The Ceo's Unexpected Child. Andrea Laurence

his own stamp on the empire by diversifying their restaurants. Not everyone had the time for a long, sit-down Italian feast. He started a fast-food Italian chain called Antonia’s, after his mother. That had exploded, becoming one of the fastest growing chains in that market.

      Overseeing this monster took all the time he had. And he liked it that way. When his life was so full, he didn’t miss the family he was lacking.

      And now, suddenly, he found he had a family he never expected—one that had been confirmed as actually being his. Thankfully the apartment could accommodate Eva, in terms of size and space. There would need to be some childproofing and redecorating, but that was the least of his worries. The harder part would be seeing to it that the rest of his life could accommodate his newfound daughter, as well.

      That started with this trip. The first thing he needed to do was to call his old friend Gavin Brooks. He and Gavin had met at Harvard and hit it off immediately. Like Luca, Gavin was the heir to a family empire of his own—Brooks Express Shipping. They both understood what it was like to have that kind of pressure on their shoulders. The difference was that Gavin had managed to run BXS and have a family. He and his new wife, Sabine, had two small children, including a baby girl named Beth, who was only a few months older than Eva.

      Perhaps Gavin could offer Luca more than just a vacation house. He could use some advice, as well.

      Reaching for his phone, he dialed Gavin’s number.

      “This can’t really be Luca Moretti calling me,” Gavin answered abruptly. “I mean, that’s what my phone says, but my friend Luca never calls me.”

      Luca sighed. “That’s because your friend Luca works too much and is never sure when he can call without waking up your kids.”

      Gavin laughed. “It’s a crapshoot. Jared is an early bird and Beth is a night owl. We pretty much never sleep around here. How are you, Luca?”

      “To tell you the truth, I’m overwhelmed.” It was nice to be able to talk to someone who truly understood what his days were like. He and Gavin were members of an elite club of young, successful businessmen in Manhattan.

      “The restaurant business giving you trouble?”

      “No. Work is fine. I called because I need your help for a more...personal matter.”

      “I thought you didn’t have personal matters.”

      “So did I, then it got dropped in my lap.” Oddly enough, this was another situation that Gavin could sympathize with. He didn’t learn about his son, Jared, until the boy was almost two years old. “I need your help, Gavin.”

      “Sure, anything. What is it?”

      “Okay. If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anyone?” At this point, Luca couldn’t risk the news of Eva’s existence getting out. He’d worked hard to keep the lawsuit under wraps so far.

      “Sounds serious,” Gavin said. “I’ll keep it to myself.”

      “Thanks. I’m trying to ensure this whole situation stays quiet for the next few weeks, primarily because of my family. You know how they are. I need to deal with all of this without their interference.”

      “Your cancer has come back,” Gavin said in a grave tone.

      “No, thankfully. I’ve actually found out that I’m a father.”

      “A father? For real this time?”

      In retrospect, Luca had wished he’d kept the situation with Jessica quiet until he knew for certain. He’d never expected her to lie about it. He should’ve known when he saw the look on her face after Edmund demanded a paternity test. As though he’d just take her word for it. “Yes, this time it is tested and established to be my child. I have a daughter named Eva.”

      “But wait,” Gavin argued. “I thought you couldn’t...”

      “I can’t,” Luca confirmed. “But I had some sperm frozen before my treatment. There was a mix-up at the clinic and a woman ended up pregnant with my child instead of her husband’s.”

      “Holy hell. What are you going to do?”

      “Well, first I sued the crap out of the clinic. Now I’m trying to negotiate custody terms with the mother. I can assure you it hasn’t been easy. She’s not happy about all this.”

      “I can imagine her husband isn’t that happy, either.”

      “I’m not sure if it makes all this easier or more complicated, but her husband is actually deceased. Apparently he was in a car accident when she was pregnant.”

      “I thought my situation with Sabine was complicated, but you take the cake, Luca.”

      “Thanks. This brings me to the favor. I’ve proposed that all three of us spend some time away to get to know each other. She’s not very confident in my ability to take care of a baby and I’ve got to convince her everything is going to be all right.”

      “Why don’t you just tell her that you helped raise your younger siblings and have spent time with a dozen nieces and nephews? The last time you came over, you handled Jared like a pro.”

      That was a good question. “I doubt she would believe me. She’s a feisty woman, and to tell you the truth, it’s more fun to aggravate her.”

      “It sounds like this vacation might prove a little dangerous. Where are you going?” Gavin asked.

      “That’s where you come in. I was hoping that we could stay at your beach house for a couple weeks. A month, actually.”

      Gavin only hesitated a second before he answered. “Sure thing. We’re not going back up there until after Memorial Day. But why wouldn’t you stay at your family’s place in the Hamptons?”

      That had occurred to him. They had a huge place in Sag Harbor where the family liked to gather. But it was too big. And at this point, he didn’t want to run the risk of crossing paths with his family. “To do that, my mother would find out. As it is, I’ve got to feed my brother an excuse to run the business while I disappear for a month. I will tell them, and soon, but I need to spend time with Claire and Eva without Mama circling like a shark around her granddaughter.”

      Gavin laughed. “Fair enough. When are you going up? I’ll have the place cleaned and the pantry stocked before you arrive.”

      “I’m not exactly sure. We both have to make arrangements with work, but I’m hoping in the next week.”

      “So, four weeks in a beach house with the woman you accidentally impregnated and the child you’ve never met? And the woman doesn’t like you, at that.”

      Luca sighed. “That pretty much sums it up.”

      “Well, good luck to you, man,” Gavin said. “I’ll have a bicycle messenger bring you the key tomorrow. And just in case, I’ll have the cleaning company hide anything breakable.”

Three

      Claire paced nervously around the living room of her Brooklyn brownstone. After her meeting with Luca Moretti and his lawyer, things had moved faster than she’d expected. Her supervisor at the museum had been understanding about her situation. The exhibit she’d been working on the past few months had opened the week before and everything was going smoothly. It was actually the perfect time for her to take a vacation, so he’d practically shoved her out the door. With no excuses, she’d called Luca and told him that she could leave as soon as Saturday.

      Then her conscience got the best of her. Despite their battles over the past few weeks, Luca had yet to meet Eva. She doubted that the ideal place for their first meeting was the back of a hired car on their way to Martha’s Vineyard. She could hear the voice of her lawyer in her head, telling her to play nice. Before she could stop herself, she’d invited Luca over Thursday night.

      He