The Billionaire’s Prodigal Wife (Mackenna and Alessandro) novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Alessandro watched her across the table as she looked out across the restaurant uncomfortably. Not three syllables in succession had escaped her mouth since they’d left the hotel room. “If you are so uncomfortable with me, then perhaps we should go back to the room."

She looked up and bit her lip. “It isn’t you Alessandro. Derrick Portman is here with his family. He keeps staring over here. I just feel guilty."

“Why?” He grimaced at her. “I know he wanted to date you but what do you owe him?"

“He asked me out and I told him I wouldn’t until my divorce was final, but I asked him to wait.” She saw Alessandro’s hand tighten around the stem of his wine glass. “I didn’t tell him I slept with you in Milan. I was pregnant with your child, and I told him when my divorce was complete, I’d date him. He has been a friend a long time and I led him on. I just feel guilty.” She blew a long shaky breath outwards.

“You asked him to wait for you?” Alessandro spoke tightly as he turned to look at the man across the room. “You were really going to go through with this farce of a divorce and have another man’s baby?"

“He’s smart, funny, and handsome and he wanted me and only me. He’s professional and he’s made it clear he’s ready to settle down and he’s looking for someone to be with. I wanted to be the person he did it with."

“Why? You don’t love him.” Alessandro returned coldly.

“Do you actually think you’re the only man on the planet I might be able to love? “She asked in amazement. “People fall in and out of the love all the time Alessandro. I spent five years hating your guts because you chose to go to your mistress instead of staying with your wife. Is it really so far of a stretch to think I would have fallen in love with an attentive, kind compassionate man who wanted to be in my bed rather than one who wanted to run from it?"

“Did he make love to you?” Alessandro asked coldly his eyes still focused on the man who didn’t notice he was being watched. He was staring at Mackenna like a man obsessed.

only in the last few months he’s been single again and I’ve noticed him looking and I looked back. No, he didn’t make love to me,” she reconfirmed to her arrogant husband.

“Yes, he has.” Alessandro commented quietly.

“No, he hasn’t.” She retorted angrily as she covered her cheek with her palm and shielded her face from Derrick’s stare. “He didn’t even kiss me once."

Alessandro leaned forward then across the table. “Every night in the man’s dreams he undresses you; he takes you to his bed and he makes love to you all night long. I promise you the man thinks of it more than you want to admit. I bet he knows every nook and cranny of your body."

She was a furious shade of red now. “Alessandro. Stop it."

“He wants to make love to my wife, and I’m supposed to stop?” Alessandro demanded angrily.

“Alessandro, you won. I’ve already called Camille and my grandparents are over the moon I’m going back to Milan.” She prayed the words would change his focus on Derrick.

“You’ve called them already?” He sat back, his eyes narrowing on her.

“Yes. I called my grandparents first. They were excited about the baby.” It was so easy to change the topic of conversation when it had to do with him winning.

“And the viper?"

“Camille? She’s not a viper Alessandro. She’s a divorce attorney and she’s good at what she does."

“She threatened to castrate me.” Alessandro told her with a straight face. “She said she wanted to do it with a dull spoon."

“You showed up at her daughter’s baptism and threw a fit because she wouldn’t give you, my address.” She glared at him. “Her daughter’s baptism Alessandro! Do you know how angry I would be if someone did such a thing on our child’s special occasion?

Alessandro, I wouldn’t threaten to castrate you. I would do it. I would have splayed you out on the banquet table and removed your manhood with a pair of “I was desperate to find you.” He knew no shame. “You owe her and her family an apology.” “I will pay her bills.” He shrugged. “Alessandro. You owe her an apology."

“Fine. I will apologize.” He picked her fingers off the table and twined them through hers.

“What should I do to make it up to her?"

“I don’t know. I’m sure you’ll think of something."

“We’ll invite her to our baby’s baptism.” He grinned at her unrepentantly from across the table.

“You’re a jerk.” She muttered as she lifted her water glass. She took another peek and Derrick was still watching her intently. She felt like the biggest fool on the planet.

Alessandro would never give her an ounce of the respect Derrick would have. He could have made her a great husband and now she would never know.

“Stop looking at him. It only encourages his fantasy.” Alessandro sipped his wine and glared at her from across the table.

“Maybe I’m having some of my own.” She flicked an annoyed glance in his direction.

“Mackenna, if you continue in this manner, I will end this evening right now and we’ll leave. This is supposed to be a celebration of our renewed relationship and you are deliberately trying to provoke me."

Her blue eyes glistened with unshed tears as she bit her bottom lip. “I’m . celebrating my baby, not being shackled to you for all of eternity."

Her words caused him to snap the stem of his wine glass and he passed it to a waiter before dropping a pile of bills on the table and pulling her from the table and pushing her towards the entrance. She yanked on her arm, but he held her firmly, dragging her the way a parent removes a poorly behaved child. She was aware of Carlos and Nuncio looking in surprise at them as they rushed to the door.

As soon as they were outside, she turned on her heel and pulled away from him, uncaring she was drawing attention. She shoved his chest hard, but his feet didn’t whole life upside down without caring one ounce of how this affects me or my dreams or my heart. All you care about is what you want. The things I want, and need are thrown under the bus because they’re unimportant to you. If you want someone to do everything you want, call Dulce and I’m sure she’ll bend up like a pretzel just fine for you."

Carlos interrupted. “There is a photographer…"

“Screw the photographer,” Mackenna said furiously. “I don’t give a damn if there are a dozen photographers. Dulce would probably have an aneurysm if someone other than her was photographed with you. Well, lucky for her, I’ll never be hanging off your arm like she does so it makes for some boring photojournalism.” She walked away from him then swiping furiously at the tears streaming down her cheeks.

She heard him behind her order something be done about the paparazzi headed in her direction and then she heard his hard footsteps on the concrete coming up behind her.

She kept walking ignoring his calling of her name and when he gripped her elbow, she shoved it backwards hard and caught him by surprise in the solar plexus.

“Don’t touch me Alessandro. I might be having your baby and I might be stuck being married to an overbearing pompous jerk, but I don’t have to let you treat me like your child.” She glared at him furiously from the other side of a park bench where she’d jumped.

“You might have been twelve years older than me when you swept me off my feet in Milan, but I’ve grown up since then Alessandro and you seemed to have regressed to an immature, spoilt self-absorbed goon who thinks he can run roughshod over the people around him without repercussion. I will never, not ever, dine with you in a restaurant again because I will never give you the satisfaction of pulling such a humiliating stunt again."

“Mackenna, you are causing a scene.” He put his hand out to her. “Come to me and we’ll go back to the hotel and talk this out."

a scene? Throttling him seemed too easy. “No.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to be with you. I’m going back to my apartment and I’m spending the night there, alone."

He rubbed his hand over his face and then patted his chest automatically for his package of cigarettes and grimaced.

“Smoke two cigarettes, it might end my misery sooner,” she said nastily as she saw his movements and started to walk away from him again.

“I am not smoking any. When I realized we were bringing a child into our home, 1 decided to quit.” Just thinking of it made him want one but he forced the craving back as he tried to focus on making her calm down.

“Mackenna.” He started to speak but one of the first photographer’s counterparts rounded the corner and began snapping his photo. It took all of ten seconds for Nuncio to be on him but in the moment of distraction, he realized Mackenna had disappeared.

She had ducked into a shop to avoid the photographer and the way Nuncio was clutching him by the throat. She lifted her eyes to the woman behind the counter.“ Can I have a decaf vanilla latte please?” She than added a chocolate dipped biscotti to her order and fumed at Alessandro.

How could he go from being such a pain in her backside to endearing in a half-second?

His words had surprised her. He’d decided to quit smoking for their baby. He’d always said he enjoyed smoking and he’d have to have a very good reason to stop. She had never minded the taste of it when he kissed her, simply because he’d made her forget anything but kissing him. His clothes never seemed to smell of it and he was never someone who left ashtrays or cigarette butts around and so his habit had never bothered her. Yet to know he would put their child ahead of his own vice reminded her of all the good things he was, and she got irritated with him for being able to switch her emotions so easily.

His hand tight on her waist as she waited for her coffee told her he’d found her, and he wasn’t happy she’d disappeared for the last two minutes. “Do you want “Not particularly. Doctor Ingram said you shouldn’t have caffeine.” He watched the woman behind the counter preparing a coffee.

“Its decaf and I want something to soothe my nerves.” She didn’t look at him as he pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

“It’s always a coffee shop with you.” He whispered quietly. He had known of the first time she’d run from him had been to a coffee shop bathroom. He’d laughed at her but suddenly he wasn’t finding it amusing in the least. She was always running from him when he only wanted her to run to him.

“It’s where I was last month in Milan too.” She turned her head and looked at him and saw the surprised expression.

“I did not find you there,” he said quietly.

“I saw you go in,” she retorted, her tongue poking in her cheek with mirth at his displeasure. “You missed me by this much,” she held her fingers a smidge apart. “Is it my fault the only places open when you make me angry are coffee shops or pubs?"

He hugged her tight to his side, his arm caressing her gently. “I apologize, Mackenna. I am finding it difficult to adjust to you having a life outside of me.” He kissed her temple again. “Can you forgive me?"

“No.” She saw his wide-eyes and gave a sad smirk. “Did you think I would just say yes, and all would be well? You embarrassed me Alessandro. It was difficult enough sitting in a restaurant knowing people think I’m your doormat but for you to drag me out of there was humiliating."

He stroked her cheek as he took the brunt of the anger, he knew he deserved.“ How do I make it up to you? What can I do to make you feel you don’t have to hang your head in shame because you’re having our baby?"