long breath. “Forgive me, cara but your stepmother is full of crap. That might have been true in the beginning, but things dramatically changed when I took them under my wing. Once they sobered up, your parents felt very ashamed of their actions...especially your father. Your pending reunion with May had been discussed many times, but Trisha always burst into tears and begged on her knees for more time. She had this insane notion you would turn May against her because of everything that happened in the past, so she pleaded for a chance to prove herself as a mother before you came back into the picture.”
“And you gave her that chance?” I concluded in a whisper.
He shrugged and exhaled. “I tried to be reasonable and let it happen in her own time. But when I found out you were pregnant and distraught, all of my consideration for Trisha was gone. I was going to make that reunion happen. I was desperate to prove myself to you and do something right.”
“You wanted to score points?” I guessed, holding his shimmering black gaze.
“Yes, cara,” he whispered and leaned just a bit closer. “I most certainly was.”
“Then why not tell me all of this last night when you tried to explain yourself?” I asked in quiet amazement.
He sighed. “Things obviously didn’t work out the way they were supposed to,” he muttered and tapped his fingers against the arm rest. “I didn’t see a need to upset you with something neither of us could influence. Piccola, we cannot bring back the time. What’s done is done.”
“But you knew this was the one thing that could work to your advantage,” I pointed out.
“I’m not going to lie,” he admitted in a quiet voice. “Something of the sort has crossed my mind on an occasion.”
I shook my head, more confused than ever. “So why keep it hidden?”
Alessandro tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and responded without hesitation. “Because I knew it would cause you pain and I’ve sworn to myself that I’d never hurt you again. Tesoro, I don’t want to score points at the cost of your tears. It’s not worth it to me. Besides, you have your little sister now. That’s all that matters, right?”
“But if it weren’t for the accident—”
“Don’t,” he reprimanded and gently squeezed my shoulder. “It’s behind us, cara. It’s in the past. We need to focus on the future. We need to focus on our baby. Now the whole truth is out in the open, so no more painful discussions, okay?”
For a few silent moments, my eyes drowned in his expectant gaze. The glimmer of light that chased away the darkness in his irises drew my attention and I held onto its silent reassurance. “Okay,” I heard myself whisper and some kind of weight was suddenly lifted off my chest. I could breathe…for possibly the first time ever.
Alessandro smiled widely and planted a small kiss on my forehead. His lips lingered on my skin and he murmured something gentle in Italian. Then, he fastened his seatbelt and started the engine as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. His hand reached for mine and we drove in silence. As I stole occasional glances at him, I reminisced on everything he’d told me and I wondered if he chose to keep this part of him a secret for all these years, or if he merely made an effort to learn how to be a better man since the day he’d discovered I was pregnant. Perhaps it was a combination of both. I didn't dwell on it for much longer. The exhaustion caught up with me at some point and I expelled a loud yawn.
“Tired, cara?” Alessandro inquired gently.
“A little bit,” I admitted, fighting to stay awake.
“It was a long day, but I need you to hold on for just a while longer. I want to show you something before we go home,” he said, sounding mysterious.
“Why? Where are we going?” I asked in confusion, because I couldn't imagine where he would take me at this time of the day.
He smirked, determined not to reveal anything. “It's this nice place in the city. You'll love it.”
I wasn't in the mood, but didn't want to disappoint him, so I silently agreed and closed my eyes to rest for a short moment. The next thing I heard was Alessandro's soft voice coaxing me awake because we’d arrived. Slowly, I opened my eyes and saw him smiling above me. “Where are we?”