Page 52 of Secret Match
Anthony shocked him by saying, “I’m not. I’m going to find Belle, Peter’s first wife and I have a lead.”
From what little Gio understood, Peter’s first wife that he’d loved just walked away without a trace. Gio looked up at his bedroom window above where Kiwi still slept. He had no idea what he’d do if she left him again. His heart beat out of time. “Look, I have to go. But protect your heart, Anthony. The right girl is out there for you.”
His brother clicked his tongue. “I need to see this through, but I won’t let you down either. I’ll be there.”
Good. And maybe one of the others might talk sense into Anthony. It would be nice for all sides of his family to now meet. He hung up and saw the head housekeeper again as she led florists into the vineyard. He stopped her and asked, “Are all the flowers here?”
“This is just the first wave.” She motioned for the florists to continue forward as she then said, “We’re decorating as you ordered now.”
“Thank you.”
She walked toward the florists to direct them further in.
The sun was growing higher in the sky. Soon, Kiwi would rouse and he needed to be there. He pocketed his phone. “I’m going to wake Kiwi.”
The house was full of activity. His phone rang, and he checked the message as he made his way upstairs. Instead of his bedroom, he headed toward the nursery while he read. Finished, he poked his head in and saw Francesca holding his son in the custom-made suit he’d designed. “Is Tom ready?”
She held his son up for inspection. “Yessignore, and he looks adorable in this suit.”
He walked over and inspected. The three buttons for the look of a button-down shirt were perfectly aligned. Gio, overcome by emotion, kissed the boy’s forehead and hugged him.
Despite everything, at least Piper had done one thing right by giving him Tom. He handed the baby back to his nanny. “My son is perfect. Thank you for handling him this morning, Francesca.”
She stood in her new dress which was light blue and different than the maid’s uniform. “We will be where you told us to wait.”
“Excellent.”
Now all that was missing was Kiwi and her opinion. He walked toward his bedroom when one of the maids rushed up the stairs. He stopped and she walked over and said, “Sir, I have the dress your sister sent for Kiwi.”
He nodded at her and then said, “Everything is in place.”
“Except your bride, sir,” the maid reminded him cheekily. “Hair and makeup are ready.”
Gio didn’t need a reminder but he nodded—everyone was excited for the surprise. “I’ll wake her now. Ensure everything is ready, including breakfast. She’ll be hungry.”
Kiwi was taking care of herself during her pregnancy, but if she didn’t want to show in wedding photos, now was better than waiting. If she said no, that she didn’t love him, then he’d face the public humiliation. His heart told him he needed to take this shot as his maid stared at him and said, “Good luck.”
Finally, he closed the door and ignored the extra beat in his heart. The lights were still off. Everything could go off the rails and she had every right to leave him, again, for being presumptuous. But he had to put his heart on the line and prove himself one last time. He turned and saw her dark eyes that almost glistened as she stretched and said, “Gio, good morning. Where were you?”
Right. He slipped onto the bed that he’d left a few hours ago and pressed his shoulder against hers. “I was ordering our breakfast.”
She turned and curled her legs over his as she cupped his face. “Oh, well now that we’re up, we need to talk.”
Absolutely. He needed her to say yes today. She’d come home to him and it was time they made everything official. He nodded as she took her hand back. “Yes, we do.”
Outside the window he saw his workers setting up an arch of flowers. He jumped off the bed and pulled the curtain.
She scooted closer to him and asked, “You seem distracted? Is something happening out the window?”
If she came over, she’d see his plan before he had a chance to convince her. He sat on the bed so she’d stop getting up. “Nothing. Let’s talk.”
“Yes. Okay, so I’ll start.” She folded her hands nervously in front of her.
He glanced over at the window curtain partially open. He jumped up and said, “Wait.”
Then he raced and fully closed the curtain this time. When he turned back, her eyebrows were arched as she held out her hands for him and said, “You’re so jumpy. Don’t be nervous. Please take my hand.”
Right. He sat on the mattress. “You don’t understand.”
