various
men in suits who seemed to have no interest in sampling the new
product. Each was built like a linebacker, and now that she realized
they were security, she guessed they came packing. Thinking back,
Jada tried to recall if Renzo always had someone with him, but she
didn’t think she’d spotted anyone like the men here
today. The thought of someone always watching unsettled her.
“ Do you have a personal
bodyguard?” she asked Zita.
“ Everywhere I go.”
That she spoke the words so
matter-of-factly told Jada the woman was used to it, but from their
last conversation, it sometimes made Zita feel stifled. Jada didn’t
blame her, and then she began to consider her own baby. What would
happen if people found out Renzo was the baby’s father? Was
that why he insisted on being involved in the child’s life,
because he didn’t want anyone trying to use his son or daughter
to get money out of him later? She shivered and, not for the first
time, questioned her stupidity of getting pregnant by this man.
A server came around with glasses
of wine on a tray. Zita nabbed one, and Jada reached for another
without thinking. The heat from Renzo’s glare brought her back
to her senses, when her gaze strayed toward him. She placed the glass
back on the tray.
“ Um, do you have any grape
juice or water?” she asked the server, and he smiled and
nodded. Within moments he’d returned with a glass of grape
juice, and she thanked him.
“ You’re pregnant,”
Zita murmured as if she didn’t know it.
“ It was unintentional. We—”
Jada had no idea why she thought to explain herself. She didn’t
care what Renzo’s family thought of her.
Amusement danced in Zita’s
gaze as she downed the last of her wine. She shrugged and turned to
stroll in the direction where the server had disappeared. Jada
considered Zita’s amusement at the way she stumbled over an
explanation. From what everyone kept telling her, women arrived by
the truckloads on a regular basis trying to claim he got them
pregnant. Their passion had lit up Venice, but she wondered if she
was just another lover for him, while she had fallen hard for the
man.
For the next hour or so, the wine
flowed. Jada had overheard someone explaining that once a container
had been opened, the wine had to be drunk within a certain amount of
time. Air would change the flavor, so all the barrels in the
storehouse were kept sealed. No one seemed to complain about drinking
as much as they wanted, and Jada wished she could have sampled it.
Maybe before she left, she’d request a bottle to take with her
for after she gave birth. Renzo probably wouldn’t mind the
gift.
“ Why are you over here
alone?”
She looked up from her glass and
met Renzo’s reproving gaze. Her heart did a somersault. “You’re
working, and I didn’t want to get in the way.”
He gestured with the glass he
held. “As you can see, all of my family is here, and they’re
mingling among the guests and friends that have come to support us.
You will be a permanent part of my family, so I want you among them,
at my side.”
Her juice went down wrong, and
she coughed while Renzo thumped her on the back. The concern on his
face almost made her tear up. “Sorry about that. I don’t
know what you mean. I’m having your baby. That doesn’t
mean—”
“ Come on.” He took
her hand in his and placed it on his arm while he led her around the
room. They chatted with a few people, but Jada missed every one of
the introductions because her ears rang with the words he’d
spoken to her. She tried every which way to interpret what he said
without the conclusion that Renzo expected they would be involved
with each other from now on, but she failed. The moment they got time
alone, she would demand he make it clear what he wanted from her.
She’d already determined that she was going home the day after
tomorrow.
Jada excused herself to go to the
restroom and was glad the building housed one. She stood at
men in suits who seemed to have no interest in sampling the new
product. Each was built like a linebacker, and now that she realized
they were security, she guessed they came packing. Thinking back,
Jada tried to recall if Renzo always had someone with him, but she
didn’t think she’d spotted anyone like the men here
today. The thought of someone always watching unsettled her.
“ Do you have a personal
bodyguard?” she asked Zita.
“ Everywhere I go.”
That she spoke the words so
matter-of-factly told Jada the woman was used to it, but from their
last conversation, it sometimes made Zita feel stifled. Jada didn’t
blame her, and then she began to consider her own baby. What would
happen if people found out Renzo was the baby’s father? Was
that why he insisted on being involved in the child’s life,
because he didn’t want anyone trying to use his son or daughter
to get money out of him later? She shivered and, not for the first
time, questioned her stupidity of getting pregnant by this man.
A server came around with glasses
of wine on a tray. Zita nabbed one, and Jada reached for another
without thinking. The heat from Renzo’s glare brought her back
to her senses, when her gaze strayed toward him. She placed the glass
back on the tray.
“ Um, do you have any grape
juice or water?” she asked the server, and he smiled and
nodded. Within moments he’d returned with a glass of grape
juice, and she thanked him.
“ You’re pregnant,”
Zita murmured as if she didn’t know it.
“ It was unintentional. We—”
Jada had no idea why she thought to explain herself. She didn’t
care what Renzo’s family thought of her.
Amusement danced in Zita’s
gaze as she downed the last of her wine. She shrugged and turned to
stroll in the direction where the server had disappeared. Jada
considered Zita’s amusement at the way she stumbled over an
explanation. From what everyone kept telling her, women arrived by
the truckloads on a regular basis trying to claim he got them
pregnant. Their passion had lit up Venice, but she wondered if she
was just another lover for him, while she had fallen hard for the
man.
For the next hour or so, the wine
flowed. Jada had overheard someone explaining that once a container
had been opened, the wine had to be drunk within a certain amount of
time. Air would change the flavor, so all the barrels in the
storehouse were kept sealed. No one seemed to complain about drinking
as much as they wanted, and Jada wished she could have sampled it.
Maybe before she left, she’d request a bottle to take with her
for after she gave birth. Renzo probably wouldn’t mind the
gift.
“ Why are you over here
alone?”
She looked up from her glass and
met Renzo’s reproving gaze. Her heart did a somersault. “You’re
working, and I didn’t want to get in the way.”
He gestured with the glass he
held. “As you can see, all of my family is here, and they’re
mingling among the guests and friends that have come to support us.
You will be a permanent part of my family, so I want you among them,
at my side.”
Her juice went down wrong, and
she coughed while Renzo thumped her on the back. The concern on his
face almost made her tear up. “Sorry about that. I don’t
know what you mean. I’m having your baby. That doesn’t
mean—”
“ Come on.” He took
her hand in his and placed it on his arm while he led her around the
room. They chatted with a few people, but Jada missed every one of
the introductions because her ears rang with the words he’d
spoken to her. She tried every which way to interpret what he said
without the conclusion that Renzo expected they would be involved
with each other from now on, but she failed. The moment they got time
alone, she would demand he make it clear what he wanted from her.
She’d already determined that she was going home the day after
tomorrow.
Jada excused herself to go to the
restroom and was glad the building housed one. She stood at
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