Happy Mother's Day!

EPILOGUE


‘SO WHAT’S it like working with your wife, Signor Palladio?’

Gianluca smiled at the reporter. ‘I’ve worked with her before. It’s how we met.’ And then he shook his head to negate any more questions before climbing into the back of the limousine beside Aisling.

The car gathered speed and she snuggled in next to him. To huge international fanfare, they had signed on theVinoly hotel that very morning and were now going home to the vineyard, to where Claudio was waiting for them.

‘I can’t wait to see him,’ Aisling murmured.

He smiled. ‘Me, neither.’

‘Though I feel a little guilty sometimes, caro,’ she admitted softly. ‘For leaving my child.’

‘All women seem to feel that guilt,’ Gianluca observed thoughtfully as he traced his finger around the sensual curves of her lips. ‘But you work such limited hours—it’s a perfect arrangement.’

It was indeed. Secure in Gianluca’s love, Aisling had been able to make the decision about what her working future would entail, and it had been deliciously easy. She wanted her family—her precious little family—to be the number one priority.

So she had sold her share of the business to Suzy—and acted as Gianluca’s part-time Human Resource Consultant in Italy. It suited them all very well—though the press found it endlessly fascinating that such a famous bachelor should have embraced such a close partnership with his wife, and with such enthusiasm.

Aisling adored her new life—with her darling Gianluca and adorable baby. Sometimes she woke up in the morning feeling as though she were still in a wonderful dream of living in the soft, Umbrian countryside and experiencing its simple values and community closeness. But she and her successful husband were able to pick up their metropolitan existence any time they liked.

In order to appease all their disappointed friends who hadn’t been invited to the wedding, they were throwing a huge house-party at the vineyard this weekend and people were flying in for it from all over the world.

‘Just find us a hunk like Gianluca!’ Suzy and Ginger had begged.

‘I’ll try,’ Aisling had promised, laughing—knowing deep down that there was no other man in the world who could hold a candle to him.

Gianluca was watching her as the fields passed by in an emerald blur. ‘Happy?’ he murmured.

‘Blissfully.’ She turned to him as he began to unclip her hair with that look of sexy intent which had her stomach dissolving with anticipation.

‘So, why,’ she giggled as it began to spill down over her smart work-suit in a way which made her feel quite decadent—which was exactly what he intended her to feel, ‘wouldn’t you let me cut it when I wanted to?’

‘Because …’ Gianluca lifted a long dark strand of hair away from her face and wound it round and round his hand so that it brought her face right up close to his and she could feel the warmth of his breath. ‘Because your long hair was always the one factor which defied your practical nature, and I’ve decided that I would miss it, cara.’

‘But … but I thought you hated the chignon!’ she protested breathlessly.

‘No.’ He began to drift his lips across the silk satin of her mouth. ‘I just didn’t like what it represented. Little Miss Uptight. Now I enjoy the contrast of your different looks.’ And these days she presented him with so many that he was spoilt for choice.

His own Aisling. Cara bella.

Wife. Mother. Soul mate.