He smiled. "I assure you, that title never crossed my mind. I meant what I said. I like Kelly."
"You're not fooling me, Rafael. I know all this pleasant chitchat is just part of your master plan. You're trying to lull me into liking you again. It's not going to happen."
He glanced at her, then returned his attention to Danny. "Is it so impossible to believe I might regret what happened? That I now wish for a chance to make things right between us?"
"Yes. It is impossible."
"Because I am so horrible?"
"It's not about being horrible. It's about being used to getting your way. You're not used to regular rules. You don't believe in them. Why would you play by them now?"
"Because they are all that is left to me." He looked at her again. "You are right— I planned to steal your son from you. But in my mind, I didn't take the idea any further. I did not consider that Daniel would be devastated by the loss. I would have, and then I would have realized we needed to come up with another way."
"That's it?" she asked, incredulous. "That's all you got from this?"
"What is wrong with what I said? I have admitted I was wrong. I would have hurt Daniel and that was never my plan. I have also told you several times that I intended for you to be able to see Daniel, that I wasn't going to keep him from you, but you choose not to believe that. So why would I continue to repeat myself?"
"That's it?" she demanded again, even as she smiled and waved at Danny as he continued to circle the lawn. "That's the best you can do?"
"What more do you want from me? Blood?"
"It would at least be a start."
"Be reasonable, Mia. I cannot undo the past. What would make you feel better now?"
"There's nothing," she said between clenched teeth. How she loathed the man. How she wished he'd never seen that stupid picture, had never come here. If only—
"Change the law," she said suddenly. "I was kidding before, but I'm not now. Change the law that says once Danny is on Calandrian soil I have no rights. Make us equals in Calandria law."
"Will that be enough?" he asked, surprising her. She'd been so sure he would protest.
"It will be a start."
"I will call the leader of parliament in the morning," he said. "I give you my word."
He held out his hand as if they were supposed to shake on it.
She didn't want to shake hands with him. She didn't want to touch him at all. Whenever she did, she was reminded how weak and rebellious her body could be. But there was no polite way to avoid the contact, so she braced herself and slid her hand against his.
The sparks were instant. Need exploded like a firecracker trapped in a box. There was light and heat, which she hated almost as much as his knowing smile.
"It's just physical," she snapped as she pulled back and stepped away from him.
"The body and the spirit are not so easily separated," he said. "They influence each other."
"Not in this case. Don't go getting any ideas." She glanced at her watch. "Your time is up. You need to leave."
She expected him to protest. Instead he walked over to Danny and lifted him down from the pony. "You have done well," Rafael told him. "I'm very proud of you."
"I don't wanna stop," Danny said.
"It is time for me to leave."
Danny's lower lip thrust out. "No!" he yelled. "You stay. Mommy, tell Daddy to stay."
"Danny, it's time for Daddy to leave."
She tried to gather him in her arms, but he pushed away and ran to Rafael.
"Stay, Daddy," the boy cried. "I'm the heir and I say you stay."
"Danny…," Mia started.
Her son turned on her. "Why did you make him go away? Why can't my daddy stay with me? I want him to stay. I want him to live with me. I'm the heir and I say so. I say so!"
The last sentence came out as a shrieking scream. Mia was stunned when her normally reasonable, rational, emotionally stable child threw himself on the ground and began kicking and yelling.
"Danny," she said quietly. "It's all right."
"It's not. It's not."
"Mia," Rafael murmured.
She looked at him. "Just go. I'll deal with this."
"I will not leave you alone while he is like this."
Which, in theory, was lovely. But in reality, the longer he stayed, the worse it would get. Still, she couldn't force him to go.
She sat next to Danny and Rafael sat next to her. Danny cried himself out of his tantrum in about three minutes, then crawled on her lap. He put one arm around her neck and one around his father's, forcing them to lean toward each other. Then he cried as if his heart were breaking.
Parts of words tumbled out. It took her a minute to figure out what he was saying, and when she did, her heart broke, too.
"I want a mommy and daddy at the same time."
16
Mia stood by David in the hallway. He smiled at her and then said, "You look like hell."
She fingered her hair and realized she was in desperate need of a trim and maybe some highlights, but she didn't think that's what he meant. The stress wore on her until she had arguments with Rafael in her dreams.
"Things have been better," she admitted. "It could be worse. At least I don't have classes. I don't think I could deal with all this and tort law at the same time."
He patted her arm. "I wish I could help. Want me to beat up Rafael?"
"Thanks, but Joe already called that one and I haven't said yes to him yet."
"I don't want to stand in the way of Joe and a mission," David told her. "Is there anything else I can do?"
"Just being here with Amber helps," she said. "Watching the two of you gives me hope. Not every relationship is destined for disaster."
He smiled and she saw the love in his eyes. For a moment she felt a twinge— not because she wanted him to still be in love with her, but because just once she wanted a man to look like that when he talked about her.
"I got lucky when I met Amber," he admitted. "Even more lucky when she agreed to go out with me. I couldn't believe she didn't have a serious boyfriend or wasn't already married." He chuckled. "I nearly proposed on our first date. I knew she was the one, but I figured if I said so, she would think I was crazy and disappear into the night. So I waited and played the dating game, but all the time I knew."
Mia sighed. "Now you're getting married."
"I know some guys think of it as a loss of freedom, but why would I want time away from Amber? To do what? Meet other women and be disappointed? She's the one. I want to wake up next to her every morning. I want to plan a future and have kids and curl up in the dark just breathing in the scent of her body."
Mia listened to his words and felt another twinge. Sure, David was doing what they'd talked about, but he also meant every word. He spoke from the heart about the woman he loved.
"She's going to be a great mom," he continued. "She loves kids and she's patient. What?" he asked with a frown.
"I didn't say anything."
He touched her cheek. "You're crying."
"I'm not." She felt the dampness. "Okay, maybe, but just because it's so wonderful. I want you to be happy."
"I want you to find what I have," he told her. "Mia, you're great. You're smart and beautiful and I want you to find the right guy."
"I'm sure I will," she lied. "But until then, I have you two to inspire me."
"I've never been an inspiration before."
"You were never marrying Amber before." Mia hesitated. "David, I need you to talk to her for me."
"About?"
She drew in a breath. "The Grands. They really want to bead something. You know we have the tradition of making the bride's wedding dress. Obviously Amber has picked out a dress already. The wedding isn't that far away. The Grands have beaded your vest and they loved it, but it's not the same. The thing is, it's about more than just helping. It's their way of showing Amber they love her and really want her to be in the family. But they're afraid they'll say it wrong, or she'll think they're weird or pressuring her. They mentioned something about working on her veil, if that would be okay."
"I'll talk to her," he said as he leaned against the hallway wall. "She really likes the family, but sometimes they're a little much."
Mia laughed. "Of course we are. I get overwhelmed and I was born into this craziness. I hope you can explain how much we already love her and how happy we are that she's going to be one of us. Even if that does mean having to marry you."
"Hey!"
She grinned. "I've seen you at your worst."
"I could say the same."
"You could, but you're a gentleman and you won't." Her smile faded. "I love you and I'm incredibly glad we're not the ones getting married."
"Me too." His expression turned serious. "We were kids. What did we know about marriage and forever?"
"Plus you probably would have met Amber eventually and left me for her."
"I would have felt bad about it."
She laughed. "And that's supposed to make it all better?"
He shrugged. "What can I say? She's the love of my life."
"David?"
They both turned and saw Amber stepping out of the dining room where Grammy M had carefully sent her to polish the silver. The preplanned move had allowed Amber to hear every word while staying out of sight.
"Amber." David shifted uncomfortably. "We were, uh, just talking. Mia and I. It doesn't mean anything."
Amber's eyes were bright with affection and understanding. "I know." She turned to Mia. "I'm sorry I've been so foolish about so many things. It's just you're amazing and I'm just…"
"The woman David loves," Mia told her.
Amber stepped into his embrace. "I am, aren't I? Wow. How did I get so lucky?"
David hugged her tight. Over her head, he mouthed, "Thank you."
Mia nodded, then turned away to give them privacy. Not that they cared. As far as they were concerned, they were the only two people in the world.
* * *
Mia returned to her room, where she could have her breakdown in private. This was the Marcelli family, after all, and if anyone saw her crying they would all want to know what was wrong, then work as a committee to fix it. Right now, she just couldn't handle that.
She closed the door and then threw herself on the bed. But once there, the tears refused to come. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to think about everything going on, but it was impossible.
She hurt. Every bone, every hair, every inch of skin. She ached with disappointment and a strong sense of having lost something that could have been— should have been— wonderful. For a few days, a couple of weeks even, she'd been in love with a caring, smart, funny guy who'd pretended to love her back. She'd allowed herself to believe. To have hope. It had been a long time since she'd had hope in the romance department.
So many pretty words, she thought. So many lies and she'd fallen for them all. Apparently she only looked smart.
Now everything felt broken. She knew Rafael was trying, but so what? How could she ever believe him again? How could she trust him? Or was that not her problem? Did she have to trust him? If he changed the law, then they would have to negotiate some kind of visitation for Danny in Calandria.
She rolled onto her back. If… There was no if. Rafael was nothing if not determined. He wanted his son to grow up knowing about his people and his duty. He wanted Danny to understand that being the heir meant more than waving a scepter and making pronouncements. Rafael would get the law changed and then she would lose Danny.