VITTORIO'S MISTRESS (The Vittorio Series) (21 page)

Dante seemed pretty confident they’d accept her into the family, but Paige wasn’t so sure.
 
What if they thought she was only marrying him for his money?
 
What if they opposed the marriage altogether?
 
She already had a few strikes against her; all she could do was pray she’d make it through the evening without adding any more.

Paige eyed herself critically in the mirror.
 
“I’m fat,” she declared with a dismal sigh.
 

“You are perfect,
cara
.”

She pressed her hands to belly.
 
“It used to be flat, now I have a pooch.
 
And my hips…”

Dante came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist.
 
“I love you.
 
I love everything about you.
 
I thought your body had changed because you had matured but it was because you
 
carried my baby girl for nine months.”

Paige scowled at his reflection.
 
“So you noticed I’d gotten fat and chalked it up to the aging process?”

Dante’s lip twitched.
 
“You are twisting my words,
bella
.”
 
His hands moved slowly up her body to cup her breasts.
 
“They are fuller, more perfectly shaped to my hands than before.
 
And your belly may not be as flat as it once was but it is softer, more feminine.”
 

“I suppose my wide hips are softer and more feminine too,” she bit out caustically.

“Yes, as a matter of fact they are.
 
I have always been physically attracted to you, Paige, but the truth is you were too thin before.
 
I wanted to sit you down at some fine Italian restaurant and tell you to eat until you put a little meat on your bones but I know how sensitive women are about their weight so I said nothing.”

“You expect me to believe that after seeing the type of woman you dated?
 
Francisca was thin as a rail so you obviously like that in a woman.”

“You are wrong,
cara
.
 
I dated that type of woman
because
I was not particularly attracted to them.
 
I was not interested in a relationship and being with women like Francisca made it easy to keep an emotional distance.
 
I do not care to count ribs or have a bony pair of hips digging into me.
 
That is why I find your new curves so enticing.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously,” he dropped a kiss on her cheek.
 
“Now finish getting ready while I go collect Daniella.
 
Mireia
has had her dressed for twenty minutes and is in there now coaching our daughter on the proper way to greet her grandparents.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
***

The drive to the Vittorio mansion seemed insufferably long.
 
Not that she was in any hurry to face Dante’s family, but the anxiety was eating a hole in her stomach and she
just wanted to get it over with.
 
It didn’t help that Daniella was bubbling with excitement and chattered non-stop about meeting her
nonna
Vittorio.

“
Nonna
means grandmother in
It…
Ital…”

“Italian,” Dante supplied.

“Italian,” Daniella repeat.
 
“And
nonno
means grandfather but I don’t like that ‘
cause
it sounds like no and he might think he’s in trouble.
 
I told
Mireia
and she said I could call him
Papa
if I wanted.”

“He will like that very much, my princess.
 
What else did
Mireia
teach you?”

“I can’t tell you, Daddy.
 
Mireia
said it’s a surprise and not to tell anyone except
Nonna
.”

Paige shot an apprehensive glance at Dante.
 
“Are you sure it was such a good idea having
Mireia
coach her?”

Dante reached across the seat and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
 
“Do not worry,
cara mia
, there is only so much a three year old can learn in the thirty minutes
Mireia
was with her.”

“I wish I would have thought to ask you to teach me a few things.
 
The only words I know in Italian are the ones you whisper when we’re in bed and somehow I don’t think your family would be impressed with my limited vocabulary.”

Dante grinned, recalling what he’d been doing just a few short hours ago when he’d whispered the words Paige was referring to.
 
He’d followed up with a very in-depth physical demonstration just in case she hadn’t understood the meaning, though the pretty blush on her face told him she’d known exactly what he was saying.
 
Dante had never seen her look more beautiful and he’d have given just about anything to make love to her again but their time had been limited because they had to get ready for the dinner tonight.

He knew Paige was nervous and wished there was something he could do to alleviate her anxiety, but in all honesty he wasn’t a hundred percent sure his family’s reception would be a warm one.
 
He’d spoken with his mother and explained everything, including his role in the misunderstandings between him and Paige, but the conversation had taken place over the phone so it was difficult to tell if the impassive tone she’d used was because she accepted they’d both made mistakes and was no longer upset
 
or she was so angry with Paige she couldn’t talk about it.
 

Ravenna Vittorio could be very imposing when she got her nose out of joint, but he didn’t dare say anything to Paige for fear she’d refuse to come with him.
 
Of course his mother was too refined to say anything outright rude, but she’d manage to get her barbs in one way or another.
 

He’d be lying to himself if he said his family’s opinion didn’t matter, but whether they accepted Paige or not wouldn’t change his mind about marrying her.
 
His life had been empty and meaningless without her; there was no way in hell he was ever going back to that kind of hollow existence again.

“Oh my God,” Paige gasped when Dante pulled up to a set of massive wrought iron gates.
 
“Is this where your parents live?”
 
Even with the gates obscuring part of her view she could see how massive the house was.
 
“This isn’t a mansion, it’s a palace!
 
Dante, I’m sorry but I can’t go in there.
 
I don’t know what made me think I could ever fit into this kind of lifestyle, but I can’t, I know I can’t.”

“Mama, what’s wrong?”
 
Daniella asked in alarm.

“Nothing is wrong, princess,” Dante calmly assured his daughter.
 
“Your Mama is just very excited to see such a beautiful palace.”
 
He put the car in park then reached over and unhitched Paige’s seat belt so he could pull her close to his side.
 
“
Cara mia
,” he said softly, “you are upsetting yourself for no reason.”
 

Dante cupped her chin and gently forced her head back.
 
“Listen to me, Paige.
 
You are going to shake off this moment of panic and go inside because very soon all those people in there will your family.”

“I’m scared,” she whispered.
 
“I’ll embarrass you, I know I will.
 
I’m a teacher for Pete’s sake, and not even a salaried one at that.
 
They’ll think I’m after your money…”

“Are you?”

Paige blinked.
 
“Is that what you think?”

Dante pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
 
“No,
carissima
, and they will not think it either.
 
If it is your humble occupation that concerns you then it may comfort you to know that one of my sisters-in-law is a struggling artist and the other is a part-time physical therapist.
 
And my sister, Milana, stays at home preparing for the birth of
 
her baby and does not work outside the house at all.
 
If that does not help ease your anxiety, then maybe this will.
 
When my father met my mother, she was working for a catering service.
 
She was not born into wealth, but she did not let it intimidate her because she loved my father and learned to adjust to it.
 
You will do fine, trust me.”

From the back seat, Daniella let out an exasperated huff.
 
“Are you going to do kissing
again
?”

“I cannot help it,” Dante chuckled, “your Mama is so very kissable.”

“But I want to see
Nonna
and
Papa
and the palace.
 
It’s just like the one in Cinderella, isn’t it Mama?”

“It sure is,” Paige agreed, albeit without the excitement Daniella was obviously feeling.

“Are you ready to go in,
cara
?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she sighed.
 

Dante gently touched her cheek.
 
“Whatever happens tonight, remember I love you with all my heart and that nothing will keep me from making you my wife.”

Paige’s voice wobbled.
 
“You mean that?”

“Yes,
bella
.
 
You and I were destined to be together from the moment we met and
nothing
will keep us from fulfilling that destiny, do you understand?”

Paige smiled at the look of fierce determination on his face.
 
“Just get me through this evening and I’ll do anything you say.”

“I shall remember you said that when we are alone in our room tonight.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
***

She would have loved to hide behind Daniella but her stubborn daughter had adamantly insisted that Dante carry her.
 
Paige slipped her hand into his as they headed up to the house, her eyes misting with tears at the sight of Daniella with her little arms looped around Dante’s neck while he listened intently to her incessant chattering.
 
It was amazing how close the two of them had grown in such a short time and though she sometimes missed having Daniella all to
herself
, having Dante’s love had enriched both their lives.

Paige drew in a deep a breath as they approached the front door.
 
It was opened by an older gentleman who greeted Dante with familiarity then informed him the rest of the family was waiting for them in the great room.
 
It really was like a palace, she thought as Dante put his arm around her waist and swept her down a long corridor.
 

He paused outside a set of massive double doors to give her an encouraging smile and one brief kiss before turning the knob and letting the doors swing open.
 
The conversation died instantly as everyone’s eyes were drawn to Paige and then to Daniella who had suddenly become very vocal about being put down.

“I want to see my
nonna
and
papa
,” she demanded.

Dante arched a brow.
 
“What do you say when you want something, princess?”

Daniella stopped squiggling and pursed her lips for a moment before answering him.
 
“A young lady always says please when she wants something,” she recited the words he’d
taught her.
 
She beamed at Dante when he nodded in approval.
 
“Please can I get down now, Daddy?”

Every heart in the room melted when Daniella gave Dante a kiss before he set her on her feet.
 
Her obvious affection for him had already endeared Daniella to the Vittorio family, but it was the fearless way she studied everyone’s face as she searched for Dante’s mother and father that finally broke the tension Paige had felt when they’d walked it.
 
Pride swelled in her chest when Daniella waltzed boldly up to where Ravenna and Cesare Vittorio were seated and did a little curtsy.
 
Paige silently blessed
Mireia
for teaching her such an adorable gesture of respect.