Page 217 of Falling for the Wife

“He’s your family and now the baby’s, too. He shouldn’t feel that way.” She sighed, as if my father’s actions made her feelunworthyand not the other way around. “I know it’s not my place to say this since I’m the main cause of the rift between you and your mother.” She held up her hand before I had the chance to interrupt her. “I also know you’re going to argue that, if it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t have had to go through so much. We can both agree that she’s not the warmest person, but at the end of the day, that person is still your mother. All I’m saying is, maybe you should think about mending things with her. Think about what our son will say once he realizes you don’t have a relationship with your own mother. We’ll agree to disagree on a lot of points, but what I mean is, just think about it. That’s all I’m asking.”

She was suggesting a ludicrous idea.

“Let’s not discuss this subject just yet. Everything is still fresh. The wounds haven’t healed, so I can’t fathom it just yet.” It wasn’t a direct answer, but it was better than lying.

Reconciling with my mother would be near impossible. I couldn’t forgive something so big, so massive, like it meant little to me. My mother needed to grasp how damaging her actions were. After all, if everyone turned a blind eye like my father had, she would continue meddling in my life, and that was something I couldn’t allow.

A few days later, I got a call from Lindsey Kosta inviting me to her husband’s surprise party. As much as I loved my dear friend Dimitris, the party fell on the day Kimberly’s brother was going to get the heart operation, which was a major deal for her. Even though her father would be there, she might need my support or simply someone to lean on. However, she kept arguing that there was no need for me to be there. She even dared to say I would be a nuisance because she would be too busy fretting about her brother and father, taking on tending to Gian Luca in between, so she didn’t want me bugging her. She was so adamant I somehow felt as though she would be grateful if I left.

“Are you afraid I won’t get on with your father?” I openly voiced after we’d had dinner in the kitchen. “I mean, I know he and I aren’t close, but I think he’ll warm to me. We just need time to get there; that’s all.” It wasn’t a question about being confident; it was a simple fact that any father would approve of a man who was utterly in love with their daughter.

She half laughed at my question before she sipped some water. “This isn’t about my father, Luca, and I know you two will be okay. This is me saying go have fun with your friends because life’s been tough on both sides. I won’t begrudge you some fun just because you’re tied with me and Gian Luca now. It’s truly okay. I can handle the fort while you’re away for a day. It’s no big deal. I don’t know why you’re making it into one.”

“I honestly don’t know if I want to go.” It had been about two weeks that we had been inseparable, and the thought of parting away from them even for a day killed me a little. “How about I just stay here with Gian Luca while you’re in the hospital? It’ll solve everything.”

“No, you have to go. It’s your friend’s birthday. Hopefully, once everything settles down, I will get to meet them all.” She smiled at me before dropping her head to the side to kiss my neck. “I love the way you smell after a shower. It’s highly addictive,” she grumbled and moaned at the same time.

I sighed. When she did these cute little things, there was nothing I could resist, but I must. She had just given birth, and although the thought of doing anything sexually related was heavenly, I didn’t want to push my luck just yet. I wanted to show her that, even without sex, we were in perfect harmony. And so far so good. I wasn’t about to mess that up.

So, just as she insisted, I left that Saturday morning, en route to Athens. I had barely spoken to Andrés or Jacques since the baby had come. I knew they wouldn’t let up once I saw them. I was grateful they hadn’t decided to give me a surprise visit. Those two didn’t have much time on their hands. They had been travelling everywhere for races and endorsement deals. That hadn’t stopped them from leaving voicemails and such.

I hadn’t been the same since I’d had the accident—everyone knew that. What they didn’t get was how badly I had fallen in love, too, and that I was willing to risk anything and everything to get my life in order with the woman I loved next to me. It was all I knew at this point.

The surprise party was being held on board Dimitris’s boat, which was anchored in the port of Piraeus, a town close to Athens. A lot of shenanigans had happened on Dimitris’s boat—from hardcore partying to endless womanizing to jet-skiing naked at midnight. One could say I had lived my life to the fullest, and I didn’t regret anything one bit.

Upon arrival, I was surprised that it wasn’t Lindsey who greeted me, but her good friend Trista.

“Good afternoon, Luca. We’ve met before. I’m Trista.”

“Trista, of course.” I smiled then bestowed a kiss on both of her cheeks. “It’s good to see you.”

“Same, same. Lindsey is with Dimitris. I’m hoping she’s doing a good job of distracting him before she brings him here.” She teasingly winked, as if to imply Lindsey was doing wicked things to her husband. I was sure she was. My friend had an appetite for beauty and sex—all of us knew that. So to be married to him … Well, I was sure the bedroom wasn’t a bore.

Even though I knew this boat as if it were my own, I followed Trista’s lead. She was donning a revealing black dress. Normally, like any man in the same position, I would take this opportunity to check everything from this angle, but I was surprised to find I wasn’t the least bit interested. The knowledge that my gaze wasn’t wandering even just to appreciate beauty because it only had eyes for Kimberly made me feel like a king. I was glad I only ever wanted one woman and didn’t have to worry about this particular problem later down the road.

“I don’t know if you’ve met Bass Cole and my boyfriend Taylor before.” She spoke as she stepped aside the moment we reached the stateroom that had been morphed into a lounge area with a lavish spread of aperitifs.

Bass Cole, maybe … Oh, wait. Wasn’t he the man Jacques had ticked off at his party when Emma had kissed him? Oh, yeah, the actor. I loved his movies.

“I wouldn’t say we’ve been formally introduced …” I trailed off, wondering how this night was going to transpire if Jacques decided to show his dastardly self.

From what I had gathered, Bass and Emma had gotten married, and she was pregnant or had already given birth … I hadn’t really followed when Jacques had mentioned it, so I wasn’t sure about the baby front. Well, I was hoping nothing would happen because, from what I could recall, Bass Cole had been ready to commit murder that night.

Speak of the devil…

The man strode towards me before offering his hand. “Bass Cole. You’re Luca di Medici, right? It’s good to see you’re doing well. My wife and I were watching that accident from home, and trust me, she was adamant that I make sure you’re abso-fucking-lutely fine.”

Damn. Emma and her always sweet self. I truly felt bad that I had neglected to thank her for the flowers she had sent to the hospital. At that point in time, I was past everything.

“Tell your lovely wife thank you for the flowers, and I guess congratulations are in order for the wedding and the baby. I’m glad that everything worked out.”

His grin became bigger, beyond pleased. I was glad he was a fan of racing, but the man had no idea I was a fan of a few of his movies, as well. The guy was a terrific actor; no one could begrudge him that fact. Whatever had happened between Jacques and him … Well, I hoped that was water under the bridge.

“She would’ve loved to be here, but she didn’t want to risk flying. She’ll be over the moon to know you’re well and about. You gave us quite the scare there.”

He was a great guy. It was easy to see why Emma couldn’t resist him.

No one would understand where I came from, that the accident barely bothered me. I had been in the throes of suicide in a way …

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