Passionately Ever After

“I swear to you, Maria, I’m going to be the very best husband and father,” he continued.

“Steven, don’t,” she said and struggled to sit up.

“What is it? Is it the baby? Did I hurt you or the baby?”

“No. No, the baby’s fine. I’m fine,” she assured him.

“Then what is it? What’s wrong?”

“We need to slow down. Everything is happening too fast,” Maria told him.

Steven’s gaze slid from her face to her belly. “Sweetheart, from where I’m sitting, I think we need to move fast,” he said, a note of humor in his voice. “When’s the baby due?”

“In February,” Maria said. “On Valentine’s Day, February fourteenth.” She waited several heartbeats for him to acknowledge the ominous date.

He didn’t. Instead, he said, “Then we don’t have much time to plan the wedding. I’ll be honest, I’d just as soon we elope right now with just Magdalene and Louis as our witnesses.”

“Steven, please.”

“But if you’ve got your heart set on a big wedding, I understand,” he said, ignoring her protest. “I have only one condition, that we get married before Christmas. I want us to start the New Year as husband and wife.”

“Stop it!”

He jerked back as though she’d slapped him, and narrowed his eyes. “Stop what, Maria?”

“Stop trying to railroad me into marrying you.”

Steven stood, but continued to stare down at her with accusing eyes. “Is that what I’m doing? Railroading you into a marriage you don’t want?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer. Instead, he continued, “I love you, and I thought you loved me.”

“I do love you,” she told him, feeling frustrated and confused. It was the truth. She did love Steven with all of her heart.

He knelt down beside her and captured her hands in his. “Then marry me, make a life with me and our baby.”

She tugged her hands free and looked away. “You know it’s not that simple.”

“I know it’s not that difficult either. Most people who love each other and are expecting a baby get married.”

“We’re not most people,” she reminded him. “I’m a Barone and you’re a Conti.”

“And our baby will be both,” Steven pointed out as he stood once more.

“I know that. It’s just—”

“We can make this work, Maria,” he insisted. “I know we can. We’ll get married and you can move into my apartment. Or we can buy a house and—”

“Don’t,” Maria cried out, unable to bear having Steven describe a life for the two of them that she knew in her heart wasn’t possible. Tears stung her eyes. And she immediately blamed those threatening tears on her body’s hormones—hormones that had been out of whack since she’d become pregnant. Because she was afraid if she admitted the truth—that she wanted the life with him that Steven had described—she would weaken. And she couldn’t afford to weaken now. Not when there was so much at stake. Deciding she needed distance in order to clear her senses and think rationally, Maria said, “I think it would be best if you were to leave now.”

“Forget it. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Then you’ll have to excuse me,” she said primly.

But Steven didn’t move a muscle. He simply stood there, looking tall and daunting as he stared down at her.

“Please get out of my way,” she said firmly, coolly.

His expression hardened and for a moment she thought he would refuse. Then he stepped aside and offered her his hand. Maria hesitated, then admitting that her added bulk from the baby made getting up more difficult, she accepted his help. But once on her feet, she quickly pulled away and hurried past Steven. She walked over to the fireplace. As she stared into the flames, she searched for the right words to make him understand that she couldn’t marry him. A marriage between the two of them would never work. How could it when their union would rip apart both of their families? Worse, she feared they would only end up hating each other.

“If you think giving me that ice-princess routine is going to make me give up, then you don’t know me as well as I thought you did. I’m not leaving here until I get the answer I want, Maria.”

And she wanted to give him the answer he wanted. Because it was what she wanted, too. Only she couldn’t do that. Not with the threat of the curse hanging over her and their unborn child. The idea of something happening to her own baby sent a surge of panic through her, and before she could stop herself, a sob escaped her lips.

“Damn,” Steven muttered. He could just kick himself for causing Maria to cry. And although he couldn’t see her face, he’d bet his last dollar that Maria was already regretting that outburst of tears. He knew her well enough to know that she would consider those tears a show of weakness. But then, Maria had always been her own harshest critic, he thought. Probably the result of having a family that expected far too much of her.

It simply wasn’t fair. Why did she have to be the one designated to carry on Angelica Barone’s legacy? Why couldn’t someone else run the popular Baronessa Gelateria in Boston’s North End? Why did it have to be Maria? There certainly were enough Barones to share the load. But no, for some reason, they all dumped it on Maria’s shoulders. And as far as he was concerned, the entire lot of them had taken advantage of her for far too long. It simply had to stop.

He stared at Maria’s slender shoulders, could only imagine the enormous weight of responsibility they carried. Not only had she been burdened with the problems of running the gelateria and trying to live up to everyone’s expectations of her, but she’d also had to face the pregnancy alone. He should have realized what was wrong long before now, he told himself as his own guilt escalated. But instead of helping her and relieving some of that stress she was under, he’d only managed to add to it. The realization made him feel ten times worse.

Regretful for having upset her, Steven moved behind Maria and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “You know I’d sooner cut off my arm than hurt you. I hate knowing that I’ve made you cry.”

“You didn’t. Make me cry, I mean. I’m not crying,” she fibbed even as she swiped at her eyes.

“Well, that’s a relief.” Hoping to lighten the mood, he quipped, “Because when a fellow tells a girl he loves her and asks her to marry him, tears aren’t exactly the reaction he’s hoping for.”

“Oh, Steven, I’m sorry,” she said, tears once again in her voice.

Steven sighed. Since his attempt at levity hadn’t worked, he tried honesty instead. “Is the idea of marrying me so awful?”

“No,” she said and he didn’t miss the hand swiping at her eyes again.

“Then why the tears?”

“I’ve got something in my eye. Probably just an eyelash,” she offered in explanation.

“Want me to take a look?” he asked, hoping to get her to turn around and look at him.

“Thanks, but it’s out now. I…I’m all right.”

“You don’t sound all right. You sound sad, and I don’t ever remember you being sad—not even when things were a mess.” Even amidst the disaster of the new flavor launch in February when she’d had plenty of reason to cry, she hadn’t shed a single tear. Nor had she given any indication of feeling defeated—not like she was doing now.

She let out an audible breath. “It’s my hormones. The pregnancy has them all messed up.”

“I think we both know it’s more than just hormones at work here.” When she didn’t respond, Steven squeezed her shoulders. “Talk to me, Maria. Whatever it is, I promise we’ll work it out.”

“We can’t work it out.”

“How do you know if you won’t at least talk to me?” he asked. When she still remained silent, he pleaded, “I love you. Please, don’t shut me out.”

“I’m not shutting you out.”