“No!” Changeable hazel eyes darkened with anger. “My twins are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I won’t allow anyone to look down on them because their father is a loser and their mother is a bad judge of character.”
“I beg your pardon.” Without thinking, Grant reached across the table and wrapped his hand around hers. The warm velvet skin jolted him, but he held on, determined to make amends. He’d brought her here to help, not to hurt her. “Please. I was in no way demeaning your situation. Children are a gift, no matter the particulars of their conception.”
God knew how much he’d once wanted such a gift in his life.
Ariana glanced down at their touching hands, then carefully slipped her fingers from beneath his. “Apology accepted.”
Eyes downcast, she busied herself with a sip of water.
“So, are you going to tell me why you haven’t informed your family about the imminent arrival of two new grandchildren that you clearly treasure? Children aren’t something you can hide forever.”
Her lips twitched, lips that glistened from the oil and vinegar dressing. His gut reacted. She had a beautiful mouth that drew a man’s attention. Stupid Benjy. How had he resisted her?
“All right. If you insist.” She dabbed those sensational lips with the cheery red napkin. “But it’s a long story.”
“I’m in no hurry.” He’d left work much earlier than usual because of Ariana, but had no previous plans for tonight other than spending an hour or so at the health club. Other than the occasional date or dinners with his family, most weekdays found him chained to a desk until well into the evening.
“Mama and her brother, Uncle Ernesto, escaped Cuba as teenagers. They arrived here in a boat, tired, hungry, scared, and speaking only Spanish.”
“Your mother is an illegal?”
Ariana laughed. “Don’t ever say that to Mama. She is the proudest naturalized citizen in the entire state of Florida. And whatever you do, don’t get into an American history quiz with her. She’ll wax you.”
Though he doubted he’d ever meet the woman, Grant admired that kind of strength and determination. Having grown up in a very comfortable home, he’d never considered how blessed he was to live in the land of the free. He couldn’t imagine the difficulties of coming to a strange country to begin a new life.
“But how does her immigration relate to your pregnancy?”
“I’m getting there.” With a little wait-a-minute wave of dainty hands, Ariana sipped her water again, then continued. “Daddy is a fishing guide. Mama worked for many years as a domestic. With three children, finances were always tight, but Mama held on to the dream that her children would go to college and climb the ladder to success. Sean and Marisa had no such interest, so it fell to me as the oldest to make Mama’s dream come true.”
The music drifting through the restaurant changed to an accordion beat. Dishes clattered somewhere in the background, but all Grant’s attention focused on Ariana. There was more to her than a pretty face and a pregnant body. He knew about family expectations, having fallen far short of the dream his father had had for him. Even now, he continued to disappoint, a truth that wore away at his conscience as aggressively as his flamboyant father wore away at a jury.
“Didn’t you want to attend college?” Waiting for her reply he took a bite of the antipasto, the garlic flavor invigorating his taste buds, even as the conversation with Ariana invigorated his other senses.
“For as long as I can remember. And you should have seen Mama’s face on the day I graduated. She was so beautiful, absolutely radiant with joy.” Ariana’s eyes lit up in remembrance. “She gave a party for everyone in our neighborhood and spent the entire day showing off my diploma and saying, ‘Look, my Ariana, she is so smart. She will be somebody.’”
A faint Spanish lilt crept into Ariana’s voice as she imitated her mother. Grant smiled, enjoying the sound.
“And even though she didn’t want me to move so far away, she was thrilled when I landed the job at Wintersoft. And she is absolutely certain that someday I will be the public relations consultant for some movie star or maybe even the president.”
“Is that what you want?”
Ariana’s slender shoulders rolled forward in a shrug. “I love my job, and I want Mama to be proud. That’s what really matters.”
“I don’t see how your pregnancy interferes with any of that. Women with children continue to succeed in today’s business world. Surely your mother understands that.”
“Ah, but there’s more. You see, Mama’s younger sister, Lily, had a stroke last year. Since most of Mama’s relatives are still in Cuba, she and Lily are very close. Doctors wanted to put her in a nursing home, but Mama wouldn’t hear of such a thing. So she and Daddy took Lily into their home, and Mama provides total care for her. The stress is enormous, but to Mama, caring for Lily is a labor of love. She has to do it.”
“And you don’t want to add to your mother’s worry?”
“Exactly. Mama would be torn between her need to be with Lily and her maternal desire to help her unwed, very pregnant and alone, daughter.” Ariana’s animated expression disappeared. She twisted a strand of linguini with her fork, stirring the food around the plate. “It’s bad enough that my children won’t have a father, but now I will be a single mother struggling to make ends meet, instead of working my way up the ladder. I can’t add that load of worry onto my already overburdened mother.”
Grant took a bite of his pasta and savored the spicy flavor as he mulled over Ariana Fitzpatrick’s dilemma. She not only had the total responsibility of two unborn children, but all the hopes and dreams and concerns of her family rested on her fragile shoulders. And she believed she’d failed them.
“Ariana,” he said gently. “Sooner or later, your family will have to be told. You can’t keep two babies a secret forever.”
“I know.” She pulled in a ragged sigh. “I know. In fact, I really meant to all along, but first I wanted to get married—Mama’s old-fashioned about that. I’d told the entire family about the engagement, but Benjy was always vague about the wedding date, not making a commitment until three days before the courthouse fiasco. I’d planned to let them know about the babies once we married. When that never happened and I had to tell them about the breakup, I couldn’t bring myself to reveal the pregnancy at the same time. One shock was enough. But the longer I put off telling them, the harder it became.”
“Procrastination’s hell.” He should know. Hadn’t he said he’d “think about” that high-profile position with his dad’s law firm instead of refusing straight off the way he’d wanted to?
“No kidding. But once the babies come and I have my life under control again, everything will be fine and I’ll announce them to the world. Oh, Grant, I love these babies so much. My soul sings every time I think of watching them grow from perfect babies into beautiful, unique individuals. I can’t wait to hold them and count their fingers and kiss their noses and—” One nail-chewed hand flew to her mouth. “I’m sorry. You didn’t ask for all that motherly gushing.”
Some odd emotion caught in his chest at Ariana’s passionate speech. He’d dreamed of seeing that expression on Tiffany’s face, of sharing the unbridled joy of pregnancy and childbirth with the woman he loved. But Tiffany had put an end to such foolish fantasies.
Carefully, deliberately, he shifted his attention back to a woman who did want children. As an attorney he empathized to a certain point with all his clients, but Ariana didn’t appear to want his sympathy. Though she’d made some mistakes, she didn’t wallow in self-pity, and, unlike her ex-fiancé, Ariana took full responsibility for her life, embracing the good parts of a difficult