Rebecca Winters - The Baby Bombshell - The Billionaire's Baby Swap / Dating for Two / The Valtieri Baby

A smile broke out on his tanned face. “There’s another cove five minutes away where we’ll anchor for the night.”

* * *

After they carried the babies back to the boat, they took them downstairs to get them ready for bed. Then Giovanni went up on deck to drive the boat to the spot where they would spend the night. As he was lowering the anchor, his cell phone rang.

He’d put it in a dashboard compartment. After reaching for it, he checked the caller ID. His father knew he’d taken some time off. He wondered what reason had prompted him to call while Giovanni was on holiday.

He clicked on. “Papà?”

“Quanto tempo, figlio mio.”

It hadn’t been that long since they’d seen each other. This call was about something else.

“What’s the problem?”

“Claudio told me he saw you out dining last night with a very beautiful blonde woman. She’s Vito’s mamma, so don’t deny it.”

“I’m denying nothing. She’s with me now.”

“Tatania’s family is outraged that you’ve brought that woman into your house.”

His father misspoke. Only Salvatore was upset because it interfered with his plans to get Tatania back with Giovanni. “It’s my business surely. Our divorce was final months ago and don’t forget, she divorced me.”

“They’re suing the hospital. When you file suit, too, the publicity won’t be good if you’re involved with the Montanari woman.”

Ah. Now his father had gotten to the point. “I have no intention of suing the hospital.”

“Of course you will. This should never have happened.”

“Valentina and I talked it over. It was a terrible mistake, but there was no malice in what happened. Therefore there’s no justification in suing anyone. Since Tatania refused to see the baby after it was delivered, the switch meant nothing to her. Papà, you know full well that this is all coming from Salvatore and not Violeta, who is a reasonable woman and loves my birth son.

“As for Valentina and me, we’ve rectified the situation to our satisfaction. Now we’re involved in helping our babies adjust to the switch. It’s working beautifully.”

“Giovanni—” He lowered his voice. “Putting the suit aside, the Montanari woman was never married. Everyone’s talking about the sister of Rinieri Montanari who got pregnant out of wedlock by that amorous professor from the university. It doesn’t look good for my son who’s the CEO of Laurito’s to be seen in her company. Your judgment should be beyond reproach.”

“That’s too bad, Papà, because she has moved in with me. We and the babies are very happy. I’m on vacation and won’t be back in the office for a couple of days. We’ll talk then if you wish. I love you and Mamma. Ciao.”

Valentina was standing by him when he clicked off. His eyes swerved to her. “How much did you hear?”

“It’s started, hasn’t it? That man who stopped at our table last night, the one who kept undressing me with his eyes? He’s already gone running to your father.”

Giovanni nodded. Claudio might be married, but he had other women on the side. The way he’d looked at Valentina had disgusted him. “We knew this kind of trouble had to happen and have already discussed it.”

“But I know you love your father,” she persisted, “and you don’t want to disappoint him.”

“I know you love yours, but no one else is involved in this except you and me and our children.”

She moistened her lips nervously. “It could get ugly for you.”

“I won’t let it. We’re partners, remember?”

“How could I possibly forget?”

“Good. That’s what I wanted to hear. Now let’s go downstairs to bed.”

He set the boat alarm and they went below. She changed into a pair of navy sweats he loved. Both children slept in their carry-cots in his cabin. When she would have gone to the other cabin, he said, “Stay in here with me tonight, Valentina. The queen-size bed is perfect for us. This way I can guard the three of you with no worry.”

Without waiting for her response, he swung her up in his arms and laid her down on the bed. “I might want to have my way with you, but only with your permission.”

“Not in front of the children,” she teased, but she stayed right there. “Where are you taking us tomorrow?”

“We’ll travel along the coast to the medieval village of Castellabate. It’s a World Heritage Site. Later in the day we’ll take the children ashore in their strollers so we can explore the small streets and alleys. You’ll love it. And if we’re up to it, we can walk to the thirteenth-century castle at the top for a spectacular view.”

“I’ve never been there before.”

“I seem to remember a restaurant that serves the best calamari and saffron risotto with porcini you ever tasted. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.”

“One would think that’s all you have on your mind.”

“That’s how much you know.” Without hesitation, Giovanni brushed her mouth briefly with his own. He’d been needing to do that or go out of his mind. She kissed him back, then turned to face the babies.

“Where did you go?” he whispered against her neck.

“This is happening too fast.”

“But I want to do it, again and again. Don’t tell me you didn’t like it because I wouldn’t believe you.”

His declaration was like a bolt of lightning penetrating her body. “I did like it. That’s not the point.”

“Then what is?”

“I’ve been attracted to you from the first day we met, and it frightens me.”

“Why?”

“I never felt this way about Matteo. This is so different. I know my love for the babies has a lot to do with the strength of my feelings for you. What I can’t figure out is how to separate what’s really going on inside of me. All I know is, I’m a mom now and I need to concentrate on that without letting personal feelings complicate everything. Let’s go to sleep.”

“I’ll try,” he murmured.

The children woke up once in the middle of the night. They fed them in bed, then put them back in their carry-cots. Once all was quiet, he pulled Valentina against him and buried his face in her hair. “Don’t think of moving away from me. Not now, not ever.”

“You mustn’t keep saying things like that to me.”

“I can’t help it. I didn’t have a mad passion for Tatania. I’m afraid you take the honors in that department.”

She squeezed her eyes together. “It’s because I’m Vito’s mom. You’re reading too much into it.”

“I agree it’s because of that and a myriad of intangibles. But I can hear your next argument. Both of us have come out of unsatisfying relationships and being together is filling a void. I can add several others. I need the woman who mothered Ric for two weeks to become his nanny so I can go to work without worry. And you’re a Montanari. Binding our two families will build a dynasty and—”

“Stop!”

“Relax, Valentina. We’re partners. Until you want to touch me so much you can’t stay away from me, I’ll keep my hands and mouth off you.”

* * *

Valentina lay there awake for a long time. Giovanni was a man of strong feelings and instincts that had propelled him to the kind of success most men could only dream of. To tell her he was madly attracted to her had to be an exaggeration. It was probably more of the idea that he was happy after being unhappy for so long. That described her state of mind. He’d created this fantasy world.

With the children being so content now, everything seemed perfect. It would stay that way until the real world intruded. The phone call from his father was only the beginning. Before long she’d be hearing from her family. Pretty soon everything would fall in on them, but until that happened she wanted to stay here in his arms.