The Italian’s Ruthless Marriage Command

For the umpteenth time she wondered at her sanity, only to once again temporarily banish her reservations by reaffirming the sharing of Dante’s home was the best option for Ben.

And the best for Ben was what Casey would have wanted.

Taylor offered Claude a genuine smile and thanked him for his help as she followed him upstairs, where Anna, bless her, had supervised the boxes into each guest suite.

Together they completed Ben’s suite, involving him in the process by suggesting he display his toys, before setting up her home office. Lastly, her own suite, which she assured she’d tend to herself.

All told, the moving and unpacking process took most of the day, and there was time for a quick shower, a change of clothes before she readied Ben for dinner.

Please let it just be the two of us, Taylor bade silently as she took Ben’s hand and they made their way downstairs to the dining room. The thought of sharing a meal and conversation with Dante accelerated her nervous tension a few levels, and she offered up a silent appeal to the deity both she and Ben might eat alone.

Except the appeal went unanswered, for Dante was there as they entered the room, standing tall, without his usual attire of jacket and tie, his shirtsleeves rolled to halfway on his forearms, an easy smile softening the hard planes of his face as he moved forward with the grace of a jungle cat.

‘I believe you’ve settled in?’ The query was directed to include both of them, and Taylor inclined her head, while Ben offered solemnly,

‘We put all my toys out. And Taylor’s room is close to mine. Sooty has her bed and kitty litter in my bathroom.’

She watched as Dante lifted Ben and rested him into the crook of his arm.

‘Sooty stays with me at night.’ Ben spared Dante an anxious look. ‘Taylor lets her sleep on my bed.’

Please don’t say no, Taylor begged silently.

‘I used to have a cat who slept on my bed when I was young,’ Dante confided, and Ben’s eyes widened.

‘You did? What colour was your cat? Sooty’s black. She has a white patch on her nose.’

‘I had Baci, a tortoiseshell.’

‘Baci means kisses,’ Ben relayed importantly, and Dante smiled in acknowledgment.

‘Yes, it does.’

An innocuous remark, Taylor conceded…so why did it suddenly send awareness spiralling through her body?

Because she was tired, fraught and feeling way out of her depth. Why, she agonised silently, when she had nothing to fear from the man whose home she occupied?

A good night’s sleep was all she needed. A day or two to accept concrete evidence of her new reality.

At that moment Anna appeared bearing a tray containing a steaming casserole and a dish of rice, together with a platter of assorted vegetables.

Taylor took the chair Dante indicated and seated Ben next to her, while he took the chair opposite.

Did he sense her nervousness? She hoped not. Yet she found it impossible to relax, and she ate mechanically. At the end of the meal she selected fresh fruit in lieu of dessert, and requested tea instead of coffee.

In a way it was a relief when the meal concluded, and Ben provided the perfect reason to escape.

‘Can I please go upstairs and check Sooty? I think she might be lonely.’

‘Of course. I’ll come with you,’ Taylor said quickly, and caught the faint amusement evident in Dante’s dark gaze.

‘Perhaps we could go together,’ he suggested. ‘You can show me your toys.’

Ben didn’t hesitate, and for the ensuing hour man and boy communed on the merits of almost every wheeled vehicle currently on offer…including planes, trains and automobiles. For so young a boy, Ben could reel off a number of brand names…his favourite being a red Ferrari. Something he fervently hoped to own one day. Together with a motorbike.

Every boy’s dream, and he happily didn’t protest when she declared it was time for bed.

‘Taylor reads me a story every night.’ He looked at his uncle. ‘Will you stay and read me one, too? Please, Zio Dante.’

‘Of course, if you’d like me to.’

Something Dante appeared only too willing to do…whenever he was home, she added silently, which hopefully wouldn’t be too often.

A prediction which didn’t hold true, for he shared breakfast with them the next morning, and sat down to dinner each evening. Ben’s bedtime story became a nightly event, and Friday evening Dante added to Ben’s wish-list by suggesting they visit a dog breeder at the weekend in order to choose a puppy.

Not, praise heaven, Taylor begged silently, something with the potential to grow too big.

‘A Llasa Apso,’ Dante revealed, sparing her a musing glance.

Did he read minds? Or were her thoughts merely too easy to interpret?

‘They’re a small breed, and in this instance they’re already trained.’ He reached into his shirt pocket, withdrew a folded coloured print and showed it to Ben. ‘What do you think?’

Taylor saw Ben’s expression change into instant love, and the look he cast Dante held a degree of reverent awe. ‘Can I really have one?’

‘Yes, and we can bring it home.’

‘You’re the best.’ Ben’s eyes shone as he lifted his arms and gave Dante a hug. ‘Thank you.’

Dante returned the embrace and brushed his lips to his nephew’s forehead. ‘Time to go to sleep, hmm? Tomorrow will be a big day.’

Dante stood aside as Taylor tucked in the covers and kissed Ben goodnight before preceding Dante from the room.

‘That’s kind of you,’ she said quietly. ‘Leon had promised Ben a puppy for his birthday.’

He indicated the stairs and they began descending to the lower floor.

‘You think I’m attempting to buy Ben’s affection?’

She shot him a startled look. ‘A puppy is a perfect gift. Casey didn’t feel Ben should grow up thinking he could have anything he wants.’

He indicated the library, followed her in, then gestured towards a comfortable leather chair.

‘I fly out to New York on Monday for a few days, possibly longer,’ he revealed as he crossed to lean a hip against the antique desk. ‘You can contact me via my cellphone. You have the number.’

‘I’m sure it won’t be necessary.’

No, it probably wouldn’t. She was efficient, capable and considered Ben her main priority.