[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
“Just a kiss?” Jake asked with a smile.
“For now.”
“Well, I think I can probably handle that. Come here.”
Chapter 18
Brianna wandered into Trent office just before dinner to see him packing up his briefcase, “Going
somewhere?”
Trent looked up with a smile, “Yeah, but just for a day or two. Will you be all right here by
yourself?”
Brianna laughed, “By myself. Between the nurses that come to look after my mom, the housekeeper,
the nanny and the various friends that drop by all the time, I hardly call that being by myself. I will be
fine.” She watched him for a moment and then asked, “Does this trip have anything to do with
Marco?”
She already knew it did, having eavesdropped on his conversation with Shawn the night before.
She’d already given the information to Marco, who was planning on catching up with Trent in
Toronto.
Trent looked at his wife, wondering why she was asking so many questions, “I know you don’t
approve, so why don’t you now ask, and I won’t have to answer.” Trent smiled to lessen the
harshness of his words, but it didn’t help. He watched Brianna’s face drop and then close down.
Sighing, he came around the desk and pulled her into his arms, “Where’s Faith?”
“Sleeping. Now that her ear is feeling better, she’s back to normal.” Brianna snuggled into his
embrace, inhaling his scent and reminding herself that she still needed to take things easy for a few
more weeks.
Trent kissed the top of his wife’s head, mentally calculating the days left before he could take her to
bed once again. He loved Brianna with all of his heart, but after the scare during the birthing, and then
again when their baby had been abducted, it would be a long time before he considered having
another child with her.
“You’re not going to tell me?” Brianna asked, gazing up at her husband’s strong face and watching his
eyes shutter.
“Yes. I know you don’t understand, but I can’t let Marco have another opportunity to hurt you or
Faith. I just can’t.”
Brianna nodded her understanding, “I just wish you would try to talk to him one last time. I could call
him for you…”
“Don’t. Bri, I know you don’t understand fully, but hearing him accuse me of Serena’s death was
hard. A part of me was already feeling guilty for not having talked to her more and being so callous.
A part of me still wonders if I could have saved her and gotten her some help.”
Brianna wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him close, “You can’t do that to yourself.
You did what was healthy for you. You didn’t ask her to kill herself and you certainly weren’t
responsible for her pregnancy. She was twenty-five, not four. You have to let it go, just like Marco
needs to let it go.”
“Thank you Dr. Coldwell. Maybe I should have you sit down and talk to Marco.”
“I would do so willingly. Just tell me when.”
“I was joking. I don’t want you anywhere near that man! Promise me that if he contacts you, you’ll
hang up on him and then tell me.”
Brianna nodded her head. Next time. “Sure, but I can’t see that happening, can you?”
Trent smiled at her and then put her away from him, “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Why
don’t we go eat before Faith wakes up? I swear that little girl knows when we’re about to sit down to
eat and wakes up screaming every time.”
Brianna laughed, “She does have perfect timing, doesn’t she?” Before they could reach the dining
room, the soft cry of a baby waking up reached their ears and they looked at each other before
bursting into laughter. “I’ll go, you get started and I’ll bring her in here to feed her.”
“Sounds good.” Trent watched his wife head back towards the nursery, wondering again what he’d
done to deserve a woman like her. He was going to end this thing with Marco and then he could focus
on what was important in his life – his beautiful wife and daughter.
*****
Marco finished making plans to head to Toronto, speaking with an insider in the company and
assuring himself that Trent Coldwell was indeed expected the next afternoon. The man had been very
informative, providing him with the hotel where Trent was staying, as well as the meeting time with
the board of directors.
Trent’s offer was so over the top, Marco didn’t have a chance in meeting it, but he was hopeful that if
Trent and he could talk things over, maybe they could partner together on this project and begin to
rebuild the friendship that had existed prior to Serena’s death.
Marco placed a call to his home, hoping to speak with Bruno and get an update on the Daramark
situation. He’d left a message for Petro, but the man was currently in a meeting and so he simply left a
message.
Mrs. Panturo answered the phone at the estate in Verona, and Marco slipped easily into Italian,
inquiring as to her recovery from the arduous trip and how things were at the house.
“Everything is fine here. How is Miss Moretti getting along?” she inquired politely.
“So Bruno filled you in on things, did he?” Marco asked with a smile in his voice. He’d missed
speaking to Mrs. Panturo. Quite a bit actually.
“But of course. Bruno and I have no secrets. You on the other hand, are full of secrets.”
Rather than a teasing tone to her voice, Marco heard censure and asked, “What is it you think I’ve
done now?”
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]