She smiled, then quickly looked down at her daughter’s head, her eyes misting over, but not before she caught a gentle look in Matt’s eyes. He knew how much this meant to her.
They continued opening the presents. Olivia and Alex’s son, Scott, was disgusted that no one had bought Megan any boy-type gifts, but their six-year-old daughter, Renee, thought the doll was great.
“It’s bigger than Megan is,” Nick scoffed when he saw what Cesare and Isabel had given her.
Cesare puffed up with full confidence. “It won’t be long before she grows big enough to play with it.”
They moved into the dining room, where the party carried on. Matt had decorated it with balloons and streamers and Ruth had made a selection of party foods for everyone. There was a birthday cake shaped like a teddy bear and they all sang “Happy Birthday” while Megan sat at the head of the table in her high chair.
For a moment Lana thought Megan might cry, but Matt waved a streamer in front of her face and that caught the little girl’s attention.
The song finished and Isabel leaned toward Lana. “Doesn’t she look cute?”
A soft curve touched Lana’s lips. “Yes, she—”
“Da-Da.”
Lana blinked. Had she just heard right?
“Da-Da.”
There was a moment’s silence.
“Did she just say Da-Da?” Alex asked.
Lana looked at Matt, who seemed to be rooted to the floor. She’d heard, but had Matt?
“Yeah, she did,” Nick said. “Matt, did—”
“Oh my God,” Matt muttered, “she called me Da-Da.” A look of pride burst in his eyes, turning Lana’s heart over with love. Suddenly he whooped with joy and spun toward her. “Lana, did you hear her? She called me Da-Da.”
Without warning, Lana was pulled into his arms. He kissed her hard and quick, before he eased away, their gazes locking and sharing the moment.
She blinked back tears of joy. “Yes, I heard her, Matt,” she said huskily.
Matt kissed her again, then let her go and turned to Megan, scooping her out of her high chair. “Come on, you little darling. Come to Da-Da.”
Lana watched the two of them together. Matt un-ashamedly kissed his daughter’s cheek, then hugged her tight, and Lana’s love for him…for them both…filled her until she thought she might die with the depth of it.
Everyone started to laugh and joke, but she couldn’t have smiled to save her life.
The moment was too emotional.
And then she became conscious of Cesare watching her from across the room, the intensity in his eyes telling her he realized she loved his son.
She looked away. She couldn’t admit it to the older man, not even in a look. Her love for Matt was something she never wanted anyone to know.
As if drawn by a magnet, her eyes found their way back to her father-in-law. She couldn’t help herself. He inclined his head, telling her in his own way that he was pleased about it.
Her throat closed up and she turned and left quietly to go to the living room, needing time to gather herself together. She didn’t want anyone else reading her mind.
Or her emotions.
It was bad enough that Cesare had.
Okay, take a deep breath. It was her emotions she had to get under control right now. This was her daughter’s first birthday. She needed to concentrate on that.
It would be the first of many, she prayed.
Many happy birthdays.
She would make sure of that. Her daughter would know only love and happiness from her parents.
Unlike her own childhood.
And when Megan was old enough, Lana knew she would make sure her daughter didn’t feel any blame over her parents’ marriage. To give Megan the Valente name may have been the reason for her and Matt’s marriage, but only because they loved her enough to put her first, not because it was expected of them.
“Lana?”
The hint of Italian accent told her Cesare had followed her.
She planted a smile on her face and turned to face him. “Cesare, what are you doing here? You should be back there with your family.”
“They’re your family, too, Lana.”
She said nothing. She wanted to believe that, but they both knew she was only here because of Megan.
“You love my son.”
She gasped, then looked behind him in case anyone else had followed and heard. Luckily they hadn’t.
“I don’t know where you’d get that idea.”
“I saw the love in your eyes, Lana.”
She winced inwardly. “For Megan’s sake, that’s all. I’m thrilled Matt loves her so much. He’s a wonderful father.”
“Naturally,” Cesare said, inclining his head in the Valente manner. “But it’s more than that. I’ve been married three times, cara. I know that look of love in a woman.”
She tried to act nonchalant. “You’re wrong, Cesare.”
“I’m never wrong.”
“Cesare, look, even if it were true, don’t get your hopes up. Matt will never fall in love with me. He doesn’t want to fall in love with any woman. He likes his freedom too much.”
Cesare held her gaze. “You’ve asked him that, have you?”
“He told me that before we were married.”
“He didn’t know you then. Now he does.”
That was true. Matt had believed her a thief at first, but now he didn’t.
Hope rose inside her for a moment.
Then died.
“Cesare, it isn’t a matter of knowing me. It’s a matter of Matt knowing himself. He’s a playboy. There’s simply no possibility he would want to make this a permanent arrangement.”
“Lana—”
“Cesare, please don’t look for something on his part that’s not there.”
He drew himself up. “I don’t need to look further than my naso.” He tapped his nose. “But perhaps you do, cara,” he said pointedly, then turned and left the room.
Lana released a slow breath. Cesare was a good man. He loved his wife and family and would always be there for them. Unlike her own father…
And then she realized something.
Matt was like his father.
He was a good man, too.
He wasn’t in the least like her own father. Up until now, deep down she’d been judging Matt by her father’s standards. And that was wrong. Matt was a far, far better man than her father had ever been.