Star-Crossed Sweethearts / Secret Prince, Instant Daddy!. Jackie Braun

shook his head.

      “What’s it like?”

      “It’s been a while, years in fact.”

      Vague images of quaint, red-tile-roofed houses tucked into the side of a hill rose from his memory, accompanied by the scents of fresh basil, roasted red peppers and plum tomatoes. Angelo couldn’t be sure if they were real or the result of wishful thinking. As it was, nothing of his childhood in Boston evoked anything worth recalling.

      “I looked it up on Google,” Atlanta was saying. “There’s not a lot of information, but I did find some photographs. It’s very picturesque and old-fashioned, like a snapshot out of the past.”

       His past.

      Her gaze shifted to his shoulder. Her expression held understanding. “Are you interested in dropping out of sight for a while, too?”

      “Not exactly.” He took a deep breath before admitting, “My father lives there.”

      Atlanta blinked, not quite able to hide her surprise.

      “Yes, I have one of those,” he replied dryly.

      “From the scowl on your face I gather the two of you aren’t close.”

      “I haven’t seen him in thirty-five years.” And Angelo had no desire to see Luca now.

      “Ouch. Sorry.”

      He laughed outright as a cover for the pain he couldn’t admit to feeling. “It’s no big deal. I didn’t need him and I haven’t missed him. Hell, I barely remember him.”

      “So, why are you going? If you don’t mind me asking,” she added.

      He shrugged. The pain the gesture caused made him wince. “My brother booked my flight and my accommodations. Alex thinks that making peace with our father is important.”

      “But you don’t share his opinion,” she guessed.

      Angelo caught himself before he could shrug again. “It’s ancient history. What’s to be gained?”

      “I’m the wrong person to ask,” Atlanta admitted. “I haven’t seen my mother in years. My choice.”

      “You’re smart. The only reason my brother is all for a reunion now is that he’s met a woman and they’re getting married. He’s in love.”

      “From your tone I’d take it you’re not a big fan of the emotion.”

      “I’ve got nothing against love. I’m happy for my brother.”

      How could Angelo not be? Allie, the woman Alex was marrying, was pretty, kind and intelligent. She had a daughter whom his brother obviously adored. Together they were a ready-made family. If that thought made him feel unbearably alone at times, it was his own problem. He’d get over it.

      “Have you ever been in love yourself?” Atlanta asked.

      “You’re a regular Oprah. So many questions,” he teased, stretching out his stiff legs. He hoped whatever accommodations Alex had arranged came with a jetted tub. He could do with a nice long soak.

      “Sorry.” She ruined the apology by adding, “Well?”

      “No. I like women in general too much to commit to any one in particular.” He sent Atlanta a wolfish smile that caused her to roll her sky-blue eyes.

      “Gee, that’s romantic,” she said dryly.

      “No, that’s realistic. I could say something cliché like I haven’t met the right woman, but I don’t think the right woman exists.”

      “Your brother apparently disagrees.”

      Angelo held up a finger. “Let me clarify. I don’t believe the right woman exists for me.” It was a long-held belief, one that predated puberty. Commitment? His parents had gone that route and look how it had turned out. They hadn’t been able to keep the promises they made to one another, let alone to the children they’d brought into the world. He grinned wickedly to banish the old bitterness, hiding behind the cockiness that was as much his trademark as Atlanta’s bombshell looks were hers. “But if she did exist, she’d be blonde, about your height and have ridiculously long legs.”

      Atlanta crossed her arms and sent him a pointed look. “Do lines like that actually work for you?”

      “Apparently not,” he replied with feigned disappointment.

      She shook her head. “You’re incorrigible.”

      “I know. A judge told me that very thing before sending me off to juvie when I was a kid.” He said it lightly, though nothing about the incident could be considered fun or funny. Before she could comment he said, “I won’t bother to ask if you’ve ever been in love. You lived with that Zeke guy for—what?—a decade?”

      “Something like that,” she murmured. Her gaze strayed to the window.

      “But no ring?” he prodded.

      “Not the kind you’re talking about.”

      Curious, he asked, “What other kind is there?”

      It sounded as if she said, “Through the nose,” but he couldn’t be sure.

      “I find it hard to believe he didn’t propose. If I were the sort of guy interested in lifelong commitments, I’d have been on bended knee after our first date.”

      Atlanta made a tsking noise. “Obviously you’re not up on your tabloid reports. Zeke proposed dozens of times during the course of our relationship. Actually, begged is how I believe he put it. He wanted to marry me. He wanted to have a family with me. Heartless witch that I am, I repeatedly turned him down. I didn’t want a husband and I didn’t want babies. My figure is my fortune, you know. I’m nothing without a twenty-four-inch waist and flawless abs.”

      He’d seen pictures of the abs in question. Still, he said, “You sell yourself short.”

      She glanced over sharply, studied him for a moment. It might have been a trick of the light, but her eyes looked bright. “It doesn’t really matter now.”

      The captain came on the public address system announcing the local time and temperature and the usual end-of-the-flight banter. Afterward, Angelo asked, “Should I apologize for prying?”

      A ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Even without her usual crimson gloss, her lips were full and inviting. “Are you sorry?”

      Since she was striving to remain upbeat, he decided to oblige her. “No. I’m too curious to be sorry. You’re quite an enigma.”

      “Me?” She laughed. “Everybody knows everything there is to know about me.”

      Did they? People thought they knew him, too. Since his injury, Angelo had begun to wonder if he knew himself.

      Alex had assured Angelo that a driver would be waiting to take him to Monta Correnti. A rental car would be at his disposal in the village, but his brother figured Angelo would appreciate having someone else navigate the roads after a long flight. Alex had thought of everything, perhaps so that Angelo wouldn’t have any excuses for backing out.

      Atlanta had someone meeting her as well. Even so, they stayed together after deplaning.

      “Want me to help you with your bags?” she asked.

      “That’s supposed to be my line.”

      She tilted her head to one side. “I’m not the one with a bum shoulder.”

      “It’s fine,” he protested through gritted teeth.

      Her brows rose but she said nothing else as they waited to spot their bags on the conveyor belt. One by one, Atlanta’s four pieces of matching designer luggage came around before Angelo’s large suitcase. She snatched them off before he could offer.

      “I