“And he’s okay?”
“Apparently my staff is already besotted with him. Anna said the girls are fighting over who is to hold him next.”
“Allow me to resolve the argument. Send for him, and I’ll hold him.”
“You haven’t had your coffee yet.”
“I can multitask.”
“And deprive my staff of the opportunity to kiss and cuddle a baby?”
“But by keeping him from me, you deprive me.”
“Is it such a deprivation?” Gio’s voice was pitched low. “I would think it’s a relief. Your letters made it sound as if you were at your wit’s end—exhausted, and overwhelmed, close to breaking.”
She flushed. “You read my letters.”
“As did my attorneys.”
Heat rushed down her neck, flooding her limbs. “So you were stonewalling me.”
“I had my own investigation to do.”
“You took your time.”
“I don’t respond well to threats.”
“I never threatened you!”
“Your letters demanded I act before I was prepared to—”
“This isn’t about you! It’s about a child who has lost both his parents. It’s selfish to deny him a chance at a better life.”
“We’ve returned to the material demands, haven’t we?”
“Material is only part of it. There is the cultural aspect, as well. The baby might have been born in Seattle but he is only half-American, and he needs to know you, his father’s family. He needs to be part of you.”
“Why aren’t you enough?”
“I’m not Italian, or Venetian.”
“And you think that’s important?”
“Yes.”
His lips compressed, his jaw firming “I doubt you value his Venetian ancestry and heritage as much as you value the Marcellos’ wealth and clout.”
“Can’t I want both for him?”
“But I don’t think you really want both.”
“That’s not true. I’ve worked hard to get to where I am now, but even with an excellent job, I barely make ends meet. And as a single woman, not yet twenty-nine, I’m in no position to raise a child on my own, much less a Marcello—”
“What does that even mean to you? A Marcello?”
“Your family is old, and respected. Your history goes back hundreds of years. The Marcellos have contributed significantly to modern Italy, but you personally have done so much for Italy’s economy that just last year you were awarded the Order of Merit for Labor.” She saw his black eyebrow arch, his expression almost mocking. “And yes,” she added defiantly. “I did my homework. I had to in order to find you.”
“Fourteen years ago the Marcello holding company was on the verge of bankruptcy. No one wanted to do business with us. No one trusted us. I have poured myself into the company to rebuild it, sacrificing a personal life in order to make the business my focus. And so, yes, I know manufacturing, construction and real estate, but I’m not interested in expanding the family.”