The sight of his son as he’d tumbled around the room with excitement was a sharp contrast to what he’d known as a boy; by replicating that cold environment he’d avoided considering that there were other ways of doing things.
Now, as they walked inside the ancient walls of the Colosseum, Leo’s attention darting everywhere, he knew what he was experiencing right now was exactly what he wanted—time with his son, to be a father. Sadie had already made it clear, even if she’d told Toni and not him, that she wanted to be married, wanted a father figure for her son, and that was exactly what he intended to be. A proper father. He would give his son all he’d been deprived of by a cold and unfeeling father. He’d had all the luxuries money could buy, but he’d never had that all-important and much-wanted father’s love.
All his life he’d known his duty was to his family, to keeping the good name which had been passed from generation to generation, but now none of that mattered. It was very clear to him where his duty really lay and that was in the little boy who was taking in his surroundings with great interest, and the woman he’d confided in Sebastien about after the avalanche who would have been the one for him had his family not pushed him down an alternative route.
‘I have arranged for our banns to be read for the first time this Sunday,’ he said calmly as Sadie stopped to look out across the remains of walls built long ago. She didn’t look at him, but he noticed the tension in her shoulders as she stiffened beside him.
‘I don’t want any fuss. All we need to do is sign a register.’ She still didn’t look at him, but behind her sunglasses he knew her green eyes would be full of determination. It flowed from her now like the power of the incoming tide and he admired her all the more for it. ‘There is no need for family or friends.’
‘It will be a civil ceremony, with the required witnesses, of course.’ He knew exactly who he wanted to be witness to his marriage, but as yet he hadn’t put in motion the plans to make that happen.
He’d waited to see if Sadie wanted her parents to be there, but she appeared as keen as he was to do this quietly and quickly, without any family. Sebastien and Monika would be perfect witnesses.
‘When?’
‘We shall be married two weeks from today.’ He wasn’t sure if he was disappointed that she didn’t seem to be putting up much of a fight any more. It certainly wasn’t because the desire and passion they had once shared had taken over.
‘So I have two weeks to change my mind.’ She turned and looked at him and he tried hard to read the expression on her face behind her sunglasses. Was she considering changing her mind? Could it be that she was holding out for more than her parents’ financial security or a father figure for Leo? Annoyance filtered through him. They would be married as planned. He would be a proper father to his son, create the family home he’d never had and do whatever was necessary to achieve that.
There was no way he’d let Sadie back out of it now; that wasn’t an option as far as he was concerned. Sadie would become his wife. Leo was already his heir, whatever name was on his birth certificate. That was another subject which needed to be dealt with—once they were married.
‘The time for that has long since passed, Sadie. You accepted my terms and we will be married.’ He tempered his voice, aware of Leo’s presence, although he was preoccupied with everything around him at the moment. Even so, he’d been witness to far too many stern conversations between his parents as a child and he wasn’t about to expose his son to the same.
‘Can I see the Romans now?’ Leo stood between them, looking up at him, those large dark eyes constricting his heart. He wanted to love his son, wanted to let his emotions have free rein, but he’d been brought up to believe that displays of emotion were a weakness and he wasn’t sure if he could change that.
‘Sì, sì, then we shall get some delicious gelato.’ Antonio couldn’t help being thankful for Leo’s intervention in his and Sadie’s discussion—and for making his first day out as a father memorable.
* * *
Sadie knew it wasn’t the end of the conversation, but she was thankful that Antonio hadn’t wanted to pursue it in front of Leo. It showed he at least thought of Leo, considered his feelings in all this. Could she be wrong about him?
‘I think that sounds like a fantastic idea, don’t you, Leo?’ She took her son’s hand and tried to ignore the sizzle of tension which rippled between her and Antonio. ‘Let’s go.’
As they neared the Roman soldiers Sadie pulled out her phone, an automatic reaction whenever there was an opportunity to capture a moment of Leo’s life. She took several photos of Leo grinning happily beside a Roman soldier and smiled to herself. She had so many of those precious memories captured, not just for herself but in the hope that one day she could show his father.
A stab of guilt hit her. Antonio had never seen any of those moments, never heard Leo as he’d tried to say his first word or watched as he’d taken his first steps. But he was the one who’d chosen to ignore that final letter. She shouldn’t feel guilty; it wasn’t her fault. It had been his choice.
‘I have lots of photographs of Leo,’ she said as she became aware of Antonio watching her. Whatever choices they’d made, he was still Leo’s father and she owed it to her son to bring Antonio into his life. She just needed to guard her heart, hang on to her emotions and not fall in love with him all over again.
‘I would like to see them.’ He stepped closer to her, instantly making her pulse leap in the way only he’d ever done. ‘But it is time for a family photograph, no?’
He took out his own phone and asked a nearby tourist to take their photo and, before she knew what was happening, Sadie was standing very close to Antonio, who held Leo in one arm and pulled her against him with the other. She forced a smile to her face as the tourist took several shots, trying to ignore the intense heat of Antonio’s touch, his body against hers stirring up all the desire and longing from four years ago. Time hadn’t dulled the heady passion.
‘Grazie.’ Antonio thanked the tourist and took back his phone and looked at the photo. She watched as a range of emotions swiftly crossed his face. Then, just as quickly, they were gone; he put Leo down and slipped his sunglasses back on. The controlled Antonio Di Marcello was back in place, the moment of softness with his son over—or had she imagined it?
As they made their way back to the busy streets, the atmosphere of the past left behind within the walls of the Colosseum, she couldn’t help thinking it was a shame that their past couldn’t be consigned behind high walls so easily. Maybe then she wouldn’t have to fight a growing attraction for the man who’d let her down in the worst possible way.
* * *
Even though it had been a week since their day out at the Colosseum, Sadie felt as if it had only just happened. Leo had settled into his new home far better than she’d ever thought possible, but his attachment to Antonio was becoming stronger and she worried that he would be let down, as she had been.
That worry intensified as she flicked through one of the glossy celebrity magazines she’d bought the previous day. The image she saw staring back at her brought everything that had happened that day sharply into focus. Her mastery of the Italian language wasn’t perfect, but she could translate the majority of the article which accompanied the photograph of the three of them outside the Colosseum.
Had it been an opportunistic photographer who had witnessed that single moment when the three of them had become a family, or had it all been set up by Antonio? He had, after all, made it perfectly clear he would do anything to be in Leo’s life. Was this his way of ensuring she didn’t back out on the marriage?
All