He stood up when she rose, wondering why he found the idea less appealing than he should have done. Getting involved with her was something he intended to avoid at all costs. It was going to be difficult enough to deal with the thought of being a father without adding anything else to the equation.
The thought steadied him, helped him regain some much-needed equilibrium, and he smiled coolly at her. ‘I shall be in touch once the results are back. We can finalise the arrangements then.’
‘Of course.’ She held out her hand. ‘I really appreciate this, Vincenzo. I know it’s a lot to ask, especially in the circumstances, but it’s Megan’s best hope of making a full recovery and I’m truly grateful to you.’
Vincenzo took her hand, trying to ignore the rush of awareness that hit him as his fingers closed around hers. ‘You don’t need to thank me. It’s enough to know that I may be able to help her.’
He released her hand, relieved to break the contact. He led the way to the door, pausing briefly to glance at her. ‘How are you getting back to Garda? I assume you came here by taxi, so have you arranged to be collected?’
‘I...ehem...no,’ she admitted. ‘Don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll be able to flag down a cab on the way.’
‘I doubt it.’ He sighed, suddenly anxious to bring the meeting to an end. It was a lot to take in and he needed time to think about what had happened and what it meant. His whole life was about to change and it was worrying to know that the future he had mapped out so carefully now wouldn’t follow the route he had planned.
‘I’ll get my gardener to run you back,’ he said curtly. He shook his head when she started to protest. ‘No. I insist. If you’ll wait here, I’ll go and find him.’
Vincenzo didn’t give her time to say anything else as he strode out of the door. Alfredo was digging over a border but he stopped immediately when Vincenzo told him what he wanted him to do. Five minutes later the car was turning out of the drive but he knew it wasn’t the end of the matter. It couldn’t be when he had promised Lowri that he would help her.
A shiver ran down his spine and he turned away, wondering if he had made a mistake by giving her his word. There would be no going back on it now, no way that he could reconsider, and the thought filled him with such a mixture of emotions that his breath caught. If Lowri’s plan worked then he would be the father of not one but two children this time next year.
* * *
It was midnight by the time Lowri’s plane landed. The flight had been delayed and she was exhausted after the hours she had spent waiting around in Milan. Cerys was waiting when she came through customs, anxiously scanning the faces of all the passengers. She opened her arms and Lowri stepped into them, feeling relief pour through her as her sister enveloped her in a hug.
‘So, how did it go?’ Cerys demanded as she let her go.
‘He agreed.’ Lowri drummed up a smile, although her insides were churning as they had been doing ever since Vincenzo had told her his decision.
‘Really? Wow!’ Cerys sounded so shocked that Lowri laughed.
‘I know. I was stunned too. It was such a long shot, wasn’t it? I mean, he hardly knows me...’ She trailed off, unable to continue as her throat closed up with a sudden attack of nerves.
‘You hardly know him, either,’ Cerys reminded her, leading the way to the car park. She zapped open the car doors then treated Lowri to an old-fashioned look. ‘You are sure about this? I mean, it’s a huge step to have another baby even when you’re in a proper relationship and this is very different.’
‘I know, but what choice do I have?’ Lowri’s eyes filled with tears. ‘If I don’t have this baby and something happens to Megan then I’ll always wonder if I could have prevented it. I couldn’t live with myself, Cerys, really I couldn’t!’
‘I know. Take no notice of me. You’re doing the right thing, love, and I’ll be with you every step of the way.’
Cerys gave her a smile then got into the car and after a moment Lowri got in as well. She knew her sister was simply concerned about her and she appreciated it, but she couldn’t pretend that she didn’t have her own doubts. Having a baby was a big decision for any woman and all the more so in this situation.
Even though there was a greater chance of a sibling being a match for Megan, it wasn’t guaranteed. From the moment she had decided to approach Vincenzo, she had ruled out the idea of having the baby tested before it was born for the simple reason that she knew she could never abort it. To destroy one life to possibly save another was something she couldn’t do so she was going to have to trust to luck that the baby would be a suitable donor.
Should she have made that clear to Vincenzo? she wondered suddenly. She would hate him to think that she had misled him and she made a note to mention it when they next spoke.
Her heart jolted because the next time they spoke, they would have to finalise the arrangements for the sperm donation. There simply wasn’t time to delay if this was to work and yet it seemed so cold, so...so emotionless to conceive a child this way. She sighed. It was emotionless, though. Vincenzo had agreed to her proposal purely to help Megan, not because he wanted to have another child with her. Feelings didn’t enter into it, neither hers nor his...if he had any.
Lowri closed her eyes, unsure why the idea made her feel so sad. She and Vincenzo were just two people who had met at a time when each had needed comfort. They had fulfilled a mutual need but that was all it had been. Oh, she had found him very attractive; she still did. But she hadn’t been in love with him or him with her. And yet for some reason the thought of him living his life in an emotional wasteland hurt. Vincenzo deserved more than that. He deserved to be loved, deserved to be in love too.
* * *
Vincenzo drove to Milan the following day. He went straight to a lab he had used many times during the course of his work and arranged to have the DNA tests done. He was a valued client and they promised to get the results back to him within a couple of days.
He gave them his phone number then headed to his lawyer’s office next. Although Lowri had rejected his offer of financial support for Megan, he intended to make arrangements anyway. He also needed to know what his position was with regard to the child, and if he had any rights as her father. Maybe he was putting the cart before the horse when he still didn’t have proof that Megan was his daughter but he needed to clarify the situation. Hopefully, he would feel better once he knew exactly what he was dealing with.
He sighed as he parked the car outside the lawyer’s office. He had spent a sleepless night thinking about what had happened and what he had agreed to do and he still wasn’t sure if he had made the right decision. The thought of how it was going to affect his life wasn’t easy to deal with. Having one child would be difficult enough to cope with and having a second would only double the problems.
He could only imagine the impact it was going to have on his life and yet what else could he have done? If Megan was his daughter—and he was sure that she was—then he owed it to her to do everything he could to help her. After all, she was his flesh and blood and she would carry on the Lombardi name after he died.
The thought of having an heir had never occurred to him before and yet Vincenzo felt a sudden rush of pleasure at the idea. Getting out of the car, he made his way into the building with a new spring in his step. The name of Lombardi wouldn’t die out now, as he had always assumed; it would be carried on by his own children. It felt remarkably good to know that too.
* * *
Vincenzo decided to go into work the following day. The meeting with his lawyer had taken far longer than he had expected but he now had a much clearer idea of his position. The lawyer had been quite blunt as he had explained that Lowri held all the cards at the present moment. She was the child’s mother and until he had