Secrets and Seduction Las Vegas (Sexy Italian Imports Book 1) (42 page)

He brushed his fingers across her cheek and whispered,
“Mandami una cartolina.”

“I’ll miss you, too.”

****

She brushed her teeth after finishing the last of the appetizers, reapplied her lip gloss, and looked at herself in the mirror. The makeup concealed the dark smudges under her eyes, and the tiny pearls pinned in her hair made her feel like a princess.

She brushed her fingers over the beaded bodice of the Vera Wang sheath then down the satin skirt. While this wasn’t the huge traditional wedding she always imagined, it was much more her style and definitely more Antonio’s preference.

Antonio knocked on the door then opened it. He’d never looked as handsome as he did at that moment. The look in his eyes was pure adoration.
“Sei la donna più bella che ho mai visto.”

She felt her face heat at his extravagant compliment, her emotions too close to the surface. She smiled,
“Grazi, amore mia.”

He offered his arm, she put her hand on his sleeve, and he presented her with a bridal bouquet. “Red roses mean I love you.”

He’d tucked one in his lapel also.

They rode the elevator to the casino and strolled to the chapel. When he opened the door, she was stunned to see dozens of roses lining the aisle and dozens more at the front. “Antonio, where did you get so many?”

“This is Las Vegas, baby. Anything’s possible.” His smile was charming.

She laughed softly. “I believe it. Look at where we were two hours ago. And now we’re walking down the aisle.”

A photographer subtly snapped photos as music filled the room. It was a lovely Italian aria she’d heard often when they rode in his Ferrari.

When the minister asked them to exchange rings, Antonio handed the ring Valerie gave him back to her with a wink. Then, from his pocket, he produced a ring for her—a wide, lacy gold band intricately created to look like roses on vines weaving around the ring. The diamond in the center sparkled. It was larger than she ever imagined wearing.

“Che bella!”

“Valerie,
vorrei passare tutta la vita con te.
I would like to spend all my life with you.” He put the ring on her finger and asked,
“Vuoi sposarmi?”

“Onorata d’essere tua moglie,
Antonio
.”
She looked into his eyes and saw complete happiness. No more shadows, nothing kept hidden from her. His demons disappeared.

She slipped his ring back on his finger, and they held hands while the minister finished the ceremony. When they were pronounced husband and wife, they kissed—the moment exquisite.

Antonio offered her his arm. “You’re Mrs. Daniato.”

She did a tiny dance. “I know!”

As they walked back down the aisle, music floated out of the speakers—Prince singing “Call My Name.”

He smiled at her. “Our song.”

She stopped halfway down the aisle. “I love you.” She popped up on tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss on his lips.

He grabbed her and dipped her back dramatically, kissing her deeply, fully, with passion and love.

When he stood her up again, she felt dizzy with desire. “Wow. Now I feel officially married.”

They walked through the casino, and when he stopped at a door marked “private,” she asked, “Where are we going?”

“I set up a dinner for us in a private salon.”

“What a nice surprise.”

They entered, and she ran her fingers over the wallpaper. It was beige silk, the curtains were made of the same fabric, and the carpet was so plush she gave in to temptation and took off her shoes. “Do you mind?”

He smiled, one eyebrow raised. “Anything you like.”

The table was small, intimate, and set for a formal meal for two. She padded to the French doors, which opened to a balcony overlooking the lake, then looked back at Antonio. “Spectacular. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?”

“Just you. The loveliest thing in the city. That dress is incredible.”

She spun a quick circle. “I feel like royalty. So much elegance.” She went to him and put her left hand over his heart. “And this ring. Where did you find the perfect ring in such a short time?”

He took her hand in his and cleared his throat. He seemed uncomfortable. “When I gave you the earrings, I mentioned I looked at rings?”

“Yes.”

“I bought it that day.” His brows furrowed.

“You did? But you said you just
looked
at rings.”

“I knew I wanted you forever.”

A flood of emotion sweetened the moment.

He let out a slow breath. “But I had to tell you about…the dancing before I asked you to commit to me.”

“And if I hadn’t been ill that evening?”

“I would have told you. Especially after you opened up to me about your fear of commitment.”

She chucked. “I can imagine how you felt—ready to confess to me, and I hurled up dinner.”

He grimaced. “It was a night to remember, all right. But definitely not a pleasant memory.”

“Our relationship has been one sitcom moment after another.”

“Very true. Hopefully we’ll be able to look back and laugh.”

She screwed up her courage and prepared to reveal her news about the baby. It would be another one of those outrageous moments in their lives.

Chapter Thirty Five

A knock on the door brought their meal. Antonio held Valerie’s chair while waiters poured champagne and set out their salads and steaks.

When the servers left, she teased, “Steak and potatoes?”

“Yes, and steak sauce. Get used to it, Mrs. Daniato.”

She picked at her food while he did justice to his and half of hers, as well.

“You haven’t touched your champagne.”

She couldn’t get around this one. She picked up her glass.

He held up his glass. “To us, my love. The two of us forever.”

Now would be the time to tell him there were actually three of them.

They touched glasses, and he drank while she held her glass and took a fortifying breath…just as the music began for the water show.

He gestured to the lake. “Would you like to watch from outside?”

She nodded, and they took their champagne onto the balcony. The amazing view of the water leaping hundreds of feet into the air kept his attention, and she dumped most of her champagne into a potted plant. She felt so sneaky, she giggled and looked at him with a silly grin on her face.

He put his arm around her and smiled. “Enough champagne, I’m guessing?”

“Yes, dear.”

Back upstairs at their suite, he opened the door, and the smell of roses drifted out. The flowers from the chapel filled the room.

“Antonio, so romantic.”

“I love you, Valerie. There are not enough roses in the world to convey how much you mean to me.” He picked her up, carried her across the threshold, and set her down, holding her close.

She put her hands on his face. “I know how you feel,
caro
. My love for you is all I can think of.”

His brows furrowed. “I need you to believe I will never lie to you or keep anything from you again.”

His eyes held such intensity, she felt her own become moist. “Antonio…” She took a breath and bit her lip. “I have to—” Her voice caught in her throat. Trying to find the words to tell him about the baby proved emotionally overwhelming.

His face showed concern. “Sit down, love.” He led her to the sofa. “Let me get you some water.” She sat, and he came back in a minute but with two glasses of champagne. “My friend left us a bottle of Dom as a wedding gift.”

She took the flute in a shaking had. “I have to tell you something, Antonio.”

“This sounds serious. Is this the part where I should be practicing my deep breathing?”

She smiled. “I hope not.”

“Then let’s toast to us first. To a life of happiness.” He touched his glass to hers and drank.

She set hers down. “I can’t.”

He looked startled. “You can’t drink to our happiness?”

“No. I can’t drink.” She took a deep breath to continue, but he interrupted.

“You’re sick, aren’t you? Something’s wrong. What did the doctor tell you?”

“No. No, I’m not sick.” She smiled. “I’m pregnant.”

He didn’t move a muscle—didn’t even blink for about ten seconds.
“Scusi?”

Was it shock that made him switch to Italian? She said,
“Il nostro bambino”
and touched her belly.

He looked at her hand. Then looked at her eyes.
“Incredible!
Dio mio
! Il
bambino
?”

“Si, Antonio.”

“Valerie, I…” His face drained of color and he wasn’t breathing.

She felt a slight panic. “Just please tell me you’re happy.”

He set his champagne glass down and knelt at her feet. He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. “Valerie, my life was a wasteland until I met you. Now, tonight, I’m given everything. How could I not be happy? I am the luckiest man on earth.” He kissed her fingers.

She smiled, her eyes filled with tears, and she let them flow down her cheeks. “I’m so glad. I’ve been dreading telling you.”

He shook his head. “You know me, Valerie. You know how much I love you and want a family with you.” He touched her belly. “You couldn’t have thought I’d be angry.”

“No. It’s just the circumstances.”

His eyebrows bunched. “You were on the pill, weren’t you?”

“Yes. But I wasn’t careful about taking it at the same time every day. And maybe the dosage was too low.”

He smiled. “Or maybe I am so macho even birth control pills couldn’t keep me from planting my seed.”

“Oh, seriously.” She laughed. “Get over yourself.”

He flexed his muscles for her. “Too much man for any birth control to contain.”

She smiled. He was so much the proud papa-to-be.

He took her hands and helped her up. “Nothing in the world would have made me happier tonight. A wife and a baby. I’m in heaven.”

“It’s a life change.”

“And just in time.” He put his hand on her neck and traced her jaw with his thumb. “I reached the point where I was ready for a real life.”

“It doesn’t get much more real than a baby.” She held her hand up, looking at her wedding ring. “Or more complicated than an instant family.”

“Not complicated. Perfect. Simple and honest. You’re my wife.” He took her hand and pressed it to his heart. “We’re going to be parents.” His eyes filled with an emotion she could only think of as wonder. “I never thought things would work out this well for me.”

“You have no idea how good it is to hear you say that.” She put her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him. “It’s been stressful since I found out about the baby.”

He softly stroked her back. “I can imagine. Then to see me dancing. You must have…” He stopped and stiffened.

She looked up at him. What was wrong?

“That night at the club? When you were there with your friends.”

“Yes?”

“You didn’t have any reaction?”

“You mean a panic attack?” She smiled. “No. I thought of that afterward, too. Your dancing surprised me, but I stayed in control.”

He put his hands on each side of her face. “I’m sorry I put you through that.”

“I’m fine.” She rubbed her belly against his. “We’re fine. Baby and I forgive you.”

“A baby.” He blinked and stared off into the distance. “It’s going to take a while for me to really believe it.”

“I understand completely. It’s mind boggling, thinking about everything we have to buy and what we need to learn. I don’t know what to do first.”

He put his arm around her shoulders. “First, Mrs. Daniato, we make love as husband and wife.” He smiled down at her and led her into the bedroom. “We’ll work on our parenting skills later.”

****

After, he was quiet, his breathing slow. She rested her head on his chest. What was he thinking?

He groaned. “How should we tell our families?”

She gave a sad laugh. “I can’t imagine how they’ll react.”

“My mama will be overjoyed but angry that we didn’t have a church wedding.”

“I can’t wait to meet her. And your whole family.”

“It’s your family I’m worried about. How are we going to handle this?”

She lifted her head, put her hand on his chest, and set her chin on it. She smiled. “Let’s have a honeymoon first.”

His eyebrows bunched together then he smiled. “Hawaii?”

“The trip from my award. We could use a week of it.” Then she remembered her patients. “I should check my schedule first.”

“Wait here.” He slid out of bed and came back in a minute with her purse and his phone. “I don’t have anything pressing for the next week. I can move a couple things around.”

She checked her calendar. “I only have two appointments this week. I think I can reschedule them.”

She looked at him, he looked back at her. They both smiled and were officially on their honeymoon.

Epilogue

“Forse non sai quanto sei bella.”

Valerie stood at the kitchen counter, one hand on her lower back as she stretched backward, the other on the countertop to steady herself. “What?” She looked at Antonio.

He repeated, “I guess you don’t know how beautiful you are.”

She smiled. “Thank you, Antonio. I think I needed to hear that today.” She was a week overdue with the baby, and her stomach looked and felt the size of a very large watermelon. She’d gained over forty pounds, and her ankles were swollen.

He took her in his arms in the sideways hug he’d started using when she grew as large as a house.

“Does your back hurt?” He rubbed the muscles on each side of her spine.

“It’s not too bad.” She looked at the plates they’d carried in from the dining room. “But I’ll pay you a thousand dollars if you do the dishes for me.”

“I’ll ask Mama to do them.”

She swatted him on the arm. “Lazy.”

“Mm hm. I am.” His parents were visiting for three weeks around the baby’s due date, and Dante was here for a few days to see the family. They sat in the dining room with Jules, who came for Sunday brunch—a weekly tradition Valerie and Antonio started to get to know each other’s friends and families.