The Marriage Ultimatum (Contemporary Romance) Read online

  “Was he bossy about it?” she asked.

  “A little dictator.”

  She chuckled and picked up a block with a blue M on it. “M for Matthew?”

  “For Momma.”

  “Aww. A charmer like his daddy.” Roxy put the block back into the toy box and locked her silver eyes onto Stefano’s. “Thanks for making him feel special.”

  “He is special,” Stefano said. “I never knew my father. I want Matthew to grow up knowing he can count on me.”

  She paused a beat, and then carefully went about taking apart the tower of blocks. “I guess we have that in common.” Roxy’s hand trembled as she put the yellow letter D into the box.

  “Is that why you want to convince Nonno to fight this cancer?”

  “Absolutely. The man is beyond antiquated where love and marriage is concerned, but he adores Matthew. Something I never experienced growing up. Between you, Nonno, and all your crazy relatives our little guy will have more attention than I ever thought possible.”

  Some of those relatives had proven to be more problematic than Stefano had anticipated. But who was he to burst her delusion bubble? “You want to make up for what you didn’t have.”

  The block dropped from her hand and clunked against the other toys inside. “I was the last of a long line of mistakes. I didn’t want to follow in my mom’s footsteps—I guess in a way I am now that we’re in this loveless marriage, but your family cares. My brother and the rest of us, never got that kind of love.”

  His stomach tightened at her defense of her siblings. “You didn’t turn into a drug dealing addict and con artist.” Which made her far stronger than he’d thought a human could be when he considered everything she’d overcome since she had run away from home.

  “True.” Roxy toyed with the blocks. “I’m relieved to have an ocean separating us.”

  “So no regrets about becoming an Italian citizen and remaining in Italy after we divorce?”

  “None.” She held his gaze. “I only wish we didn’t have to lie to your grandfather about why you married me.”

  He’d been afraid of being tricked into a marriage, yet he’d pushed her into this situation. Now she was willing to compromise her future once again for someone else’s sake. That made him like her, hell it made him respect her more than he expected when they first tied the knot.

  “We have more in common than I thought,” Stefano said.

  “How so?”

  “We know what we want and we’re willing to fight for it.”

  * * *

  Roxy licked her lips with cautious hope. While they might never grow to love each other again, at least they’d found a bridge to building a connection based on their shared concern for Stefano’s grandfather and Matthew’s well-being. “I agree,” she said, standing. “Let’s show Gregorio he has many reasons to prolong his life.”

  He rose to his feet. “He’s a hard man, Roxy. It won’t be easy.”

  “That one-way-track stubborn gene is alive and well in you, too.” However, Stefano surprised her when he didn’t accuse her of having an ulterior motive for wanting to remain married longer than either of them planned.

  “Between the both of us and Matthew, we have a shot.”

  “Good,” she said. “I’m glad we’re working together to buy Gregorio more time.”

  Not for love of each other, but for love of family. Still, he’d given her space to work and a commission that would garner more opportunities. He acted nonchalant about his acts of generosity—acts he didn’t have to perform given his advantage over her—and Lord knew she wanted to believe the worst about his motivation. But he’d never forced himself on her physically other than their public, extremely powerful kiss.

  He glanced at her mouth, then back in her eyes. His gaze gleamed hot. “It’ll mean more PDAs.”

  Her pulse accelerated and a bolt of electricity shot straight to her core. One heated look and her body went into high alert. Even worse, her arsenal of one-Mississippi-calm-down-counting lost its power to control the desire licking through her.

  Before she opened her mouth to speak a small voice asked, “Peedeeaye?

  Roxy whipped her head around to see Matthew standing in the doorway and clutching his ratty old dinosaur in his tiny hands. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest. She hadn’t meant for Matthew to overhear their conversation, but now she’d have to handle it before he continued this line of questions. “Uh, it means Play Date Activities,” she said, turning to face their little boy while ignoring Stefano’s amused grin.

  Matthew stepped across the floor toward them. “Wanna play,” he said when he reached Roxy’s side.

  “Your daddy and I thought you might like to go to…” She stopped talking and elbowed Stefano in the rib cage. “I have no idea where to take him,” Roxy muttered under her breath.

  “Neither do I.”

  “This is your neck of the woods, not mine. Figure it out. Quick.” Roxy glanced down and looked in her son’s expectant blue-green eyes, then back into Stefano’s matching pair. “Also, now would be a really good time to learn to spell things that we don’t want H-I-M to K-N-O-W.”

  Stefano tunneled his fingers through his dark hair. “There’s a carousel in the neighboring village. My cousin Elena goes there all the time with her three boys.”

  “That sounds perfect,” Roxy said, latching onto the idea. “I’d like to get to know her better. We didn’t have much time to talk at the reception.” Because Roxy got the distinct impression that Elena hadn’t bought their star-crossed lovers reunited and overjoyed to rediscover each other again. So Roxy had avoided conversations with Stefano’s cousin for most of the evening. Now she wanted to confirm her suspicions while proving Elena wrong.

  “Nonno come?” Matthew asked.

  “Si,” Stefano said, then knelt to scoop Matthew off the floor and held him close to his chest. “Nonno and Zia Elena can come, too.”

  She could see the love in Stefano’s eyes as he gazed upon their child. Briefly, she wondered what it would be like to see that same love reflecting on her. Then she punted the wish with a kick of reality. He’d failed her three years ago by not coming to her with his findings about her. But she’d learned a valuable lesson from that experience, and vowed to herself that she’d never hide anything from him again. The consequences of that first mistake had been a high price to pay.

  Only one thing matters. Matthew. “Fabulous plan,” she said with genuine enthusiasm. “You text Elena while I scrape the sculpting crud off my face.”

  “I’ll load the diaper bag and give Nonno the heads-up.” Stefano swung Matthew onto his broad shoulders. “Thirty minutes give you enough time to get ready?”

  How normal they sounded while they arranged their outing. “Absolutely,” she said. She might not have signed on for a lifetime commitment with the man, but she’d use this unexpected common goal to build a healthy relationship with Stefano. One where mutual respect and trust existed for the sake of their future happiness. Not just for Matthew, but for her and Stefano regardless of when and where their paths diverged.

  Chapter 7

  Two hours later, Roxy dipped her spoon into a cup of raspberry gelato while watching Matthew and his cousins ride the carousel with Stefano and his grandfather. “This is great,” she said to Elena.

  They’d spread two blankets in the village market square’s expansive grassy area, demarking the spot as theirs for the afternoon. Two picnic baskets filled to the brim with food, drinks, along with toy trucks, a pair of Frisbees, and a bocce set had been hauled from their vehicles upon their arrival.

  “Si.” Elena curled her long legs under her and reached for another piece of melon wrapped in prosciutto. “A perfetto afternoon. Best of all, we get to relax while the men do all the work. Though I worry about Nonno doing too much.”

  The sun warmed Roxy’s back and the Mediterranean breeze lifted her hair from her neck but a small chill traveled down her spine. “Stefano won’t let him overdo it.
Plus, we’ll do everything in our power to convince your grandfather to fight this cancer.”

  Elena sat straighter. “I won’t let Stefano—and a woman I hardly know—push Nonno into getting treatment.”

  “We’re not pushing, just nudging.” Roxy shot Elena a glance. “I’m surprised you don’t want him to fight for more time.”

  “I want Nonno to be happy during these next few months, not getting sick from the medicine that’s supposed to kill the disease,” Elena said. “Besides, why are you so focused on family matters when you should be on a honeymoon? After all, you did just get married.”

  The carousel slowed and brightly painted yellow, green, red, and orange horses began to wind down their gallop up and down their poles. No way would she tell Elena that her marriage was like that carousel—going nowhere and heading to a standstill. “We felt it was best for Matthew to have time with Stefano, especially now,” she said carefully. Leading with the truth—at least a part of it—should appease Elena.

  Elena gave her a what-the-heck-are-you-talking-about look. “You were separated for three years and your reunion is barely two weeks old. Hanging out with Nonno and family isn’t what newlyweds do, particularly when they’re supposed to be madly in love with each other based on the story Stefano told us.”

  Yes. No doubt about it. Elena didn’t buy their charade. She didn’t want to give Stefano’s cousin any reason to doubt their marriage. That could get back to Nonno and ruin everything. They’d gotten married to ensure Stefano’s ascension to the head of the company, which still hadn’t officially happened despite his hard work. “He’s crazy about me.” She shielded her eyes from the sun’s glare and avoided Elena’s astute, probing brown gaze. “Just practical when it comes to his responsibilities.”

  “You still need to spend time alone if you’re going to make this marriage look legitimate.”

  “Excuse me?” Roxy asked, her heart in thudding wildly in her chest.

  “I know all about Grandfather’s ultimatum.” Elena picked up her bottle of sparkling water, uncapped it and took a sip. “No way would Stefano tie the knot unless he was pushed into it. How convenient that he has a son to show off, too.”

  Crap. Crap. Crap. Roxy had been smart to keep her distance from Elena during the reception because her new cousin-in-law’s friendly smiles had all been artificial for Nonno’s sake.

  “Matthew is definitely Stefano’s,” Roxy said. “We ran a paternity test before we left the States.”

  “Even without it their resemblance is unmistakable,” Elena said, then drank from her bottle while studying Roxy’s face with narrow eyes. “Why did you wait so long to let him know about Matthew?”

  Her skin prickled behind her neck. One wrong word and she’d risk screwing up Stefano’s plans to save Durante Enterprises. She had a stake in him succeeding given that this was now Matthew’s legacy. “That’s complicated,” Roxy said, once again internally punching Gian in the guts. “I’m just glad Stefano found us when he did and that we’re finally together.”

  “All the more reason for you to spend some serious alone time with him,” Elena said quietly. “Otherwise people might not believe your little star-crossed lovers story.”

  Roxy swallowed hard and continued to take in the vista ahead. Stefano lifted Matthew from the horse while Nonno herded Elena’s three into a semblance of order before they exited the carousel. She needed Stefano’s cousin to believe their story—though she couldn’t count on Elena becoming a genuine friend, Roxy definitely needed her to be a frenemy if she was going to keep her off their backs. “You’re right,” she said after several beats of silence. “I’m just at a loss about what to do here and Stefano’s been so busy with work that we haven’t had time to focus on us… other than when we’re in bed together.” Okay. In bed, but not actually doing anything than sleeping, but she punctuated her little white lie with a soft oh-is-he-ever-awesome sigh.

  “Humph. My Donatello makes time for his famiglia though he’s indispensable to Nonno.” Elena stood to grab her eldest boy before he ran past them and wrapped him in a big bear hug. “He understands the Italian way of doing business, too. Unlike Stefano who is always trying to change our way of life.”

  “Stefano has everyone’s best interests at heart.”

  “Not mine.” Elena made a big deal out of smooching her son’s cheeks. “Or my little Gregorio’s.”

  “Per favore.” He scrunched his face in typical boy disgust as he struggled halfheartedly. Elena kissed him once more before releasing him. “You may have fooled Nonno,” she said. “But I’m not convinced, and I won’t let Donatello lose his rightful place in the company just because Stefano has conjured a bride and son out of thin air.”

  For the first time since he’d pushed her into this marriage, Roxy truly understood what Stefano was up against—an old guard only willing to trust family and unwilling to let go of outdated business models. She didn’t want to create a feud between cousins, but Donatello wasn’t the right man to bring Durante Enterprises into the modern business world.

  Elena had made her point very clear. People with real marriages actually did more than sleep together, and Roxy would have to provide the proof. “Once we’re settled in, Carlotta can watch Matthew for us while we go out.”

  Dating Stefano wouldn’t be a hardship. He’d made her laugh and brought her to amazing heights of ecstasy when they’d first been together. Though the sexy stuff wouldn’t happen now, getting to know each other again while developing respect and trust would be the best thing in the world for Matthew’s sake.

  Roxy put down her cup and gazed at Stefano as he closed the distance between them with their son riding high on his back. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the play of shadow and sun moving across his broad shoulders. “Thanks for enlightening me about your concerns,” Roxy said. And thanks for tipping your hand regarding your personal agenda for Donatello.

  “I’ll do anything for la famiglia.”

  “As would I,” Roxy said. She’d definitely let Stefano know about the threat from within his family, though she figured he already had a strong idea about the competition.

  The rest of Elena’s motley crew arrived and went immediately for the goodies in the picnic baskets. Amidst the chaos of the boys scrambling for their fair share and Nonno opening another bottle of prosecco with a loud pop, Stefano reached their site and swung Matthew to the ground.

  Roxy folded him into a hug and kissed the top of his head. Oh, how she adored the feel of his little warm body in hers and the smell of sunshine in his hair. “You have fun little guy?”

  He pushed out of her embrace and hooked his tiny fingers into his short’s belt loops. “Si.”

  Her heart tumbled a bit when she heard him speak Italian. He’d picked up the word yes, which was a far cry from the first word he’d uttered after he’d mastered Momma.

  After the children wolfed down their lunch, Elena’s boys ran off to play again with Matthew toddling behind his pack of cousins. She tracked his progress and smiled when he caught up to Elena’s sons. They started to build an elaborate obstacle course out of empty food containers and within minutes they were pushing their toy trucks through the maze, yelling and laughing loudly when their flimsier towers collapsed.

  Gregorio shot them a benevolent smile while deftly pouring prosecco into plastic champagne glasses. “He’s enjoying his family,” he said before passing the drinks round. “To la famiglia.”

  Beside her, Stefano shifted closer and his long leg brushed against her thigh. A current of awareness zipped through her and every hair on the back of her neck stood straight as a soldier. “To family.” She tipped the edge of her glass against Elena’s, Nonno’s, and finally Stefano’s.

  He held her gaze for a microsecond, but it felt like he’d pinned her to the earth below. Her pulse rate kicked up a notch. “To our future,” he said, then raised his glass to his full lips.

  Roxy couldn’t stop the flash of wanting, the memory
of his mouth on hers, or the heat rushing through her so intensely that she thought she’d burst. “Yes. To getting exactly what we want,” she said, sending him a heated, sexy look. “If you know what I mean.”

  He raised a brow. “What?”

  She snuggled closer to him and brushed her lips against his cheek. “More time together.”

  “We are together,” he said.

  “I can’t believe the tabloids dubbed you as one of Italy’s most notorious playboys.” Roxy wrapped her arm around his waist and felt his abdominal muscles tighten. “Or did you forget why we got married in the first place?” After Elena’s earlier observations, they needed to keep up appearances for the family. That would be best for everyone involved, especially Matthew.

  “Agreed.” Nonno put down his drink and sat back on his elbows. “Amore must be nurtured.”

  “We need to get out more. After all you don’t have to work twenty-four seven, and we’ve got Elena and Carlotta to watch Matthew, right Elena?” she asked her not so dear cousin-in-law with sweet tea southern sugar in her voice.

  “Assolutamente. Absolutely.”

  Stefano turned his head to look at her and she batted her eyelashes and licked her lower lip while discretely shooting a sidelong glance at Elena and Donatello. Understanding lit in his answering gaze and he stroked his index finger down her cheek, tracing his way to her lips. “I’ve neglected my beautiful bride for too long,” he said, his voice low and compelling and seductive as silk sliding across her skin. “Tesoro, I owe you a thousand apologies. Tell me what you want to do, and I’ll make it happen.”

  “You always do.” Heat spiraled throughout her body until every inch of her fired with need. “But I’d love to see more of Italy besides our bedroom—though staying there with you is very tempting.”

  “Si, extremely tempting.”

  Her nipples pebbled and she pressed her mouth against his. This was for Elena and Donatello’s benefit, she told herself as she released her champagne glass, but man oh man she loved the feel of his tongue gliding along the seam of her lips. She parted them to welcome him inside, indulging in the taste of him and what she’d wanted for days, hours, seconds.