Page 34 of Unveiled As The Italian's Bride
‘I...’ Kate tried to imagine her free-spirited parents confronted by Dante and her mind hit an immediate roadblock. They would be aghast. They would be shocked and incredulous that she had somehow fallen for the sort of guy they would privately have scorned. ‘No!’
‘What would happen should your parents discover at a later date that we are married? That it was kept a secret from them?’
‘Why would that happen?’ Kate asked uneasily. ‘They don’t live in this country.’
‘Work with me on this one, Kate. They will find out in due course that we’re married, and naturally I will be in the firing line. Perhaps they’ll think that I’ve somehow taken advantage of you. My reputation could very well be at stake. You know from first-hand experience the importance placed on tradition and reputation in my family. I will not see that jeopardised for reasons I cannot begin to understand.’
‘Yes, but...’
‘I’m prepared,’ Dante said quietly, ‘to call the whole thing off rather than risk complications occurring later down the line. It would be inconvenient and awkward but I won’t have sordid revelations rearing ugly heads at some point in the future.’
Kate gaped. She realised that in her head she had already begun to spend the money on so many things her parents needed, things that she would never have been able to help them with in a million years without it. Practical help for her father—a house which would cater to all his needs. Giving them a lifetime without guilt and fear for the future. Maybe, in time, a specially adapted caravan so that they could continue with their travels—maybe not quite as they had done in the past, but at least free from the worry that pennies spent today were pennies they might need tomorrow...
Was she prepared to derail all those dreams for the sake of a meeting? She could deal with this.
Certainly, she wouldn’t be able to get them over here, but perhaps Dante and her could go and visit them for a couple of days on neutral territory—a hotel somewhere. She would have control over the situation, would make sure to steer them away from any hint that this was not a love match. They believed in love. It was what they would want for her—the very thing that they themselves shared.
She would pretend. She would waffle something and nothing about oppositesattracting and then, in the blink of an eye, the charade would be over and they would understand that not all relationships lasted for ever and that opposites attractingwas a recipe for disaster. That, at any rate, was a bridge to be crossed as and when in the distant future. There was plenty of time for a suitable build-up to the inevitable parting of ways, by which time their futures would be assured.
‘Well, if you insist, then I suppose...although I still don’t think...’
Dante wondered whether she knew that the more she protested, the more curious he was. He gazed at her in brooding silence till she ran out of steam. All the while, like a persistent undertow stirring beneath the surface, was the vague feeling that, since he had embarked on this scheme, every second spent in this woman’s company revealed sides to her that were a lot more compelling than he could ever have predicted.
‘Good.’ He wrapped up her stammering, doubtful agreement with a brief nod. ‘Overjoyed that we’re finally on the same page. I’ll arrange suitable cover for Angelina. I think it would benefit her to stay with my uncle outside Venice.’ He half-smiled. ‘They can talk weddings. Angelina can show him her bridal Barbie which she was keen to show me yesterday.’
His smile warmed, like sun melting the cool of snow. ‘In due course, your parents, I’m sure, will meet her. But for now perhaps this situation would warrant just the two of us there to break the news. I suggest we leave day after tomorrow?’
‘Uh...’
‘Do I detect the sound of more objections being raised?’ he queried with just a hint of impatience.
Kate could think of several, starting with the fact that, at such short notice, there was no way she would be able to sort out neutral territory for this meeting to take place.
‘No. Not at all. I’ll try and, er, find a nice hotel nearby, somewhere we can stay for—how long? A day or two?’
‘I do think,’ Dante offered pensively, ‘that a day might be cutting things a bit short, wouldn’t you agree? Even if we take my private jet, travelling that distance for a brief cup of tea seems a little excessive.’
‘I’ll...’ Kate sighed as all exits closed. The ‘brief cup of tea’ would have worked, as far as she was concerned. ‘I’ll let them know that I’ll be coming to visit, and I’ll surprise them with the announcement when we get there.’
‘Excellent idea.’
‘Maybe,’ she suggested thoughtfully, ‘I could go ahead? Have a chance to, er, brief them ahead of the big reveal?’
‘If that works for you.’ He paused. ‘Although I have to tell you that I’ve never found any woman so reluctant to introduce me to the people close to her. I’m presuming you have a close relationship with your family—your parents and your siblings?’
‘I’m an only child,’ Kate admitted.
‘We have that in common.’
‘That’s about all.’
Dante grinned. ‘Maybe we just need to dig a bit deeper...’
Kate tingled inside at the velvety smoothness of his voice. ‘And, to answer part two of your question, yes, I’m very close with my parents.’
‘Hence the dread of disappointing them by not presenting them with the fairy-tale dream. It’ll happen for you one day. I get it. As for your closeness to them? We part ways on that front.’
Their eyes tangled and she felt heat flood through her. There was a moment of disturbing intimacy in that rare admission and it felt exciting.
