Page 39 of The Italian's Pregnant Enemy (A Diamond in the Rough)

“You would rather sell a lie.”

“You’re damn right I would. Instead of having... Online lists written about deadbeat billionaire father’s or whatever else.”

“I wasn’t under the impression that you cared about that kind of thing,” she said.

“I care about it in regard to my child. I will never give my child reason to doubt my care. My...my willingness to be there for them. I will never.”

“I think that you’re being—”

“Perhaps,” he said. “But if we do this wrong we cannot go back and make it right. If we do this wrong, then we cannot go back and redo it. What is out there will be out there for all the world.”

“I think the solution to that is to communicate with our child,” she said.

“You want something from me, Lyssia. You want a business deal. Fine. Marry me, and it’s yours.”

“Are you kidding me? That is the most sexist, archaic thing that I have ever heard. I have to marry you in order to get a business deal. And it isn’t going to be based on merit in any fashion.”

“Did you think that it would be? You came in here with a business plan, yes, but you also came in bound and determined to tell me exactly how it was going to be with our child. Did you think that you were going to announce you are having my baby and then my decision as to whether or not I was going to go into business with you would be neutral?”

Well, she’d thought he was reasonable, and a businessman first. Every time she’d tried to bring up the subject of her issues with her father he’d been very black-and-white about all of it. If she was cared for, why was she mad? Like the finer emotional points didn’t matter.

Given what she now knew about his childhood, she could understand that.

But still, she had expected him to take a cool approach to the idea of fatherhood. To be...appropriate, yes, but to want the bare minimum.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know how to reach you. It never occurred to me that you would want to marry me. It never occurred to me that emotion would come into a business deal at all for you.”

“You have never known me. I am not a cold man. I...”

He seemed at a loss for words, and that was an unusual thing. But did he really think he wasn’t cold? He hadn’t been during their time together, but then he’d cut her off like nothing had happened.

So yes, he could burn blazing hot, but he could definitely be cold. And his being filled with umbrage about it was a bit much for her.

“You acted as if nothing happened between us. When my father came to the house, it was like you were a stranger again.” It made her vulnerable to admit that, but he had to know. They’d always had honesty between them. Even if it was easier to play with verbal knives before they’d become lovers. And now she felt wretched and upset but she wasn’t going to lie.

“What exactly did you wish me to do? Did you wish me to lay you down across the rug as our rescuers descended upon us and give them an example of how we had spent the last days?”

“I don’t know. I wanted something. You never reach out to me.”

“And neither did you.”

“Why would I?” she asked. “It did not feel to me like there was any reason to. You were the one that said you couldn’t offer me anything. And now you’re insisting on marriage.”

“I can’t offer you what you want.”

“What did you think I wanted?”

“Most women want love,” he said, his tone flat.

She made a show of looking around the office, a hand pressed to her forehead as if she was blocking out the sun to look far and wide.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Looking for all the women you’ve no doubt slept with, to see if they’re loitering around wishing for love.”

“Of course they are not here.”

“So clearly they didn’t need love. What makes you think I do? I might not want a marriage destined to be loveless, but I never said I was sitting around waiting for you to love me.”

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