Sure, having the first diamond he’d found cut and set into a ring for her years after her death had certainly been a romantic gesture. But that hardly made up for the fact that he hadn’t loved her enough to settle in one place when she’d been alive.
The one time he’d read the history of Messina Diamonds, all he’d seen were the stretched truths romanticizing a childhood that had barely been bearable for him.
But that wasn’t what she’d seen. She’d seen exactly what the PR department had wanted her to see. Love, devotion and tragedy. A recipe for timeless romance.
And she’d fallen for it.
The ultimate proof that she wasn’t nearly as practical as she wanted him to believe.
Though her ridiculous theories about his behavior certainly should have given him a clue what to expect. Apparently, she wanted to see him as some kind of wounded soul, tortured by his past. Her theory was damn near laughable.
But if he could use her sentimentality to get a yes out of her, then he would. If she was a closet romantic, he could give her romance. He could woo and seduce with the best of them. He certainly wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
He felt only the briefest pang of concern for his motives, but he quickly buried it.
Isabella needed her mother. And since he wasn’t willing to give up Isabella, marrying Lucy was the logical choice. After all the years he’d spent resenting his parents for the way they’d raised him, he took a certain amount of gratification in knowing that he would not make the same mistakes they had. He would put Isabella’s needs and wants before his own. His proposal certainly was not the manifestation of some deeper desire to make Lucy his own. It was simply a matter of logic.
And next time, he wouldn’t ask until he was sure of her answer. But eventually he would get a yes out of her. Because no wasn’t an option.
Besides, if there was one lesson she should have learned by reading that garbage downstairs, it was that Messina men always got what they wanted.
“Don’t look at me like that.”Lucy couldn’t even meet Isabella’s eyes as she ducked to pull her suitcase out from under the bed where she’d stashed it when she’d first arrived.
Isabella was currently having a little bit of “belly time” on her blanket in the middle of the king-sized bed. Her chubby little arms wobbled as she struggled to raise herself up enough to shoot Lucy what could only be described as an accusing glare.
“I’m not running away,” Lucy continued in her own defense. “This is a strategic retreat, that’s all.” And really, she thought she’d shown quite a bit of fortitude in not retreating earlier. She’d allowed a whole nineteen hours to pass between Dex’s proposal and her retreat. She hoisted the suitcase onto the foot of the bed and unzipped it. “I’m only leaving you with him temporarily.”
But even as she said the words, she knew they were a lie. This wasn’t temporary because chances were good she’d never get custody of Isabella. But if she was very lucky, and Dex was very forgiving, she’d at least get visitation rights.
She pulled a stack of clothes from the dresser drawer and tossed them into the suitcase. It seemed impossible that less than two weeks had passed since she’d first arrived at Dex’s house. How had so much changed in so little time? How had she gone from mistrusting him to caring about him?
Moving about the room, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror over the dresser and stilled. Her eyes looked wide and haunted. Her cheeks sunken. Her skin pale. A sleepless night will do that, she told herself. Or maybe she’d had too much to drink last night.
But who was she kidding? Really?
She’d been lying to so many people lately, did she really need to start lying to herself as well?
This wasn’t sleeplessness. This wasn’t too much alcohol. She’d only had a single glass of champagne, for goodness’ sake. This was good ol’ fashioned misery. This was a broken heart.
Because she really had gone and done something stupid and fallen in love with Dex Messina.
What an idiot.
She’d fallen hard and fast for him. And she very much feared that her heart would be his forever. But that wasn’t the reason—at least not the only reason—she was leaving now.
“Here’s the plan, Isabella.” She knelt down so she was eye to eye with the other person who owned a nice big chunk of her heart. “I’m going to tell him the truth.”
Isabella parted her little rosebud lips.
“No, no.” Lucy held up a hand as if staving off a protest. “Hear me out. He deserves to know. He deserves a chance to be a real father to you.” She sucked in a deep breath. “And I’m going to track down your mother and sort this whole mess out. And in the meantime, I’m going to contact my lawyer and see if he can’t arrange visitation rights.”
Even though she should be packing, she couldn’t resist picking up Isabella. She sat cross-legged on the bed and balanced Isabella on one knee.
“Don’t you worry. He’ll cave on visitation rights. I know he will. He’s a stubborn man, but he’s fair. He might be tempted to keep us apart just to punish me, but he’ll do what’s right for you.”
Isabella frowned, giving Lucy the impression—not for the first time—that she really was listening. And while the practical side of Lucy knew she was mostly talking aloud for her own benefit, there was another side of her that truly believed Isabella understood—if not the words—at the least the emotions behind them.
“Here’s the thing about dealing with your Dad. I know I warned you about letting him too close earlier. But I was wrong. Getting close to him is exactly what both of you need. Now, you may have to really work at this, because he’s going to resist you every step of the way. But—” she met Isabella’s gaze with a smile “—you have the advantage. You’re cute and defenseless. You’ll get him to open up. I’ve already seen you starting to work your magic on him. Besides, you worked your magic on me, didn’t you?”
An instant later, her smile wavered.
Yes, Isabella had worked some pretty amazing magic on her.
Lucy hadn’t needed anyone. And then Isabella had come along, with her wide blue-gray eyes, her pink little mouth and soft fuzzy hair. One coo, one wobbly little smile and every defense Lucy’d had, had shattered.
Isabella had left Lucy’s heart open and vulnerable.
And then Lucy had watched Isabella do the same thing all over again with Dex.
Lucy hadn’t stood a chance. Dex didn’t, either.
But now that she had to give Isabella up, Lucy didn’t know how she was going to bear it. How could she possibly walk away from this sweet little girl?
Only one thing made it bearable. Knowing that Dex would be there to pick up where she’d left off.
“You’re going to be just fine with him. You really are. He may not know it yet. But he loves you. And he’s going to be a great father to you.”
Lucy clutched Isabella to her chest. She squeezed her eyes closed, but couldn’t keep the tears from seeping out of the corners of her eyes.
No, Isabella and Dex would both be fine. Lucy, on the other hand, felt like her very soul would be crushed by her sorrow.
By the time he found what he was looking for and made it back to the house, her bags were already packed and waiting by the front door.Lucy stood in the entry hall, holding a sleeping Isabella in her arms, rocking slowly back and forth. Apparently waiting only to say goodbye to him before leaving.
“I won’t let you take her.”
Lucy looked up, frowning. “If I’d been planning on just taking her, I wouldn’t still be here.”
“Then what are you planning?”
“We need to talk.” She gestured behind her and for the first time he noticed the woman standing in the house, just beyond the foyer. “This is Mrs. Hill. She’s a babysitter I’ve hired before. She’s very reliable and Isabella knows her, so they’ll be fine together.”
“How long were you planning on talking?”
“I know I’m leaving you in a lurch, so tonight she’s agreed to stay overnight with Isabella. She doesn’t work weekends, but she’s an experienced nanny. As long as you’re home by seven most evenings, she can be here during the day while you’re at work. I’m sure eventually you’ll want to hire your own nanny, but until then—”
Tension knotted his belly as her words sank in. She was leaving.
Which, of course, the packed bags by the door indicated as well, but this was different. If she left and took Izzie with her, he had a built-in excuse for chasing her down. But if she left Isabella with him, that was something else entirely.
“I’m not going to hire a nanny. I want you to stay.”
Exasperation crossed her face. “I can’t stay indefinitely, Dex. You know that. You’re going to have to hire a nanny eventually.”
“I—”
But she raised a hand to cut him off. “We really do need to talk.”
Wasn’t this exactly the opportunity he’d been looking for? She wanted grand romance. Well, he was prepared to give it to her.
“In that case, we should go to the guesthouse where we can be alone.”
With reluctance that was obvious even to him, she handed Isabella over to Mrs. Hill and followed him through the living room and kitchen out the back door and across the patio to the guesthouse.
The guesthouse was far more comfortable than the main house. Before moving into it six months ago, he’d had his own furniture moved in, so it reflected his more modern sensibilities.
When Lucy followed him in, her eyes scanned the room hungrily, taking in every detail.
“I wondered when I’d see it,” she murmured.
“What?”
“Some scrap of your real personality.”
A little fissure of irritation cracked through his grand plan to seduce her with romance. “It’s just a room, don’t make too much out of it.”