The Playboy Takes a Wife. Crystal Green

something flown in from Bella Sofia. It’s an Italian restaurant I like in San Diego. You enjoy Italian?”

      “Who doesn’t?” Still stunned, she moved over to her own silver bowl, the rim delicately etched with flowered patterns. It was filled with water, a lemon wedge floating on the surface. After washing, she used that fluffy towel, sighing at the softness of it. She’d never felt a towel so lovely.

      “I also had the restaurant cater the boys’ meals today,” Lucas said. “And the workers will get their fill. Got to share a good thing.”

      Touched by his thoughtfulness, she came to the picnic table, where he helped her onto the bench just as if they were in a fancy restaurant and he was pulling out her chair.

      What was really going on? Was he kind of flirting, just like yesterday? Or was this just an expression of appreciation for showing him around today? Or maybe he was hoping she’d brag about his kindness to reporters after he’d left?

      All these questions she had. Couldn’t he just make a nice gesture without any cameras around and that was that?

      She decided that he was treating her out of the goodness of his heart. Just seeing how much he’d enjoyed and been genuinely taken with Gabriel and the other children yesterday told her that his gestures came from a decent place.

      Integrity, she thought. Even with Lucas’s reputation, she wanted to believe that he really did have it. In fact, ever since her abuelo had told her the truth about her father and mother—how Alicia was the product of a sleazy one-night stand, how they had both deserted her because neither of them had been responsible enough to even raise a child—she’d searched for it. The possibility of finding some in a person like Lucas Chandler made her want to grab on, allowing it to pull her out from all the layers of mortification she was buried under.

      He was taking a bottle of wine out of a basket. “Comte Armand, a wonderful burgundy.”

      “I don’t—”

      “Drink?” Shooting her a teasing grin, he tugged another bottle out of the ice bucket, deserting the more expensive wine. “Or there’s always sparkling cider. I got it for variety.”

      Touched, Alicia fingered the flower vase in the middle of the table. “You think of everything.”

      “All your hard work deserves a treat.”

      He poured for her, then him, then opened a silver-lined cooler—a heater, really—and presented her with a basket of breads. She took one with cheese melted over the top while he poured oil and vinegar onto a side plate.

      The cheese, tinted with garlic and herbs, made her close her eyes in pure pleasure.

      Too decadent for her…usually. But why shouldn’t she enjoy it while it lasted?

      She opened her eyes to find him watching her. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say he was taking as much happiness as she was out of her meal. Warmed by his interest, Alicia shivered.

      He doled out the salad for her. “Want to know what surprised me yesterday, among other things?”

      “I can’t even begin to guess.”

      “That mojo you seem to have going with our friend Gabe. He got pretty upset at the end of the day, but you seemed to know just how to handle him.”

      At Gabriel’s name, Alicia pepped up. “From the day he came to the orphanage I’ve worked extra hard to win him over. He’s come around, but you should’ve seen him before.”

      “Even more hyper?” Lucas hadn’t said it unkindly at all. In fact, she suspected he had a tiny soft spot for Gabriel’s vivacious spark, just as she did.

      “He is active.” She tossed her salad with a fork. “He always has been. But, at first he exhibited a mean streak, lashing out at the other children and the workers, throwing tantrums. He feels more comfortable now that he knows there are constant people in his life, thank goodness. And that’s exactly what he needed—security. We don’t know much about him except that he’d been abandoned by his parents so his trust is shaky.”

      A muscle flexed in his jaw, and she didn’t have to be a mind reader to know that he was disturbed by the boy’s background.

      Welcome to life, she thought.

      “You know,” she added, “yesterday was a good day for him, but he still has his moments. We’ve had a part-time counselor who’s seen him, so that helps, but in the long run he’ll need a special family to give him a lot of attention and love.”

      A shot of panic seized her at the thought of him ever leaving. She’d become attached to the child and she knew it wasn’t smart, but it’d just happened. He was charming and ultralovable; that was a part of his mercurial personality, though. He was a challenge her heart couldn’t resist, because every time he needed reassurance or extra affection, she felt the responsibility to give it.

      “I think,” Lucas said, “we all need special families.”

      When he caught her understanding glance, he polished off his salad, not looking at her.

      He seemed on the brink of saying something else, so she kept her tongue. A few seconds later, he laid down his fork, appearing so serious that she stopped eating.

      “Have you ever thought—maybe one day when you’re ready, I mean—of adopting? That’s if you even want a family…”

      He watched her intently.

      “Yes.” She hadn’t even hesitated. If she could make sure a child like Gabriel grew up with people who adored him—people like her—she’d do it. Trouble was, everyone at Refugio Salvo thought the boy would be a tougher child to adopt out than most. He might always be passed over for the quieter ones and never even have the chance for a normal life out of the orphanage.

      “I’d give anything to have a family again,” she added.

      “Your grandparents and parents…you miss them a lot. That’s real obvious.”

      A pang of loss hit her square in the chest. He had no idea how much she wanted a group of people to surround her with love.

      She blurted out her next heartfelt words before she even realized she’d said them. “Truthfully, all I want is a family. I even have dreams of children, especially the ones who are already born and need parents.”

      “That makes sense. I can see you and Gabriel together.”

      She had to fight a lump in her throat before she could answer. “Me, too. I can imagine that very clearly. But first, before any children, there’s a husband….”

      Silence emphasized the moan of wind through the branches as she concentrated on her food. Admitting her dreams out loud had made them all the more distant. For her, a family would also include a partner, because she believed in raising children the traditional two-parent way.

      Too bad she couldn’t adopt a man who would love her and bring back her dignity, too.

      Avoiding any further revelations, she glanced at Lucas, who was considering her with a scrutiny that dug into her.

      “And how about you?” she asked, returning the conversation to lightness. “Would Lucas Chandler, the big tycoon, ever consider adopting?”

      At her question, he became even more intense, leaning on the table, his posture deceptively casual. “Only under the right circumstances.”

      Why did that sound as if he could mean so much more?

      And why, Alicia asked herself with a growing mixture of trepidation and excitement, was she hoping he was back to flirting with her again?

      Alicia took another bite of her salad instead of responding, but Lucas waited her out, using the opportunity to absorb her. She was wearing another prim, neat white blouse with short sleeves and crisp jeans to ride in.

      The charms on her silver