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

“We’ll be ready.”

“A presto, Valentina.”

After rushing to shower and wash her hair, she dressed in another blouse and skirt. Next she got busy packing for herself and some of the outfits she’d bought for Ric. Bianca was in the kitchen when Valentina went downstairs and poured herself a cup of coffee.

The first thing she needed to do was phone Rini. His voice mail was on. She left the message that she would be in Ravello and be staying for several nights. “Call me anytime, Rini. Love you,” she said before hanging up, then drank most of the hot liquid.

“How can I help you?”

“I’ve got everything packed, Bianca. Thank you so much for all you do. You’ve been wonderful. All I can hope is that this experiment will help the four of us get acquainted. Hopefully the next time Signor Laurito brings me and Vito home, my baby won’t be so unhappy.”

She kissed Bianca’s cheek and carried a suitcase and the diaper bag to the front door.

When she went back up to the nursery, Vito was crying again. She dressed him in another outfit and put him in the carry-cot with the blue-and-white quilt Giovanni had bought him with one of Mondrian’s composition-type designs. He had wonderful taste.

“In just a minute you’re going to be with your papà, Vito.” She kissed his hot cheeks and carried him downstairs to the foyer.

Bianca had already opened the door. “The signor has arrived.”

Yes. He certainly had. Today he’d come dressed in a white polo crewneck and jeans that molded to his powerful thighs. To her chagrin she realized she felt an excitement that didn’t have anything to do with getting the children together. The man himself stood a class apart from other men. She’d scoffed all her life about the idea of love at first sight, but she hadn’t met Giovanni...

For the first time in her life she’d been struck by a physical and emotional attraction so strong, she astounded herself. The fact that he was Ric’s father only added to the attraction.

“Buongiorno, Valentina.”

“Ciao! It has to be a better day than yesterday.”

“Is there any doubt?”

No. There wasn’t, not now that he was here.

She felt his jet-black eyes wander over her, bringing heat to her cheeks, before he picked up the carry-cot and gave Vito a kiss. She followed with the suitcase and diaper bag. Once he’d settled Vito in the car seat, he stowed everything else in the trunk.

Valentina would have opened the rear door to give Ric a kiss, but caught herself in time. He wasn’t crying right now. If he didn’t see her, that would be better. She climbed in front and fastened the seat belt without a struggle.

“I see a smile on your face.”

Valentina studied his rugged male profile. “Almost three weeks ago I struggled to get the seat belt around me on my way to the hospital.”

Before he started the car he said, “No one would ever know you gave birth less than a month ago.”

“Though you’re a liar, I thank you.”

His kind of deep male laughter excited her. He drove them out to the road leading to the coastal highway headed for Ravello. “Have you noticed there’s no noise coming from the backseat?”

“Yes. I’m afraid to talk about it for fear I’ll break the spell.”

“Both my sisters have told me that when their children were babies, they often took them for a drive to get them to sleep.”

Valentina nodded. “I heard the same thing from my sister-in-law. Since it’s working right now, I couldn’t be happier.”

They followed the Amalfi Coast road beneath a golden Mediterranean sun. The car meandered five hundred meters above a turquoise sea. She could smell the fragrance from the lemon groves. Around each curb perched pastel-hued villas on the mountainside. No sight on earth could match it.

“You’ve got another smile on your face.” He noticed everything.

“Though I was born and raised in Naples, I’ve always thought this is the most beautiful place on earth.”

Giovanni nodded. “The locals call it ‘the footpaths of the gods.’ In my teens I rode my bike here with some friends from Naples. When we reached Ravello, I decided it was where I would live one day. Naples has a stifling effect on me.”

“You’re like Rinieri, who’s also allergic to the crowded city. Early on he loved to rock climb and dive with his friends. They explored the Amalfi Coast and climbed to the top of the cliffs. He saw the turn-of-the-last-century villa he lives in now and decided he’d buy it one day. I never saw anyone work so hard to make that dream a reality.” She looked away from him. “You must be a workhorse, too.”

By now they’d reached the town of Amalfi. To Valentina it was a beguiling combination of mountains plunging to the sea with crags of picturesque villas and lush forests that took her breath.

“You’ve just described my ex-wife’s reason for wanting a divorce.” The unexpected revelation could explain one of the major reasons why their marriage had failed, but there had to be more to it than that. “Now that I have a son to raise, I’ve got to take another look at my life. I don’t want him to grow up accusing me of never being there for him.”

She bit her lip. “Was your father absent a lot?”

“Almost constantly. I see him more at work.”

“I grew up in a family where the men were married to their work. Having observed my brothers, it’s apparent to me that successful men have a hard time balancing their lives. Business has a way of consuming them.”

“But it shouldn’t,” he bit out. “Since I’m going to be raising Ric alone, I’m going to have to change the way I do business.”

“The fact that you want to be a more involved father is commendable.”

He darted her a glance. “But you’re not holding your breath.”

“You’ve already been an amazing father to Vito or he would never have cried his heart out when he had to leave you. At the park his eyes followed you every second. Your bond with him is so strong, I’ll admit I’ve been jealous.”

“Then it shouldn’t shock you that I’ve felt the same way about Ric’s attachment to you. But if our plan works, our problems will go away.”

Heaven willing. “Does your family know I’ll be staying with you for a few days?”

“No. I’ve decided to proceed on a need-to-know basis. Of course, everyone knows about the switch.”

“Are you worried that my staying with you will get back to your ex-wife?”

“Not at all, but for the time being it’s no one else’s business. My two older sisters have a bad habit of getting nosy.”

Valentina chuckled. “My family is like that, too.”

“Then we understand each other.”

“Definitely.”

“I take it your brother knows you’re here with me.”

“Yes. We talked last night.”