Page 48 of Twin Surprise for the Italian Doc
‘Anyone who bears the Martini name has to know how to make the perfect lasagne. Just ask any one of my sisters.’
‘Oh...’ Georgia let the bag full of the papers she had brought home slip from her hand.
She was late. Coming home to a house that had its lights twinkling in the darkness hadbeen a lift all by itself. Entering a kitchen that was redolent with the most delicious smell she had ever encountered was actually overwhelming enough to make her feel unsteady on her feet.
Maybe that was because her feet were so swollen today. Or that she’d been pushing herself so hard at work for the last week or more that she was exhausted. It had worked, though. Any issues that were botheringher hadn’t been allowed any significant head space and Matteo had made it easier out of work hours, too, with the way he had been using her home as little more than a hotel, always gone so early and often back so late their paths had barely crossed.
Which made this scenario even more blindsiding.
‘You’ve been working too hard,’ Matteo told her. ‘And I’ve been rude. I’ve hardly been here. I hada night out with the guys from work. With Luke. At the gym. Anyway... This is my way of saying thank you. Please...sit down. I thought it would be more comfortable for you on the couch. Can I get you something to drink?’
There was bottle of red wine open on the coffee table in the small sitting room, between a basket of freshly sliced baguette and a bowl of what looked like a very crispy greensalad.
The wine was tempting but Georgia’s hand went automatically to her belly, where it was rewarded with the bump of a kick from a tiny foot.
‘A water would be great.’
‘Sparkling or still?’
‘Oh...sparkling, please. I could pretend it’s champagne.’
‘Which is exactly why I bought some.’ Matteo’s smile curled more widely. ‘I hadn’t forgotten your preference.’
He had brought a chilled bottleof champagne to the table at the end of the competition, hadn’t he? For her. The first move in that dance that had led them to its memorably intimate conclusion.
Georgia sank onto the couch. The wave of emotion threatened to drown her but she was too tired to fight.
Maybe she could just float for a while, she decided, easing off shoes that had become far too tight.
Every mouthful of this unexpecteddinner was delicious, possibly because of far more than the actual taste of the food. What was astonishingly powerful was this feeling of being cared for.
Of feeling...safe...
Oh, man... Georgia took a large gulp of her water. She hadn’t been this close to crying since she’d first found out she was pregnant. Or when she’d been standing there in that ancient chapel, listening to Luke and Katepledge their undying love for each other.
Thank goodness the chirp of Matteo’s phone broke the atmosphere.
‘Ah...’ His face broke into a grin as he opened his text message. ‘Bel bambino... Look.’ He held the screen for Georgia to see. ‘That’s Arlo, waving hello to his uncle while he’s having his bath.’
A fat, adorable baby with soap bubbles adorning his curly, dark hair was beaming at the camera,his chubby arms held up as if he was asking for a cuddle.
‘Arlo?’
‘My youngest nephew. Siena’s first baby. Adrianna’s pregnant again now. She’ll be having her third, after a bit of a gap after the twins. I’ll bet that will make Allegra jealous so I expect there’ll be a new addition to her family soon as well.’
‘How many nephews and nieces have you got?’
Matteo squinted as he concentrated andGeorgia lost count as Italian names tumbled from his lips. He was scrolling through the photos on his phone at the same time. He leaned back on the couch for a moment in silence and Georgia watched the expression on his face change. His grin faded into something far more poignant and then he actually sniffed and rubbed at his forehead as if fighting back tears.
‘What?’ Georgia asked quietly.
‘It’s a video. My nieces—Mita and Lia. It was their third birthday last year.’
He tapped the arrow on the centre of the screen as he tilted it towards her. The sound of giggles filled the room. Two identical small girls wearing frilly white dresses, with flowers in their hair, were climbing all over a man who was lying on the grass.
Matteo. He was laughing, too, as he scooped a child under eacharm and sat up, kissing first one girl and then the other. One of the twins wriggled free and reached into the grass to pluck a daisy, which she triumphantly presented to her uncle.
‘Grazie mille, tesoro. Ti amo...’
