Oh dear. Guests?
“It’s just me and Kellie,” Ryan said.
Christian frowned. “Your family isn’t coming?”
Ryan swallowed as if he recognized that this could be an issue. “Ah, well—”
“Ryan’s grandmother has some medical issues and her doctor suggested that she not fly.”
Ryan rubbed his hand up and down my back, that I took as a thank you. “And my brothers have several important business issues.”
“I cannot imagine a wedding without family.” Christian looked at his wife completely agape.
“We’ve decided to elope,” I blurted, hoping to save the situation. I threaded my arm through Ryan’s. “It seemed so romantic to run off to Italy to get married in such a blessed place as Villa Amorino.”
Martina smiled wistfully. Christian’s frown lessened but was still there.
“It was short notice, Christian,” Ryan said. “We took you up on it because I knew Kellie was getting tired of waiting and I wanted to make her happy. But it was too fast for our family, so we just went for it.”
“For us.” I nodded. I wondered if I needed to be concerned at how easy it was getting to lie.
Christian laughed, and the worry in my gut dissipated. “I understand. I didn’t want to wait to marry Martina either. Of course, I had many rivals vying for her. I had to get her off the market quickly.”
Martina blushed. “You’re exaggerating. There were only two rivals.”
I laughed.
“Let me show you to your room and you can get cleaned up and rest,” Martina said.
My gut clenched again as I realized she said room, singular. I looked over at Ryan whose face was impassive, but I suspected he noted it as well.
“This is the Maria Elena suite. It belonged to Marie Elana Giordano. She and her husband had a long and happy marriage in this house. It will bring you great happiness in your marriage.”
I looked over at Ryan, who glanced at me as well. I wondered if he was feeling a bit awkward at duping these nice people as I was.
“Everything you need should be here, but if not, you only have to ask. You have a maid, Gianna, who will be by shortly to check on you.”
“This is lovely, Martina,” I said, wanting to be appreciative, but trying not to gush. Afterall, being with a wealthy man like Ryan, I needed to act like I was accustomed to all this beauty and opulence.
“I’ll leave you two to rest.”
As she walked out, I scanned the room. Similar to the rest of the house it was like out of a design magazine. We stood in the sitting room of the suite that had a large window overlooking the gardens. I walked over to the bedroom, looking in and noting one large bed.
“I’ll sleep on the couch,” Ryan said as if he knew what was going on in my head. Then again, maybe he was worried about it too. I couldn’t decide if he was concerned that I’d sue him for sexual advances or some sort of inappropriate behavior, or if he was afraid that I’d try to seduce him so he’d fall for me and then I could be a part of this lifestyle. Either way, I couldn’t take his behavior personally. And he wasn’t wrong. Not that I was a gold-digger, but since this whole scheme started, I’d begun to see him in a different light. I’d had interactions with him beyond just work. And I was discovering there was more to him. And I was liking what I was learning. In a romantic setting like this, it could be easy to blur the lines and allow myself to live in the romantic fantasy. I couldn’t afford that.
“Do you mind if I take a shower?” I wanted to wash off the day, and clear my mind. I’d need to be sharp if I was going to pull off loving fiancé, while at the same time keeping myself from being beguiled by the man and the setting.
“No, please do.” He took off his coat and laid it over the back of a chair.
I was about to ask about our bags, when I noticed they were already in the room. “I won’t be long.” I went to open my bag. I wondered if they could tell it was cheap. I hadn’t considered buying a fancier one when Ryan sent me shopping. Then again, Christian knew I was Ryan’s assistant, so I wasn’t really from this socioeconomic status.
“Take as long as you want,” Ryan said, finding the little bar in the room and pouring a drink.
I watched for a moment. “Are you having second thoughts?”
He turned to me. “No. Why?”
“You just seem unsure now.”