The Infamous Italian's Secret Baby by Carole Mortimer

affectionately five years ago—her parents, her sister Claudia and her brother Liam—should now be a reality to him.
    ‘A friend of yours…?’
    Gabriel’s smile stayed in place as he turned to face his father, revealing none of his inner concern as he saw the unhealthy grey pallor to the older man’s face. ‘I doubt Bella would think so,’ he answered wryly.
    ‘Bella?’ Cristo raised silver brows before he glanced across to where Bella was now walking down the pathway chatting with her brother and another of the children.
    ‘Isabella Scott. I met her yesterday evening at Dahlia’s party,’ Gabriel enlarged.
    Again, he could have added. But didn’t, knowing that to do so would only arouse his father’s insatiable curiosity.
    Cristo was the patriarch of the Danti family, and, at sixty-five and ill in health, he had begun to make definite murmurings about Gabriel marrying and producing children to continue the dynasty that Gabriel’s great-grandfather had begun with the vineyards in Italy a hundred years ago, and which each succeeding generation had added to. It was Gabriel’s own grandfather who had instigated the planting of the vineyards in America seventy years ago.
    Gabriel had taken over the running of the California vineyards four years ago, after his father suffered a minor heart attack. But, at the age of thirty-three, unhappily for his father, Gabriel as yet felt no inclination to marry and produce the heirs necessary to continue that dynasty.
    As a consequence, Cristo tended to look at every woman Gabriel so much as spoke to as a possible mother to his grandchildren.
    How Bella Scott would have laughed if she had known Cristo had briefly considered her for that role!
    Bella began to breathe a little easier once the wedding breakfast and speeches were over, and the guests began to wander through to the adjoining room where the evening’s dancing was to begin and the socialising to continue. Giving her an ideal opportunity, she hoped, in which to excuse herself and Toby.
    Her luck in keeping Toby well away from Gabriel had held during the reception, with Gabriel and his father seated at a dining-table on the furthest side of the room from where Bella sat with her own family.
    Dahlia’s family being Italian, there were a lot of children present, and the happy couple had chosen to seat all the children at four tables separate from their parents, both allowing the children the freedom to be themselves, and the parents to eat their meal in peace and enjoy socialising with the other adults. This arrangement had also made it impossible to know which children belonged to which parents.
    Or, in Bella’s case, which parent…
    Taking a quick mental note of Gabriel’s presence on the other side of the reception room, Bella made her excuses to her own family before slowly making her way towards the door where Dahlia and Brian stood greeting the last of their evening guests, her intention to collect Toby from where he was running riot with the other children, before making—hopefully!—an unnoticed exit.
    ‘You are leaving so soon, Bella?’
    She had counted her chickens far too early, Bella acknowledged with a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach, looking up to see Gabriel Danti’s challenging expression as he blocked her progress to the door. ‘I have a headache,’ she excused tightly.
    He raised a mocking eyebrow. ‘Weddings really do not agree with you, do they?’
    ‘It’s only the prospect of ever having to attend one of my own that I’m allergic to,’ she assured him dryly.
    Gabriel gave an appreciative smile. He had watched narrow-eyed as Bella made slow but determined progress down the room as she took her leave of several of the other guests, easily guessing that it was her intention to leave early.
    It amused him to challenge that departure. ‘I trust my own presence has not added to your—discomfort?’
    ‘Not at all.’ Those violet-coloured eyes gazed steadily into his. ‘My