a deep breath of air and let the scent of his vineyards wash through him though today had an extra fragrance—Kiwi’s rose perfume made everything more special.
Kiwi closed the office door behind them. He turned when Kiwi tugged his arm and said, “Can we go up to the room for a minute?”
“Sure.” He walked beside her as they headed through the house and toward the stairs. “What’s going on?”
Her brow wrinkled. “I left the engagement ring on the nightstand.”
“Don’t worry about that.” The Morgan clan didn’t need to steal, and his staff had been with him for years. Kiwi’s concern was good if they were anywhere else though so he gently said, “I’m sure it’s fine, but let’s put it in the drawer.”
“Not a safe?” They entered the bedroom suite and she let out a huge sigh as she picked up the ring.
For one second, he thought she might put it on, but then she carefully put it away in the nightstand drawer.
He leaned against the doorframe and waited for her. “My staff is very reliable. When you say yes to my proposal, we’ll get you a safe for all of your jewelry.”
She closed the drawer and her hand rested on her heart. “I don’t have much.”
Eventually she’d understand his world, and how innocent her words were. His entire body hardened so he stood taller to change his mood. “I’ll buy you plenty.”
There was a bounce in her stride as she stood in front of him at the door. “You don’t have to.” He stepped back and waited for her to walk beside him. Once they were in the hall again, she asked, “How did the meeting with Victoria go?”
Without intending to do more than talk, Gio and his sister had engaged in a fast idea exchange where they put together a mock-up of his suit with one of Caro’s dresses and they both made suggestions that were on par with symmetry and matching the shoulder angles of the shirts. He thought they’d sit and talk numbers, as Victoria claimed to not be a designer. However she had insight and if he’d known her growing up, they might have actually gotten along. Working with his half-sister could be very good if they respected each other, but for now he’d keep his focus on business.
