Chapter 14
IT WAS DEFINITELY ONE solution guaranteed to give them a bit of breathing room, but it was not exactly what Elodie had imagined.
Then again, floating around in the Med on a luxurious yacht was so far outside of her realm of life experience, it might as well have been a spaceship.
From the minute they’d stepped onboard, she’d been absorbed into a world of absolute luxury, but in the week since, she’d almost become used to it.
So too the relaxation of this.
Out here, on the calm, crystal water, it was like they were two different people, totally removed from the pressures of their normal lives, and the decisions that awaited them.
Elodie knew that would all be waiting for them, afterwards. They’d go back to Italy, and face the music with his family, and then with hers. But for now, they could just exist.
And do exactly what she’d said she wanted: get to know each other.
In the intervening week, she felt as though she’d cracked through Raf’s shell, seeing beyond the hardened exterior, the cautious, reserved man, to the person beneath.
At first, he’d tried to keep her emotionally at a distance, and she hadn’t minded.
But the more they talked, the more they connected, and the more Elodie could see the sense in truly becoming friends.
Okay, sex did complicate that. So too the fact they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
But when they weren’t reaching for each other, and making love like a fever had gripped them, they were sharing meals, talking, swimming, laughing.
It made Elodie realise that she hadn’t laughed much with Aaron.
They’d talked, sure. But not like this. They’d watched telly together, and gone to bed by nine each night, so she could get up early and get into work.
It had been a long time since she’d laughed like this with him—if ever.
Again, she was hit with the strange, heavy realization of what a mistake she’d almost made, in marrying Aaron. How could she have thought that settling for him was the right decision?
After nine days on the yacht, though, Raf approached Elodie with a thoughtful expression. “I just had a call from Francesco—my brother.”
Reality.
It was still out there. If she squinted, towards the Italian landmass, she could possibly even see it, waiting for them.
“And?”
He wrapped his arms around her, staring down into her face. Here, on the yacht, they’d abandoned any pretense of not touching, of limiting the way they were with each other. Once the baby was born, they’d redraw those boundaries.
She knew that was stupid. Ill-thought-out, careless. Because there was so much that could go wrong here. So much hurt they could inflict on each other, if they weren’t careful. But somehow, Elodie just trusted him. Trusted them.
It would all work out.
Like you trusted Aaron? A voice prompted, reminding her that she’d been in a fool’s paradise once before.
And somehow, despite the fact that she and Raf had known each other for barely any time, compared to her relationship with Aaron, in her heart of hearts, she knew that this had the potential to be so much worse.
They just couldn’t let it come to that.
Unlike with Aaron, she and Raf were equals. Partners. When she talked, he listened. They cooperated.
“They’re fairly adamant about us coming home this weekend. I can obviously say no. But if you were ready to meet them, it might make things easier to just get it out of the way.”
She nodded. All their reasons for holding back seemed silly now. Of course she should meet his family. It was the most natural thing in the world that they were curious about her. And then, he should meet her parents.
“Yes,” she agreed on a rush. “Let’s get it over with.”
He smiled. “They’re not that bad.”
“I just mean the whole situation,” she explained, sucking in a deep breath. “But we should just rip off the Band-Aid, as you say. Let’s go to your family and then, let’s go to mine.”
His eyes flared with an emotion she couldn’t read and then he was nodding. “This weekend?”
She murmured her agreement to that, for the simple reason that gave them another couple of days out here on his yacht, and she wasn’t yet ready to leave this idyllic paradise.
His family home was only a twenty-minute drive from his villa.
As they cut through a delightful little town that was signposted Senzafine, Elodie’s heart whooshed with joy at the beauty of it, even as her stomach was knotting itself into a total tangle.
She was wearing a floaty dress from the wardrobe at his villa, as well as a denim jacket and a pair of espadrilles.
She’d liked the outfit, when she’d tried it on, but now, she felt completely anxious about meeting his family of highflyers, and the beautiful women she’d no doubt encounter. She felt nervous about everything.
“You’re going to be fine,” he said, somehow just knowing how she felt. He reached out and put a hand on hers, squeezing it encouragingly. “I promise, they do not bite.”
She made a non-committal noise and smiled weakly, showing gratitude for his trying to help her through this.
As the car pulled to a stop at the top of a sweeping drive, an older, but very elegant, couple strode from the house, the man with his hand lifted over his eyes, to block the early afternoon sun.
“Oh, God,” she whispered, butterflies bursting through her.
“I’m going to be with you the whole time,” Raf promised. “You’ll meet everyone, decide if you are comfortable staying for dinner, and go from there. This is all your call, Elodie.”
She loved how he said her name. It reminded her of the first night they’d met, how right it had seemed. He squeezed her hand again. “I promise, they’re harmless.”
“Okay,” she whispered, but her legs were shaking as she stepped out of the car. She was so overwhelmed with feelings she barely noticed the huge, sprawling villa behind them, with the wisteria vine that was scrambling over one wall, purple flowers buzzing with bees.
“Ah, Raf, Raf,” the woman said, striding across the gravel towards them and wrapping him in a hug, before quickly turning her attention to Elodie. “Welcome, dear one,” she said with a kindly smile, so Elodie found herself smiling, even when she felt she might collapse to the ground.
“Thank you for inviting me.”
“Of course, of course,” the man joined them. “Famiglia è tutto. Come inside.”
Raf reached down and gripped her hand for encouragement. Elodie knew she should pull hers away—it might send the wrong message for them to seem like a couple—but the truth was, his touch gave her strength, and strength she badly needed.
His family was assembled on a stunning terrace behind the house. Large terracotta tiles, a timber pergola with more wisteria growing over it, a large pool, and a brick pizza oven; it was the perfect entertaining space.
“Dante and Georgia,” Raf said, then continued around the group, “Marco, Portia, Rocco and Maddie, Francesco, Willow, Salvatore and Emme, and you’ve already met Gianni and Maria,” he finished.
“Sofia wanted to be here, but Ares is doing something with his parliament,” Maria explained. “They’re coming for Christmas, though. And inside, of course, the children are currently playing a board game.”
“Actually, last I checked, they’re tearing about in a spirited rendition of hide and seek,” Marco corrected with a grin. “At least, the ones who can walk are. The babies are staring from their chairs…”
“Their poor nannies,” Francesco said with a shake of his head.
“How many children?” Elodie asked, something tightening in her heart, to think of her baby having so many ready-made cousins to play with and care for him or her.
“Too many to count,” Gianni said with a wink.
“There are eight, including the twins,” Maria corrected, slapping his arm in an affectionate chide. “But they are not here.”
“Sofia’s children,” a blonde woman with an Australian accent—Georgia?—murmured softly, from Elodie’s side. Elodie hadn’t been conscious of her coming to stand close, but she was holding out an iced drink, and offered a friendly, disarming smile.
“I know it’s a lot,” she said, sotto voce, when Elodie took the drink with a smile of appreciation. “But they’re really the nicest people you’ll ever meet. And there are some great hiding spots around here if you ever need a breather. I’ll show you later.”
Elodie’s eyes widened at this woman’s welcoming nature—and willingness to be a kindred spirit.
But that was the way the entire evening proceeded.
She didn’t know if it was just because they were on their best behaviour, or if they were always like this, but the entire Santoro family seemed to exist to make her comfortable and at ease.
It was a family of men, except for the absent Sofia.
Though she was not related by blood, she was very clearly considered to be one of the brood, much adored by Gianni and Maria, and missed heartily at all these events.
She had, however, fallen in love with the King of Moricosia, married him, produced two beautiful babes—Elodie had seen dozens of photos on Maria’s phone, throughout the night—and now only visited sparingly.
Though ‘sparingly’, Portia enlightened Elodie with a soft laugh and in a gentle whisper, actually meant at least once a month, it simply wasn’t enough for Maria.
“Her family is her life,” Portia said, eyes resting appreciatively on the older woman, who was locked in conversation with two of her sons.
“How lovely,” Elodie responded, genuinely adoring that philosophy. “I always wanted a big family,” she said, then smiled a little awkwardly, hoping the other woman wouldn’t think any part of this was planned. A hand moved to her stomach protectively.
“That’s what this is,” Portia said. “And no matter what, you’ll be a part of it. Just try to get rid of us,” she winked then.