The Baby Bombshell: The Billionaire's Baby Swap / Dating for Two / The Valtieri Baby

The last thing she’d wanted to do was leave. Her attraction to Ric’s father was so strong, it frightened her how much she could care for him after just two meetings with him. What was wrong with her?

* * *

Giovanni watched the lovely woman with the creamy blond hair and beautiful figure disappear behind the door. The double irony here was that he feared Ric wasn’t the only male in the Laurito household who was going to miss her.

What were the odds of a baby switch that had thrown a Montanari and a Laurito together? She would have to be strong in her own right to go up against her brother, especially when he’d learned the name of Ric’s birth father.

Giovanni could imagine their conversation. He’d tell her to forget another meeting. The baby would soon adapt. In truth, if Giovanni had a sister who’d been put in the same circumstance, he would tell her the same thing.

But Giovanni was the one embroiled in this cruel twist of fate. He loved both children and could hardly tear himself away from the villa when he knew Vito was inside. Since he’d told Valentina she would have to be the one to contact him, he had no choice but to drive back to Ravello without her.

He had hopes that if Ric woke up on the way home, he’d like the ride enough not to cry. The more he thought about it, the more he worried that he might have seen the last of his other son and the mother who’d given birth to him. He felt a sense of loss that was acute.

To his surprise Ric was awake by the time he reached his villa. When Giovanni removed him from the car, he didn’t cry. Grazie a Dio.

“Oh—” When Stanzie saw them in the foyer she rushed over to kiss the baby’s cheek. “His temperature is gone.”

“We spent a few hours at the park. I think he liked it.”

“Of course he did. He’s much happier now.”

“I’m going to change his diaper and put him in his baby swing on the terrace.”

“Shall I prepare another bottle?”

“Thank you, but he probably won’t want it for a while.” Giovanni needed to call his assistant and tell him he wouldn’t be in the office for a few days. Ric needed him even if his little son didn’t want him yet. He wanted the mother who’d taken him home from the hospital. So did Giovanni.

Their lives had been turned upside down. He couldn’t help but wonder what Valentina Montanari was going through right now. If Vito was being as difficult as Ric had been to this point, she was in for another sleepless night, too.

* * *

At 11 o’clock Rini entered the nursery while Valentina was giving Vito his last bottle. He’d been inconsolable all day. But for the moment he was so worn out from crying, he’d stopped fighting her and began drinking.

“How’s he doing?” he whispered. “I had business in Genoa that made me late.”

Vito heard his voice and his eyes opened before he stopped drinking. Then he started crying again. She put the bottle down and hugged him to her shoulder to quiet him.

“Sorry,” Rini mouthed the word. “Why don’t I hold him for a while so you can go to bed?”

“It won’t work, Rini. He thought you were his daddy, whom he adores. He’s still looking for him. If you’d seen them together today, you’d realize how difficult this is.”

“Which is why you shouldn’t have gotten together with him.” Lines darkened her brother’s face. “How can you expect Vito to forget?”

“I can’t.” She shifted Vito to her other shoulder in an effort to calm him down. “I need to talk to you about this, but it will take a while.”

Rini pulled up a chair and sat down. “I’m listening.”

“As you know, he’s raising the baby himself because his ex-wife gave up her parental rights. She’s never seen her birth son and doesn’t want to.”

Rini rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s tragic.”

“I agree. He called me this morning because Ric had been crying so much he was running a temperature. His plan was to take him back to the hospital to see if something else was wrong. We talked briefly and decided to meet because I haven’t been able to comfort Vito, either. He came by the villa and drove us to the park near the hospital.”

Her brother got up from the chair and stood there with his hands on his hips. All the while Vito kept whimpering. “He should never have called you.”

“We exchanged phone numbers at the hospital in case of an emergency. It was a horrible moment. Vito was in one room, Ric in another. Both children cried hysterically after the exchange. I was frantic and opened the door to discover an equally frantic father standing there holding a red-faced Ric. We reached for our children and held them until they settled down.”

Rini shook his head. “Whatever happened to rules?”

“I knew that was what you would say. As Signor Laurito stated, the children didn’t recognize rules. Nothing about this situation has been normal. His ex-wife and I both gave birth before our ambulances reached the hospital where the switch took place. He loves Vito as much as I love Ric, and we find the situation impossible. I think his plan for us to spend a few days together will work.”

“You think?” he blurted with uncustomary harshness. “You do realize who he is—”

“Yes. He’s a brilliant CEO of his own company, just like you.” In fact they were a lot alike. That was probably what was wrong. Within a few minutes she’d told him details about how Giovanni’s company had gotten started. “I explained that I couldn’t do this here at the villa, so he has invited me to stay at his villa with Vito for a few days, no more.”

Her brother paced the floor for a moment, then stopped. “Despite the fact that I think the idea is a mistake, why did you rule out my villa?”

“Because this isn’t my home. You’ve been wonderful to me, but I would never ask that of you. Especially when he told me the two of you are on opposite sides of a business transaction.”

Rini looked surprised. “He told you that?”

“Yes. He’s forthright and honest, exactly like you. I trust him. If Vito hasn’t settled down by tomorrow, I’m considering doing it. I know I don’t need your approval, but I want it more than anything.”

A bleak expression crossed over his face.

“I want my baby to be happy. Vito didn’t ask for this. Neither did Ric. His father is in agony just like I am. If we can give our children a better start by getting them to trust both of us, then we can separate them and it won’t be such a horrible shock. What would be the harm in doing this?”

His head went back and he closed his eyes. “I don’t have an answer for that. It sounds like your mind is made up. I love you, Valentina, and I’ll support your decision, but I can’t answer for the rest of the family.”

“The rest of the family hasn’t been here for me every day and night since you moved me here. I’m blessed to have a brother like you.”

Vito was crying hard again. She got up from the rocking chair and walked around the room with him. Rini’s gaze met hers.

“I’ll leave so you can get him to sleep. I’ve an early-morning meeting at the office. Phone me when you know your plans.”

Her eyes smarted. “I promise.” She watched her brother’s retreating back. There was so much he could have said, but he’d kept silent. Because he was wise and had so much integrity, that’s why he was the head of Montanari.

A half hour passed and Vito finally fell asleep. Valentina went to her room and slept until she heard him crying around four. After that there was no comforting him. At eight in the morning she reached for her phone and called the one person who could end this nightmare.

“Valentina?” Giovanni answered on the second ring. “I trust your night was as bad as mine.” His voice sounded an octave lower than usual, telling its own tale of another sleepless night.

“Vito’s been awake since four.”

“Ric finished off his three o’clock bottle and fussed off and on until ten minutes ago. He’s sleeping, but before long he’ll wake up looking for you. I don’t want to live through another day like yesterday.”

“I—I talked to Rini,” she stammered. “He thinks getting the babies together is a mistake, but he said he’d support me in whatever decision I make. If you meant it, I’ll take you up on your invitation to stay with you for a few days.”

“You just said the words that saved my life. Ric and I will come for you. I should be there by 10 a.m.”