VITTORIO'S MISTRESS (The Vittorio Series) (15 page)

He cursed himself all the way there.
 
Cursed his weakness, cursed his inability to drive her from his mind, from his heart.
 
He was tired of waking up to women whose names he didn’t remember or cared to know, and he was tired of closing his eyes when he had
sex with them so he could pretend they were Paige.
 
He was sick to death of feeling hollow inside, and if that meant swallowing a little bit of pride then he’d do it because this past month with Paige had shown him how empty his life was without her.
 

Dante turned down the road leading to Paige’s house, a dark scowl forming on his face when he saw a familiar car pull into her driveway.
 
Marc Bernese, the man she’d insisted was like a brother to her.
 
Dante parked far enough down the street he wouldn’t readily be seen but could still maintain a visual on the house.
 
He didn’t have to wait long, and what he witnessed made his blood boil.
 
Paige came rushing out of the house as if she couldn’t wait to see him, and Bernese…he welcomed her with open arms.
 

Dante ground his teeth together when the warm embrace ended and Bernese whisked her into his car.
 
So that was Paige’s plan.
 
Tell him she needed time to
think
then call her future lover to pick her up before Dante could return.
 
Grim determination lined his face as he fired up the engine and waited until they were half a block away before following at a safe distance.
 
She’d made a fool of him, not once but twice, and that was something he refused to tolerate.
 

Once they reached their destination he was going to confront Paige and expose her in front of Marc Bernese.
 
Oh yes, he imagined it was going to come as quite a surprise to good ole Marc when Dante enlightened him as to how Paige had been spending her nights for the last month.

Dante was more than a little shocked when the sporty black car Marc Bernese was driving pulled into the hospital parking lot.
 
He felt a little guilty for assuming Paige was sneaking off with the man but not guilty enough to drive off without finding out why they were here.
 
Something must have happened to
Chantel
, and for that he was genuinely sorry.
 
He’d only met Paige’s best friend a couple of times but she seemed nice and there was no doubting her loyalty to Paige.
 

Even knowing Marc was probably only lending what comfort he could to Paige, Dante couldn’t stop the jealousy from rising hard and sharp when the man put his arm around her as they walked into the hospital.
 
They were obviously in a hurry, which was the only reason she didn’t notice him because if Paige had glanced backwards even once there was no place a man his size could hide in a hurry.
 

It was also fortunate they were the only two getting onto the elevator because it gave him the opportunity to see which floor they got off on.
 
Dante watched the numbers on the panel light up one by one until it stopped for a few minutes on the fifth floor.
 
He glanced around for the staircase and hurried through the door, taking the steps two at a time until he reached the landing on the fifth floor.
 

Dante opened the door, cautiously peering around before slipping through and making his way to the main corridor.
 
Paige and Marc were about halfway down the hall to his right when they turned and entered one of the rooms.
 
He took a few halting steps in the same direction then stopped because he didn’t have a clue why he was still following them.
 

“Can I help you?”
 

Dante smiled at the matronly nurse.
 
“A friend of mine was admitted recently and I am afraid I was in such a hurry to get here I forgot to ask what room she was in.”

“I understand,” she smiled back.
 
“I think emotions tend to run a lot higher when a child is involved and we all lose our heads a little.
 
If you’d like to step over to the nurse’s station, I’d be glad to look up her room number.”

Dante cleared his throat.
 
“I…uh…think I made a mistake.
 
I am looking for a woman, not a child.
 
Her name is
Chantel
Bernese.”

“I see,” she beamed at him.
 
“You’re here for moral support then.
 
Chantel’s
actually been dealing with it quite nicely but the poor little girl’s mother looked like she was going to shatter into a million pieces.”

“The girl’s mother?”

“Yes, she just got here.”
 
The nurse circled around the counter and glanced at the computer screen.
 
“I wasn’t sure which room she was in because they moved her earlier today.
 
Here it is.
 
Daniella Vittorio, room 515.”

Blood rushed to Dante’s head.
 
“Did…did you say Vittorio?”

“Yes…oh, the name must have confused you because
Chantel
isn’t really her aunt.”

He glanced around for a moment then looked back at the nurse.
 
“This is the pediatric ward,” he said unevenly.

The nurse’s smile faded, a look of suspicion taking its place.
 
“I’m sorry sir, what did you say your name was?”

“How old is she?”

“Excuse me?”

“Daniella, how old is she?”

The nurse visibly bristled.
 
“I’m afraid I can’t give out any information unless you’re a
blood
relative.”

Dante didn’t bother to point out
Chantel
wasn’t a blood relative.
 
He pulled out his wallet and handed it to her so she could inspect his driver’s license.
 
She scrutinized it for several minutes before handing it back to him.
 

“Now that I have established we are related, could you please answer my question?”

She riffled through the files in front of her and pulled one out, casting a furtive glance at Dante before she opened it.
 
“According to
Daniella’s
chart she just turned three on May eighteenth.”

The blood that had rushed to his head only moments ago slowly drained, leaving his face decidedly ashen.
 
“Thank you,” he said woodenly, then turned in a daze and headed down the hall.

Dante’s legs felt as if they were made of rubber.
 
Paige had been two months pregnant when she’d left him, pregnant with
his
child.
 
That’s what she meant about being afraid he’d resent her for holding him back.
 
Dio
, if only he’d told her the truth about his family and the massive wealth he possessed, things would have turned out so differently for them.
 

He would have married her in a heartbeat, not just because of the baby but because he’d loved her.
 
He stopped right outside
Daniella’s
room and sagged against the wall.
 
Admit it, you loved her then and you love her still.
 
Always.
 
Always.
 
Dante drew in a
sharp breath when he heard voices coming from inside the room.
 
A soft smile curved his lips as he inched closer to the doorway and listened in.

“Mama, can we go home now?”

“No, angel, the doctor needs to make you better first.”

“But my tummy doesn’t hurt no more.”

“Anymore," Paige gently corrected, " and that’s because the medicine made it go away.”

“We can take the
medcin
home with us.”

Dante’s chest swelled with pride.
 
“Clever girl,” he murmured.

“I’ll tell you what,” Paige said.
 
“After the doctor fixes your tummy, Mama will stay home with you for a whole week.
 
Would you like that?”

“Can we watch cartoons and eat Coco
Crunchies
?”

Paige laughed.
 
“Yes, darling, anything you want.
 
But right now, you need to take a nap.”

“I don’t want to take a nap,” Daniella replied with a hint of defiance.

Dante smiled to himself when Paige’s soft voice crooned, “Okay, angel, you don’t have to take a nap if you don’t want to.
 
Just rest your eyes for a few minutes so they’re not too tired to watch cartoons later, can you do that?”

“Yes, Mama,” Daniella replied sleepily.

He was still standing there listening to Paige hum a lullaby when the doctor arrived.
 
The silver haired gentleman glanced up from the chart he’d been reading while he walked and looked surprised to find Dante hovering outside the doorway.
 
Then hearing Paige’s lilting voice as she lulled her daughter back to sleep, the doctor smiled and offered his hand.

“You must be
Daniella’s
father.
 
I’m glad you could get here before we took her in.
 
Chantel
didn’t seem very confident you’d make it back from your
 
trip in time.”

Dante’s lip twitched as he shook the doctor’s hand.
 
“It seems
Chantel
has made quite a passel of friends here.”

“She has,” he agreed, “but then so has Daniella.
 
You have an enchanting little girl, Mr. Vittorio.
 
I’m sure you’ve been told this before but she looks just like you.”

Pain stabbed at his heart.
 
He had no idea whether his daughter resembled him or not.
 
“How is she doing?
 
I have only just arrived and have not had a chance to talk to her mother.”

“Well young man, I guess that makes us about even because I haven’t had a chance to talk to her yet either.
 
Chantel
said you’d both been vacationing on an island so she wasn’t able to reach your wife until a few hours ago.
 
But enough small talk, I’m sure you’re anxious to hear about the test results and
Daniella’s
surgery.”

“
Surgery
,” Dante said in alarm.
 
“But she is only three…”

“I understand your concern, but I’m afraid it’s necessary.
 
Why don’t we go inside so I can explain the procedure to you and your wife together?”

Dante’s eyes flickered at the open doorway.
 
He could only imagine Paige’s reaction to seeing him here, and though it would have served her right after she’d kept his daughter a secret from him for all these years, he couldn’t chance upsetting Daniella.
 
His mind frantically searched for a plausible reason he shouldn't
 
go in there, but what would the doctor think about a father who didn’t seem concerned about the operation his little girl was about to have?
 
 
Mio Dio
, he didn’t even know what was wrong with her or why the procedure was necessary.
 
 
The dilemma quickly resolved itself a few seconds later when
Chantel
emerged from the room.

Her eyes widened in surprise but she recovered almost immediately.
 
“I thought I heard voices.”
 
She offered Dante a tentative smile.
 
“I’m glad you’re here, Dante.
 
Paige is frantic with worry and could really use your support.”
 
She turned her attention to the doctor.
 
“
Daniella’s
just dropped off to sleep.
 
Maybe it would be better if I sent Paige out so you can talk without disturbing Daniella.”

Dante cocked a brow at the doctor.
 
“Has she been this protective of my daughter the entire time?”

The older man laughed.
 
“This is mild.
 
You’d have thought
she
was
Daniella’s
mother the way
Chantel
has been ordering me and my nurses about.”

“Then I am grateful to you,” Dante told
Chantel
.

She dismissed it with a wave of her hand, though a soft blush had worked its way into her cheeks.
 
“Enough chit chat.
 
Let me go get Paige so you can get this show on the road.
 
Daniella probably won’t sleep for long and she’ll be clamoring for her mother when she wakes up.”

Dante’s whole body tensed as he waited for Paige, and he was grateful to
Chantel
once more for paving the way.
 
She’d obviously forewarned Paige he was out here and that he knew he was
Daniella’s
father, but she must have also conveyed that the doctor was
unaware they weren’t married because Paige’s eyes didn’t so much as flicker when he looped his arm around her waist the moment she stepped out of the room.
 

The muscles in Paige’s stomach knotted when Dante dipped his head and brushed a light kiss against her lips.
 
When
Chantel
told her Dante was here and was outside speaking with the doctor, she was glad she’d been sitting because she’d nearly passed out.
 
How had he discovered Daniella was his daughter, and how had he known she was in the hospital when Paige had only just found out herself?
 
A million questions swirled around in her head but the answers would have to wait until later.

“Mrs. Vittorio,” the doctor shook her hand, “I’m Dr. Brooks.
 
If you’ll both follow me, we’ll go over everything in my office.”

“I’m not…” Paige started to correct him about her name, but Dante interceded.