Sue MacKay - The Italian Surgeon's Secret Baby

Mattia swore. ‘That’s cruel. How did he get away with it? It shouldn’t have been his call to make.’

‘He threatened to turn Danielle out on the street if she didn’t do it. At fourteen, with no other family for support, she had no choice. The social welfare system let her down. Apparently her father charmed them into believing Danielle wanted to give her baby away.’ Elene stared at the carpet. ‘I don’t think she ever got over that.’

‘There are some real monsters out there.’

‘There are. I’ve been very lucky.’ Elene looked him in the eye. An explanation of her own wouldn’t go amiss. ‘The man who conceived me didn’t want me but the man I’ve called Dad all my life more than made up for him.’

‘More cruelty. I’m sorry to hear your stories. You and Danielle would’ve understood each other very well.’

‘We did.’ Needing to get Danielle’s story over with, Elene continued. ‘She intended letting you know about the pregnancy, but kept putting off the moment. She was so happy, so engrossed in having a baby you’d think she’d want to share the joy, but it was like she was holding it all to herself for herself.’ Another mouthful of wine, another deep breath. ‘Then the cancer diagnosis came and you didn’t get a look-in.’

‘She was afraid I’d take the baby away?’

Elene leapt in to negate that hurt. ‘Not because she truly believed you were capable of such cruelty. She wanted every minute she could with her baby without having to fight for the two of them. Not involving you from the beginning was a by-product of her past. I don’t think she ever trusted any man to look out for her.’

‘Thank you for that. Danielle once told me you were the only person she felt completely safe about telling the things that mattered.’ Mattia looked thoughtful.

Get it over with. ‘Aimee Hicks-Ricco,’ she told Mattia, watching for his reaction. ‘The Ricco part yet to be confirmed by you.’

Mattia stared at her as if his last chance of escape had vanished. All the colour drained from his cheeks.

Guilt sneaked up on Elene unexpectedly. She had whacked him over the head with this. ‘I’m sorry. It’s hard, you know?’

‘Yes, I do. Very hard.’ His stunned gaze dropped to Aimee and ever so slowly a glimmer of something she couldn’t quite recognise crept into his expression. Hope? Longing? She waited quietly.

Mattia finally turned back to her. ‘Hicks-Ricco. Aimee will always be aware of her mother. I like that.’

On hearing her name, Aimee banged a fist on her father’s chin. ‘Ma-ma-ma-ma.’

Elene sighed with relief. He wasn’t denying the obvious, had accepted the truth far quicker than she’d given him credit for. ‘I understand you’re full of questions, but can we leave them for now? At least until Aimee’s fed and gone down for the night. Please?’ Now she was begging, and she hadn’t begged since she ran away from her ex. Craig hadn’t taken any notice so maybe Mattia wouldn’t either. But since Aimee came into her life there was no end to the things she would do to get what the little girl needed. Except give her up.

Mattia was staring at her, not in a bad way, nor one that made her sit up with hope, just neutral, as though seeking answers without verbalising the questions. Finally, he nodded. ‘I agree.’

Phew. She headed for the microwave that was regularly beeping the message that the jug of oats was ready. ‘You’ve got milk?’

‘Here.’ With Aimee in one arm, he deftly opened the fridge to retrieve the cardboard container and pass it to her. ‘Cutlery in that drawer to your right.’

How domestic—if bobbing on the top of a tsunami could be called homely. Getting through the coming weeks in this civilised fashion would be ideal. She’d try to keep her best game face on. Falling for Mattia’s charms—those she’d seen him turn on other women, if not her—would create more problems, not less. He liked to control everything and everyone around him. Had he always been like that? Or was it a result of a past relationship?

She’d had the controlling partner, and it had taken her parents’ and Danielle’s support and a lot of courage to leave him. Craig had made it hard, swearing undying love while at the same time demanding her money, dictating her dress style, even her work hours. Everything to suit him. But once he’d started trying to keep her family and friends away she’d packed up her belongings and sneaked out of the sterile apartment Craig owned and into the cottage at the back of her parents’ house until she was ready to branch out and buy her own home.

It’d been crippling, not being able to decide which outfit to wear or what to eat for breakfast, and without Danielle and her family she might never have found the courage to start down the path to freedom. She was not about to put herself into the hands of another controlling man. Which meant she and Mattia were destined to never be more than buddies because he liked to keep everything going his way.

While feeding Aimee, Elene watched Mattia put the finishing touches to the sauce for their pasta which, if the pleased expression on his face when he sampled it was anything to go by, he’d cooked to al dente . He was at home in the kitchen, didn’t have any qualms about cooking dinner or cleaning up as he went. A self-contained man.

‘You look after this place yourself?’

‘No, I cheat. You’ll meet Anna tomorrow. She cleans up after me and makes some meals. Be warned, she adores bambini and will want to spoil Aimee. There’s a small apartment on the ground floor where she lives.’

He declined to look after his home? Like he didn’t put in long hours at the hospital?

‘We can handle that. Aimee loves nothing better. My mum and dad care for her some days when I’m at work, and she can’t get enough of them. To counter that she goes to a crèche three days a week, which I admit to feeling guilty about.’

‘What else can you do? You’re the equivalent of a working mum.’ Mattia was plating up dinner and her stomach was sitting up to attention. Aeroplane food had not been much fun.

‘That smells wonderful.’ She wiped Aimee’s chin before placing her back on the floor by the blocks. The equivalent of a working mum? That stung, but it was true. She was the closest thing to a mother Aimee had right now and, while she’d always have that role, it was yet to be decided if it would be full-time or the days when Mattia was too busy to be with his daughter. Eat, stop worrying over what you haven’t discussed yet. Food would shut up both her stomach and her head for a while.

The fragrance wafting up from her plate had nothing on the flavour exploding across her tongue. ‘You’ll have a battle on your hands if you think you can get me to leave your house before I head back home.’ She’d found it in her to tease this man? The pasta must be even better than she thought.

‘The day I put boiled potatoes and cheese sauce in front of you will be the message to pack.’

‘The day you do that I’ll bake lamb roast with all the trimmings.’ If Mattia hadn’t been smiling she might’ve worried he wasn’t pulling her leg. He needn’t worry. She’d start looking for a hotel tomorrow.

‘The battle lines have been drawn.’ He smiled to take the sting out of his words.

Elene struggled not to stare at those lips, winding up her imagination in ways she’d denied for a long time. Lips that might trail over her skin, leaving her wired and ready. Her libido shot into life, wanting more from Mattia. Ah, hello? You’re waking up after a long drought because of Mattia? This was one diversion she did not need, or want. But his kiss would be like no other.