Page 105 of Bellini Born

“She’s probably scared, waking up in a new place, on top of being hungry.”

He shoved off the bed. “I’ll get her taken care of and then get started on dinner.”

My stomach rumbled at the mention of food. “Oh yeah? Whatcha making?”

“I’ve got a pesto gnocchi up my sleeve that’ll knock your socks off.”

“Sounds delicious. And very Italian.”

He smirked. “The fresh ingredients will make it taste even better.” Moving toward the door, he tossed over his shoulder. “I’ll bring in a plate for you.”

Right. Couldn’t forget that I was practically bed-bound. Fun stuff.

Matteo had been gone for a long time. Though, to be fair, the minutes dragged while I was stuck in this bed.

I tried to get back into my book, but I couldn’t get my brain to focus, especially when my eyes kept drifting to the diamond weighing down my left hand.

Why had he been so adamant that I never take it off?

I mean, he was kind of a caveman, so maybe it was his way of making sure any man who dared to look at me would know I was his. But that couldn’t be it because inside the house, there was no reason for him to be aggressively possessive, staking his claim.

He’d looked almost scared when he made the demand. It didn’t make any sense.

The only way to uncover the real reason would be by asking him outright. Though I might have only known Matteo for a short time, I knew that he could be stubbornly tight-lipped when he didn’t want to share certain information, like the exact location of this villa.

As it got darker, I worried that he would get caught up in cooking dinner and let Bianca sleep too long, resulting in her staying awake all night, so I gingerly eased off the mattress. Matteo would be pissed that I got up without help, but, as a former athlete, it went against every instinct I had to just lie around all day. I needed to move around, or else I was going to go insane.

I hissed against the lightning bolts of pain shooting up my left leg as I stumbled across the room. Breathing heavily, I paused at the threshold of the room, waiting for the black spots to clear my vision before I proceeded.

Stepping into the hallway, I moved toward where I remembered the kitchen being on my limited tour of the house upon our arrival, but Matteo’s muted voice had me changing direction. Following the sound, I paused at the open door ofwhat appeared to be a guest room where a portable crib had been set up.

Matteo was seated on an armchair, Serafina held in his arms as he fed her a bottle, the two of them bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun.

As Serafina greedily sucked down the formula, gazing up at her father with heavy-lidded eyes, I couldn’t help but stare at the breathtaking sight.

Thiswas what had stolen my heart. I hadn’t just fallen for the man; I’d fallen for the father who was beyond gentle and loving with his girls. He treated them like the princesses he claimed them to be. And no matter what dark deeds he hid in the shadows, it didn’t erase that at his core, he was good.

The sight alone would have been heartwarming enough, but then he spoke.

“Promise you won’t to share this with your sister until we can tell her ourselves, but Summer agreed to marry me. She’s smart and beautiful and kind, and it terrifies me that someday she’s going to wake up and realize what I already know. That she’s too good for me.”

Blinking back the tears that threatened to fall, I brought a trembling hand to my mouth.

“I’m sorry that you never got to meet your mamma. But Summer loves you so much. And I know you love her too.” He chuckled softly. “She’s the only one you’ll eat solids for, you little stinker.”

Matteo’s gaze lifted to meet mine, and my lungs seized at having been caught eavesdropping.

“Truth of the matter is,” he continued speaking to his daughter, even though he kept his eyes trained on me. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to us.”

Those tears I’d been holding back spilled over, and I whispered, “Ti amo.”

Expressing our love in his native tongue felt special, like it belonged only to us, and I wondered if we could stay inside this little bubble forever.

Chapter 24

Matteo

“So,there’ssomethingspecialwe wanted to talk to you girls about.”