Reluctantly, Luca got up from his chair and started gathering their things in a bag. With every toy he stuffed inside, the more certain he became that the answer was yes. He’d do anything for that little girl. She was the child he never expected, and he wanted her to have a real family. Despite what Claire thought, he didn’t want Eva shuttled back and forth between households, caught up in visitation agreements and who gets which holidays. That meant taking a chance on having that real family with Claire.
But would Claire want anything to do with him? He’d pretty much told her he wasn’t a candidate for any of her romantic notions. She’d had an unhappy marriage and wouldn’t settle for the same this time. She’d want love and passion and everything that went with it. Luca would happily give her the passion and attention she needed. Love was another matter. He’d already made the mistake of giving that too freely once, and it had blown up in his face. That could happen with Claire, too, if he wasn’t careful.
He slung the bag over his shoulder and started back up the sandy path through the dunes. He knew that if Claire found out what was wrong with him, she would feel betrayed, bringing up all the emotions of her first husband’s infidelity. To protect himself from the possibility of being hit with emotional shrapnel, he’d have to keep his emotions soundly out of the equation.
That meant she couldn’t know the truth. Not about his cancer and not about how he really felt. He’d have to make sure he did everything right so she’d never question his love for her. It wouldn’t be hard to treat her better than Jeff had. Just a kind word was enough to make her melt. She deserved better than he’d treated her. Luca might not let himself love Claire, but he’d certainly do everything in his power to make her feel loved.
By the time he reached the house, Luca knew exactly how he would start his bid for Claire’s affections. To do it right, he knew he’d have to take the ultimate risk—to call his sister in Newport.
* * *
There was something different about Luca. Claire had tried to give him his space the past few days after their unexpected encounter. He’d given her confusing signals, so she decided that perhaps that kiss was the result of exhaustion and bad judgment. That was probably for the best, anyway, if this was how he was going to react to something like that. He’d been quiet and withdrawn, almost moody.
But since they’d come back from the beach, his mood had greatly improved. When she was done bathing Eva and put her down for her nap, she’d come out of the master bedroom to find him humming to himself and cooking up something tasty in the kitchen. The dark cloud that had hovered over him the past few days had disappeared, and she wasn’t sure whether she should be happy about it. It was easier to ignore Luca’s charms when he was distant and scowling. The smiling, happy Luca wore away her resistance too easily.
“I have a surprise,” he announced when he noticed her in the living room.
Claire wasn’t that good with surprises. More times than not it wasn’t a good thing. “What?”
“My baby sister, Mia, is coming to the house tonight.”
Claire couldn’t help the frown that instantly furrowed her brow. That was not at all what she’d expected him to say. Luca had made a point of telling her that he’d kept Eva and the whole situation from his family, and yet he seemed awfully chipper for a man who hadn’t had things go his way. “Why? Did she find out about Eva?”
“Yes,” he admitted, “but only because I told her. I actually invited her to stay with us for a few days. Mia lives not far from here in Newport.”
She was listening, but she couldn’t quite figure out what was going on. Eva was a huge secret, then suddenly he was rolling out the red carpet for his family? “I’m confused,” she said. “Why did you tell her? Does your whole family know the truth now?”
“If my whole family knows the truth, I’m going to skin Mia, so no, they don’t all know. I just told her and swore her to secrecy.”
“Again,” Claire pressed. “Why?” Was he so uncomfortable being alone with her now that he took the risk of inviting his sister here?
“So we could have a babysitter,” Luca said with a smile. “I’m taking you out tomorrow. I’ve got a whole day planned. Mia is going to stay here with Eva so you can relax and enjoy yourself.”
Taking her out? “I appreciate the gesture, Luca, but I’m not sure about this. I don’t even know your sister. I don’t know how comfortable I’m going to be leaving Eva with her.”