Page 59 of His Housekeeper's Twin Baby Confession
‘I still want you, Carrie.’
She took a step back, as if he’d physically pushed her. ‘No, you don’t.’
He made a face. ‘Oh, I can assure you I do. I’ve never stopped wanting you.’
‘But when I told you I was pregnant you agreed that whatever we’d had was over.’
‘I was in shock. Angry. After a lifetime of maintaining a healthy distrust of everyone around me I felt like I’d been the biggest fool, falling for the oldest trick in the book.’
That still stung. ‘And now?’
‘I know you’re not like that, Carrie. I knew it then. I just couldn’t undo a lifetime’s teaching in twenty-four hours.’
‘So you trust me?’
Massimo nodded. ‘Yes, but even now it’s not easy for me to admit it.’
Carrie appreciated his honesty.
He said, ‘But you don’t trust me.’
She balked at that. ‘I... I do.’
And she knew she did...but deep down there was a place where doubt and fear lingered.
Massimo shook his head. He took a step towards her. She could feel his heat.
‘No, there’s something holding you back,’ he said, ‘And after your experiences I can’t blame you. But I do still want you, Carrie. These last couple of months have been the longest of my life...wanting you. I think that if you can come to trust me, and knowing that we want each other, we have as good a chance as anyone in making a marriage work.’
She opened her mouth but he put up a hand, stopping her from talking.
‘We certainly have a better chance than our parents had. I’m just asking that you give this...us...a chance.’
Carrie had been about to refute his claim that they wanted each other, but she was glad now that she hadn’t spoken that lie, because he would have laughed in her face.
But how on earth was she going to cope now that she knew he did still want her?
CHAPTER NINE
Two weeks later
CARRIEGROANEDANDstretched her back. It was getting harder and harder to hide her growing bump. She’d noticed staff looking at her and whispering behind her back. And whenever she had dealings with Massimo their last conversation hung in the air between them, as pregnant as her belly.
Her whole body ached to be touched. The air crackled with live electricity whenever they were close.
It was embarrassing.
He was growing more brooding, matching the inclement January weather outside. Lowering grey skies and a bitter chill. Winter had come and it was here in Massimo’s townhouse.
Carrie knew she was running out of time. Massimo was right. She couldn’t keep working here as if nothing had changed. She had to face up to her future and decide what was best for her and the babies.
But not today. It was Sunday morning and she had the day off. She planned on spending it hiding from the world, from Massimo, and all of the things she should be thinking about.
She planned on paying homage to her mother and binge-watching all the old movies they’d loved.
She was dressed in leisurewear—joggers and a sweatshirt. She stopped in front of a mirror and pulled her sweatshirt up to reveal the very distinct bump of her belly. Without her uniform and trying to suck herself in, it was very noticeable now. In another month she would have a scan that would reveal the sex of the babies—all being well. Making this even more of a reality.
The back of her neck prickled and she tensed. In the mirror she saw a reflection of Massimo in the doorway. She was caught for a moment, wondering if she was imagining him there, like she imagined him far too much in her dreams, and also when she was awake.
