New Arrivals: His Expectant Mistress: Accidentally Pregnant! / One-Night Pregnancy / One Tiny Miracle...

“Have you asked yourself why he’s willing to rush into marriage with you?”

“Deline—” she cried in exasperation. “I was the one who approached him, remember?”

“I know. I guess I don’t know what I mean.”

“He wants this baby and believes it’s his.”

“But it might not be his, Irena. If only you could find out before you go through with this marriage.”

Irena sank down in one of the wrought-iron chairs. Her eyes closed tightly. “The last doctor I talked to said that only a DNA test could give me definitive proof of paternity.”

“Then for all your sakes, I’d go get it done.”

“I’ve been considering it.”

“To tell you the truth, I’m surprised Vincenzo hasn’t demanded it, especially as he is making such willing huge sacrifice as quickly as possible to keep you. He must be nuts about you!”

Irena jumped up from the chair. “I know exactly why he’s marrying me, Deline. I figured it out the second I saw him with his son. That was no idle proposal he made two months ago. The fact is, he’s bound to a strict visitation order. He wants his boy to be able to live with him and be with him as much as possible. For that to happen he needs a wife, but she has to be someone Dino can accept.”

“Which means you’ve already won him over. There isn’t a child in the world who wouldn’t love you, Irena.”

Tears pricked her eyelids. “You’re a better friend than I deserve.”

“Who helped me through the blackest period of my life?” she said almost angrily. “I’m glad if I can do anything for you.”

“You already have by listening to me. In talking to you, I’ve come to a decision. No matter how painful it’s going to be on everyone concerned, I’ll never have a good night’s sleep again until I know the truth about this baby’s father.”

Deline groaned. “Now you’ve got me worried.”

“In truth it’s all I have done since I found out about this baby, but for the first time my mind is clear. I know what I have to do. When I look back, I realize Gabi went to Andreas armed with the DNA results on the twins. Before he ever approached your husband, he immediately had them checked against Leon’s DNA for a match. If I tell Andreas I’m having his baby, he’ll want DNA proof, so that’s the first thing that needs to be done.”

All of sudden Irena heard Vincenzo calling to her. “Deline?” she whispered. “I have to go.”

“Understood. Stay in touch.”

This was the second time Vincenzo had walked in on Irena and found her on the phone acting furtive. She broke out in a smile. It didn’t deceive him. “How did things go at your office?”

“Everything’s been taken care of for the time we’ll be away on our honeymoon.”

Her smile cracked. “Vincenzo—”

“I was hoping some rest would have done you good, but you seem agitated. What’s wrong?”

“There’s something you need to know. We can’t get married yet.”

He was used to his gut taking hits, but this one penetrated. “If you’re worried about a dress…”

She tossed her head back so hard, her hair came unfurled and the heavy weight swished against her shoulders. Much as he liked her gleaming black mane swept up, he preferred it undone. “You know I’m not.”

Irena didn’t have a vain bone in her fabulous body. “You said yet. What does that mean exactly?”

He could see her body trembling. “Once we’re married I want to be a good stepmother to Dino, but first I need to consult another doctor and get a DNA test done. It’s for all our sakes—” she cried as if he’d already protested. “I know I told you I wanted to keep it a secret from Andreas, but that was hysterical talk on my part. Of course he has to know the truth if the baby is his. I want answers as soon as possible.”

Vincenzo thought he wanted to know right away, too, but already he’d been living in a fantasy where the baby was his. The pulse throbbed at his temples. “When did you decide this?”

Her eyes, those mirrors of the soul, glistened with unshed tears. “While I was talking to Deline. If I get a test done, it will remove all uncertainty. I’m afraid at this point I can’t live without positive proof. Once I know the truth, we’ll go from there.”

As long as she wasn’t refusing to marry him, Vincenzo could live with it, although he dreaded seeing the evidence that Simonides was the father. “Then we’ll take care of it now.”

She looked at him with pleading. “You don’t hate me for this?”

“Irena—your pregnancy could be in jeopardy if you don’t have peace of mind. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes.”

They passed through the kitchen. She picked up her purse and followed him out the door to his car. For once her thoughts were so heavy, she stared blindly out the window as they made their way down the dizzying cliff to the Via Colombo.

“We’ll take the litoranea road to La Spezia. If you recall from the last time you were here, it’s only a twenty-minute drive.”

“The way you drive,” she teased unexpectedly.

His lips twitched, relieved for the moment she didn’t seem as tense. As she rested her head against the window, he turned on the AC and took advantage of the quiet to phone ahead to the hospital’s E.R. Hopefully an OB would be available to cut down the wait.

Soon the traffic grew heavier. When they reached the sprawling city proper, he wound around to the hospital and parked. The lots were so crowded, Vincenzo was glad he’d called ahead to arrange for a consultation. After guiding her inside the E.R., they only had a tenminute wait before an attendant called for Signorina Spiros.

They walked down a hall to a small office. The fortyish female OB greeted them in good English. “I’m Dr. Santi. What can I do for you?”

This was Irena’s arena. Vincenzo remained silent while she launched in with her request. While she gave the background that prompted her to come in, the doctor sat back in her chair, eyeing the two of them with compassion.

“I understand how anxious you must be to solve your dilemma. However, that kind of procedure called Chorionic Villi Sampling can only be performed between ten and thirteen weeks.”

“But that’s another month away!”

“Yes. And there is some minimal risk.”

Vincenzo reached for Irena’s hand. “Explain, please.”

“The test is invasive because cells have to be collected and this can cause certain risks for the fetus. Besides that, about one in two hundred women suffer a miscarriage because of this test. You need to weigh that against your need-to-know information. For example, you should consider whether not knowing the results will cause anxiety and whether knowing will be reassuring.”

“We’ve already determined we have to know,” Irena insisted.

Vincenzo had his own thoughts on the subject. Whether the baby was his or not he wasn’t happy about her having the test. He couldn’t wait to be a father again and didn’t like the idea that this could hurt the baby in any way. Worse, Irena could lose it, putting her own life in jeopardy in the process. To lose her was anathema to him.

He stared at Dr. Santi. “Do you perform this test?”

“I’ll oversee it. We have a perinatologist who does the actual procedure.”

He glanced at Irena. “I think we need to talk about this more.”