Page 152 of A Diamond Deal
‘But what happens when we split up?’
Massimiliano’s features tightened. ‘The future is uncertain, for my grandfather.’
‘Yeah,’ she said, softly. ‘I get that. You don’t know how long you’ll have him for. But the best-case scenario is that he fights and wins, right? So…isn’t that going to destroy him, when we get divorced?’
‘I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.’
‘You really don’t plan on ever having kids?’
‘No.’ He said it so swiftly, so assuredly, that she knew there was absolutely no wiggle room in his mind.
She bit into her lower lip. ‘I’m the opposite. I haven’t had the chance to really meet anyone, or date, and I want to achieve a lot professionally before I even think of settling down like that. But I’ve always known that I would want a family one day.’
He pulled a face, evidently as surprised by her revelation as she had been his. ‘It’s not for me.’
She moved even closer, a thrill of adrenaline firing in her veins. ‘I’m completely alone, Massimiliano. Even before my dad passed away, I was lonely. It was just the two of us. I wasn’t enough for him and he wasn’t enough for me, even though we both tried to be. And now, he’s gone, and I have this big, yawning chasm in here.’ She pressed her fingers between her breasts. ‘I want to love and be loved, even when I’m terrified of how vulnerable that will make me. I want to know what it’s like to live in a happy family, to be surrounded by kids, who aren’t just a part of me, but a part of each other, too. Who are one another’s best friends, no matter what.’
His eyes flicked over her face. ‘Because you never had that.’
She nodded once.
‘Funny,’ he remarked, wrapping his arms around her waist, holding her tight to his body. ‘You and I lived such similar lives, in some ways, and yet we both want the complete opposite now.’
‘I don’t think it’s funny,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘I think it’s just a function of who we are. You crave control and limits in all things. I crave connection.’ She lifted her shoulders. ‘We’re just different.’
‘And yet, we work.’
Her smile was bright, but inside, she felt a strange flipping in her chest. ‘That’s because there’s something in this for both of us. Connection for me, in the here and now. Control for you, in the knowledge that it’s time-limited. Everyone wins.’
‘Sì, carina.Everyone wins.’
And as Amelia leaned forward to press her lips to Massimiliano’s, she was conscious of the stars twinkling brightly overhead, the beauty of the city in the background, her gladness that they still had almost two years left in this marriage. While it might have been temporary, it was the closest thing to perfect Amelia had ever known, and she was going to make the most of every second.
A month later, Massimiliano found himself reflecting on the new routine he’d slipped into. A routine that was nothing like his usual life. Once upon a time, before Amelia, he’d worked long days, staying at his desk until late in the night, travelling often. Now he left work when his staff did, eager to get home and see his wife. While she was his wife.
Because their deal was for two years, and he had no intention of extending that. Why would he? It had been six weeks of marriage and, while he still felt as infatuated with her as ever before, he was quietly confident that wouldn’t last.
And yet, there was something about her that constantly pulled the rug out from under him.
Case in point: when he walked into his apartment that night, it was to find the lights off, and a warm glow coming from the living room. Bemused, he strode deeper and laughed when he saw that she’d strung fairy lights from one side of the room to the other. The fire was lit, and, in front of it, she’d erected what looked to be a teepee.
‘What on earth is going on?’ he asked, looking around in time to see a smiling Amelia padding out of the kitchen, barefoot, and wearing one of his button-down shirts, undone to between her breasts, so he felt an immediate kick of desire. To hell with whatever this was: he wanted to take her to bed, then and there. Or the sofa. The floor. Anywhere.
‘Promise you won’t laugh?’ she asked, lips twisting to the side as she stopped frustratingly out of reach and began to swirl her wedding ring.
He dipped his head, silently agreeing but making no such verbal promise. He’d never known anyone like her.
‘So, this is a bit of a tradition,’ she said, gesturing towards the teepee.
‘Okay, I’m listening.’
‘It’s this thing my dad would do every year. We didn’t have money, as you know. We couldn’t afford to go on holidays or anything, even camping. But he loved to camp. So he’d do this for me, each year.’
‘For you?’
She cleared her throat. ‘For my birthday.’
He felt the bottom drop out of his stomach as, inwardly, he smothered a curse. Her birthday? He should have known. He’d had her paperwork, for their wedding. That would have clearly shown the relevant date. Why hadn’t he made a note of that?
