“You mean because you thought I was dead,” he told her.
“Whatever.” She stared straight ahead.
“Mia.” He leaned close until his mouth was almost touching her ear. “I did not mean to hurt you by letting you think I was dead. I did not consider that you would mourn me.”
She turned to glare at him only to discover their faces were very, very close. “I told you I loved you. I don’t say that to just anyone. I thought you were a real bad guy. I was violating every belief I had by being with you.”
“I see that now. I am sorry for not understanding it then. Returning to my real life was traumatic. My father was very angry. I had neglected many duties. There were complications, but I should have considered your feelings.”
It wasn’t much of an apology, but considering the source, it wasn’t bad. Unlike the last one, when he’d been whiny and had complained about being caught rather than being wrong.
“Fine,” she muttered, and faced front again.
“This is nice,” he said. “The preschool. The play.”
“If you’re going to launch into some sob story about how you never had a normal childhood with the hopes that I’ll feel sorry for you, forget it.”
“My childhood was fine,” he told her. “One of great privilege. I had a series of very nice nannies and tutors until I was sent away to school.”
He spoke so matter-of-factly that she couldn’t tell if he was being casual or playing her.
“I’m glad Daniel will have more than that,” he continued. “Different experiences.”
“Which you wanted to take him away from.”
“He would have carried the memories. They would have shaped him.”
As if that was an excuse. “He’s four. How much would he remember?”
“Enough.” He glanced at her. “I did not mean to take him from you.”
That got her attention. “Excuse me? That was your entire plan.”
“Yes, I know. I am saying now, after considering what would have happened, I was wrong. I wanted my son in my life. I still want that. I want him to understand who he is. His history, his place in the world. But I see…”
When he paused she turned toward him. The urge to be sarcastic and cutting pressed in on her, but she resisted. Maybe, just maybe, she and Rafael were actually going to get to the truth for once.
“It would have been difficult for him,” Rafael said slowly. “He would have missed you and your family. I would not have known what to say to comfort him. My father would have insisted he act like a prince and a new nanny would have been hired. I’m sure neither would have helped a four-year-old boy heal from that kind of wound.”
“You’re right. No child should have his whole world ripped from him. Sometimes things happen and it can’t be helped. But it shouldn’t happen like this.”
His blue eyes darkened. “You know you can’t keep him from me forever. Some point of compromise will have to be reached.”
“You’re ruining a perfectly good moment,” she muttered as she fought against anger. “You have no right to talk to me about compromise after what you did.”
“I know, but that does not change the truth. I want things to be different for Daniel. Better. I do not know how to make that happen. I would need your help.”
As he spoke, he reached for her hand. She snatched it away. Any touching would only muddle her brain. It was just her bad luck that the first sex she’d had in nearly five years turned out to be with a lying weaselly dog.
“You would need my help if you were taking him away, but you’re not, so there isn’t a problem.”
He settled back in his chair. “You’re a very stubborn woman.”
“It’s a Marcelli trait. Something I’m very proud of.”
She stared at the stage and was grateful that no one had come to sit near them yet. Talk about a fascinating conversation to overhear.
“You think I walked away from you and never thought of you again,” he said.
Unable to resist the bait, she spun to face him. “Don’t even go there. Don’t try to convince me that you pined for me for even one second. We both know you didn’t. If you had cared, you would have come after me. You would have told me you weren’t dead. You would have done something. I was a way to pass the time while you were playing at being the bad guy.”
“So much anger,” he said as he touched her cheek.
She jerked her head back. “Stop touching me.”
“As you wish.”
He dropped his hand to his lap and she immediately wanted him to put it back on her.
“You’ve already done this dance, Rafael,” she told him. “Stop lying. You can’t sell me on believing in you again, so just let it go.”
“I did not come after you,” he said. “When I returned to the palace, my father was furious with me. He thought I had been studying abroad. When he found out I’d risked my life, he nearly locked me in the dungeon. I pointed out I was of age and free to live my life. He disagreed. I am, after all, the heir.”
She rolled her eyes. “Is there an actual point?”
“I am the heir, Mia. I am expected to marry a particular kind of woman.”
“I wasn’t asking you to marry me, you egotistical creep. A postcard would have been nice. You let me think you were dead.”
“I did not have a choice.” He shook his head. “I chose not to have a choice. You were not someone I could have married. There was no point in caring about you anymore.”
There were too many emotions, she thought, wishing she could simply leave. Anger and hurt and confusion and a deep, stupid desire to believe him.
“I did not know what to say to you,” he told her. “I did not know how to explain we could not be together. To say why seemed…”
“Arrogant? Stuck up? Presumptuous?”
He shrugged. “All of those. So I took the easy way out. I said nothing. I let you walk away.”
“Why are we having this conversation?” she asked, wishing the damn play would start or someone would come sit by them so he would stop talking.
“Because I want to apologize for that. I behaved badly.”
He sounded sincere. She would swear that she could see the truth in his eyes. And she hated that. Hated that after everything they’d been through, she still wanted him to be one of the good guys.
“You can’t honestly believe I’m going to trust you,” she snapped. “You’re an expert at playing my emotions. You came here with the express purpose of seducing me in order to steal Danny. Why is this any different?”
“Because it is. I do not know how else to explain myself to you.”
“Then stop trying, because I’m done listening.”
“Mia-”
But whatever he’d been about to say was cut off when a family moved into the row in front of them. Mia breathed a sigh of relief. It was a testament to his charm that even knowing what she knew, she still had trouble resisting him. The man was the devil.
Maybe that was problem. Women had been losing their souls to the devil’s brand of temptation since the very beginning of time. Who was she to buck tradition?
Francesca hesitated outside the bedroom door. “I’m scared,” she whispered.
Mia squeezed her hand. “You love her. That’s what matters.”
Francesca nodded, then knocked once and pushed open the door. “Hi, sweetie, how are you?”
Mia followed her sister into Kelly’s room. Kelly lay on the bed reading a fashion magazine. She barely glanced at them.
“What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you,” Francesca said. “Just to talk about how things are going.”
Kelly threw down the magazine and pushed herself into a sitting position. Her gaze narrowed. “So why is Mia here? And why is your face all scrunchy? You’re not just here to talk. What’s going on?”
Francesca glanced at Mia. “She was always really bright.”
“Beats the alternative,” Mia told her. “Want the chair?”