Chapter Twenty-Four

"Sure, Luca, I'll go with you," I say into the phone.

He caught me laying on my bed, reading my seventh baby book. I twirl my hair in my fingers, watching the gold and brown hues blend like water, waiting for him to give me the details.

There was no way that I would say no to an offer of spending a weekend with Luca. We might be with the Mexicans, but we'd be away from his siblings and my father, and we could finally talk about everything.

"Thanks, Emelia. And the money is still on the table if you'd like it." I roll my eyes at him through the phone, but say nothing.

"I'll have my driver pick you up tomorrow. We won't be gone for long." He sounds rushed, almost panicked, and I can imagine that things are getting stressful on his side.

We spoke about so many of the details surrounding his business before he found out about the baby, but now I'm in the dark again.

"Okay," is all I can get out. There's still a weird tension between us and it's making me feel awful, especially as I look at pictures of happy families in this baby book. I stroke the face of one of the babies on the page, thinking about my own baby.

"See you tomorrow," he says, hanging up the phone. I get up to pack a bag and go to tell my father about my plans.

"So, then you and Luca are on good terms again?" my father asks. He can barely contain his smile, and this time it annoys me. I might not even be in this situation if it weren't for him.

All I wanted was for my dad to finally be happy with my achievements, and so I played right into his game. I should have been more honest with Luca and Grazia.

"Not really. But this is important for the deal and I've agreed to see it through." I reply. I also don't want to tell my father too much now, just in case he ruins it all for me again. Not that there is much to ruin now.

"Well, you never know. You and him, together in Mexico, you could just reignite whatever spark you found the last time. And you should try Emelia, for that baby of yours."

My father looks at my stomach and back up to my face. I try not to let him see me roll my eyes. If he thought I wasn't constantly thinking of this "baby of mine", than he's not as smart as he likes to think he is.

I sigh. "Yes, I know Daddy. Anyway, I'll see you when we get back."

***

It's only seven in the morning when Luca's driver pulls up. He did tell me to be ready early, but I had no idea that this is what he meant.

I am ready, thankfully, and I gulp down my last sip of coffee before I leave the house. I have no idea where my father is, but I lock the doors behind me and get into the car, sort of glad that I actually don't have to see him again before I leave for the weekend.

We drive to the airstrip and Luca is already in the jet. So much of this weekend reminds me of the good times–and the great times–that Luca and I have shared over the last few months.

This time, there's no romantic decorations or music playing, and he has all of his staff inside the plane. This won't be a sexy plane ride, and the chances of multiple orgasms are completely zero.

The vibe of this flight is starting to remind me of the very first car ride we shared after we lost Ginny. Luca is quiet, looking at his phone, and I am unsure of what to do with myself.

"It looks like it might rain today," I say, trying to break the tense silence in the jet. Luca doesn't look up from his phone or even acknowledge that I've spoken. We continue in silence for a bit longer, and I decide to try again.

"Did you see the news, there was a massive car accident not far from us, six cars involved." I have never tried to speak to anyone about the news before, but I'm grasping at straws here, and Luca is giving me nothing.

The stewards bring out coffee and bagels for breakfast, and Luca remains silent.

I sigh, and put my own music in my ears, a little Norah Jones ought to sooth my nerves as I read more of my book and eat a bagel. I swallow my bite and try one more time to get Luca's attention again. "Did you know that babies can hear you from inside the womb?"

The mention of the baby does the trick, and he lifts his head, his expression not a pleasant one.

"Emelia, please. I don't have the energy to chit-chat with you today. We're here for business and I'd appreciate if you left personal matters out of it, at least for today, okay?" He sighs.

"Okay," I reply, nibbling another bite and putting my headphones back on.

The rest of the flight is spent in silence, and when we get off the plane, Carlos and Raul are once again there waiting for us. This time, though, Carlos' wife has joined them.

We're greeted with smiles and hugs, and then the men take one car back to the house, while I go with Carlos' wife. We chat about her time in the States and all of the fun she had, and suddenly things feel so much lighter than they did in the plane.

At the house, Luca jumps back into the perfect partner role, holding my hand and including me in all the conversation. I soak in the attention that he's giving me, allowing myself to forget for a moment that this is all for the sake of the business deal.

We're taken up to our room, and I notice it's the exact same one we stayed in on our first trip. This house is big enough that I wasn"t really expecting that. I look around at the bed, the balcony, and that bathtub, wondering if Luca is going to be able to banish those memories from his mind.

I know I won't be able to.

Even as we stand in the room, Raul still chatting to Luca, I can see us both, naked and sweating as we explored each other's bodies fully. There was almost nothing left to the imagination that night.

Our time in the lookout house had been rushed and emotion-filled, but the night in this room had been different. Even though Luca was rushed to find pleasure, it still felt slower, more deliberate, and a hell of a lot more satisfying.

I look at Luca, but if he is thinking of our night in this room, he's not giving anything away on his face. He hardly ever does, though. This man has perfected the poker face so much that he might as well trademark it now.

Raul leaves us and we don't speak as we both get ready for dinner. I disappear to the bathroom to change, not wanting to seem desperate in front of Luca. He stays in the room.

We walk down to where dinner is to be served, and as we enter the dining room, Luca slides his arm around my waist. I savor the feeling of being pulled right up next to him, although it doesn't last long.

We're seated right next to Carlos and his wife, and dinner is served soon after we sit down. Luca has his hand on mine for a lot of the night and every now and then, I give it a squeeze, sometimes for my own comfort more than anything else.

As usual, the food and drinks blend in with the conversation and everyone is having a fantastic time. The wives gossip with me, while Carlos tells Luca that they're planning to visit the States more regularly now.

I smile at Luca. Obviously their weekend at the Baldini mansion was a big success, and Luca should be proud. I like to think that I helped, even just a little bit, with helping them have a good time.

Tequila and wine flow freely, but I tell them I have a headache and opt for the sparkling water that"s offered instead.

I glance at Luca, worried about not letting on that I can't drink because I'm carrying his baby, but he avoids looking at me. No one seems to be bothered that I'm not drinking, thankfully.

As much as I'm enjoying the atmosphere, and Luca's hand constantly finding mine on the table, I also very much want to escape to the room and dissolve into another of those heavenly bubble baths. I wait until some of the women have already said their goodnights, and I can see the men are getting ready to talk business.

Luca is in his element here, even if he doesn't realize it. I can see the wheels inside his mind turning as they start to discuss new avenues and opportunities for higher profits.

If he had chosen to go to college instead of following in the family business footsteps, he would have made a powerful CEO. But he fits into this world, too, bringing a combination of his smarts and a ruthless desire to win.

He won't roll over and let anyone take what he thinks is rightfully his. I'm not even sure he understands just how much I admire his way of doing business.

"I'm going to love and leave you darlings," I say, standing up. I kiss Luca on the cheek and wave to the rest of the men.

"Ah, you are leaving?" Carlos asks loudly. I nod.

"It's been a long day! I might just fall asleep at the table if I don't go now." They all laugh, and I take the chance to slip away, walking back up to the room alone.

In our room, I run a hot bath and soak for a bit. This time, the bath isn't interrupted by Luca, and when I feel the water start getting cold, I get out and change into my silk pajama dress. I leave the balcony door open, enjoying the cool breeze on my bare legs. Mexico's heat is no joke.

The lights are all off and I just barely hear the men laughing somewhere downstairs. I think again about how much Luca and I had enjoyed each other in this room when we were here last time.

I can feel myself getting wet at the thought, but there's no Luca here to take advantage of that now.

I close my eyes, drifting off to images in my mind of Luca, naked, breathing heavily and thrusting into me.