long drive from the airport. Dinner is ready, if you’re hungry, Ava.” Joel’s mom smiled at her.
“I’m famished.”
Joel surveyed the room, with its china place settings and crystal goblets. He nodded at servants, then they sat, and soup was served.
“No one else is here, Joel. They’re all afraid they’ll say the wrong thing and be too happy and hurt you.”
He scowled. “They won’t. Hurt isn’t something I feel anymore.”
“Hurt him?” Ava tilted her head in query. Joel wasn’t a man who allowed himself to suffer. What was his mother talking about?
“No wine for her,” Joel said to a servant pouring a ruby marsala into Ava’s glass. “She may have juice or milk.”
The servant nodded and disappeared with the offending glass into the kitchen.
“Will you let me speak for myself?” Ava shot him a dirty look.
He shrugged then ignored her to focus on the chef. Joel ordered something in Italian, but Ava didn’t doubt it would be as delicious as the soup. She watched as the efficient, round man disappeared into the kitchen, then returned her attention to Joel’s mother.
“I thought Joel was an only child,” Ava said to Sophia.
“Oh no, cara . Joel has two brothers and a sister. All married and each with children. I have a total of seven grandchildren. I would have had—”
“Enough, Mother,” he sliced over Sophia’s words.
His mother’s color darkened, and she covered her mouth, as if she’d almost said something forbidden. Then she dropped her hand away. “Joel avoids us. Before the accident, we were all so close. Our family would meet here every holiday. Back then, he was at the villa at least once a month. Now we’re lucky to see him once a year. Oh, I know it’s too painful to see—”
“It’s not painful.” He shook his head. “I’m busy running Stanfield’s multi-billion dollar company, so everyone else can jet around and live the lavish life. As for the past, let’s leave that buried. It doesn’t affect the now. The now is all about getting to know my bride, Ava.”
His mother’s cheeks stained a deeper red. “You’re right. I talk too much about the past when I should be celebrating the future. When is the baby due?”
Ava, who had just taken a sip of her lemon water, coughed as liquid burned down the wrong pipe.
As the night wore on, Ava found she enjoyed dinner and talking to Joel’s mother. And, in spite of his command, she did find out some things about Joel’s past.
Not about the dreaded accident that had pried Joel away from his family. But about how Joel had always been a strong, willful boy. How he’d taken over the failing family business after his father’s death. How Joel had done what none of his other siblings had wanted or been able to do—give the company new life and make Stanfield International into the financial success it was.
Then she’d learned about his brothers and sister, and she’d started to see she and Joel had more in common than she’d first thought. Both of them came from a big family. Both of them were successful. Her success was thanks to Joel’s.
But now she had confirmed what she’d always known in her heart—Joel kept a dark, painful secret. With the bits of information here and there, she started to piece the puzzle together. She learned why Joel refused to allow anyone close, why he was so emotionally absent.
Joel had been in love with a woman, and some accident had torn her away from him and turned his heart to granite.
Or maybe Joel was still in love with the woman he’d lost in that accident. Maybe that was why he could never surrender his heart again. Thinking about that sliced through Ava, and sadness welled up in her chest.
“It’s time for Ava to rest,” Joel said in his dictator voice.
“For God’s sake, Joel, I’m not a child.” Ava frowned at him. “You’re such a—”
Joel’s mom reached across and patted her arm. “Don’t be hard on him, cara . He’s doing what he’s
“I’m famished.”
Joel surveyed the room, with its china place settings and crystal goblets. He nodded at servants, then they sat, and soup was served.
“No one else is here, Joel. They’re all afraid they’ll say the wrong thing and be too happy and hurt you.”
He scowled. “They won’t. Hurt isn’t something I feel anymore.”
“Hurt him?” Ava tilted her head in query. Joel wasn’t a man who allowed himself to suffer. What was his mother talking about?
“No wine for her,” Joel said to a servant pouring a ruby marsala into Ava’s glass. “She may have juice or milk.”
The servant nodded and disappeared with the offending glass into the kitchen.
“Will you let me speak for myself?” Ava shot him a dirty look.
He shrugged then ignored her to focus on the chef. Joel ordered something in Italian, but Ava didn’t doubt it would be as delicious as the soup. She watched as the efficient, round man disappeared into the kitchen, then returned her attention to Joel’s mother.
“I thought Joel was an only child,” Ava said to Sophia.
“Oh no, cara . Joel has two brothers and a sister. All married and each with children. I have a total of seven grandchildren. I would have had—”
“Enough, Mother,” he sliced over Sophia’s words.
His mother’s color darkened, and she covered her mouth, as if she’d almost said something forbidden. Then she dropped her hand away. “Joel avoids us. Before the accident, we were all so close. Our family would meet here every holiday. Back then, he was at the villa at least once a month. Now we’re lucky to see him once a year. Oh, I know it’s too painful to see—”
“It’s not painful.” He shook his head. “I’m busy running Stanfield’s multi-billion dollar company, so everyone else can jet around and live the lavish life. As for the past, let’s leave that buried. It doesn’t affect the now. The now is all about getting to know my bride, Ava.”
His mother’s cheeks stained a deeper red. “You’re right. I talk too much about the past when I should be celebrating the future. When is the baby due?”
Ava, who had just taken a sip of her lemon water, coughed as liquid burned down the wrong pipe.
As the night wore on, Ava found she enjoyed dinner and talking to Joel’s mother. And, in spite of his command, she did find out some things about Joel’s past.
Not about the dreaded accident that had pried Joel away from his family. But about how Joel had always been a strong, willful boy. How he’d taken over the failing family business after his father’s death. How Joel had done what none of his other siblings had wanted or been able to do—give the company new life and make Stanfield International into the financial success it was.
Then she’d learned about his brothers and sister, and she’d started to see she and Joel had more in common than she’d first thought. Both of them came from a big family. Both of them were successful. Her success was thanks to Joel’s.
But now she had confirmed what she’d always known in her heart—Joel kept a dark, painful secret. With the bits of information here and there, she started to piece the puzzle together. She learned why Joel refused to allow anyone close, why he was so emotionally absent.
Joel had been in love with a woman, and some accident had torn her away from him and turned his heart to granite.
Or maybe Joel was still in love with the woman he’d lost in that accident. Maybe that was why he could never surrender his heart again. Thinking about that sliced through Ava, and sadness welled up in her chest.
“It’s time for Ava to rest,” Joel said in his dictator voice.
“For God’s sake, Joel, I’m not a child.” Ava frowned at him. “You’re such a—”
Joel’s mom reached across and patted her arm. “Don’t be hard on him, cara . He’s doing what he’s
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