Read Online Rome for Always (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Collection) by Judy Angelo - Free Book Online

of her mouth
before Arie’s bottom even touched the chair. “You’ve been like Alice in Wonderland
these past couple of days. Something’s going on. Spill it.”
    Arie grimaced and shook her head then opened her mouth
to speak. She didn’t get far.
    “And don’t give me your usual story that everything’s
okay and it’s nothing. Farah called me. She told me what happened at the
luncheon.”
    Arie frowned. She wouldn’t have tagged the girl as a
tattletale. She could only hope she hadn’t told Lena everything. “What did she
tell you?” she asked, dreading the answer.
    “Everything,” Lena replied, her tone like the perfect
school marm. “The forgotten napkin rings, the 'little-girl-lost' look and the
baked flowers.”
    “They weren’t baked. They were rescued in time.”
    “Just barely.” Lena’s brows fell. “And they shouldn’t
need rescuing, either. What’s going on, Arie? Where’s your head?”
    It was the hint of frustration in Lena’s voice that made
Arie decide to give in. She would break her vow of silence because, in all
fairness to her partner, she had to explain her bad behavior. And besides, she
needed to get things off her chest. She needed to talk.
    She drew in her breath then let it out on a sigh. “I’m
in trouble, Lena.” She said the words like they were a death sentence. “Big
time.”
    That made Lena’s brows lift in surprise then the concern
returned to her eyes. “What is it? Let me know so I can help.”
    Arie shook her head. “Sorry. You can’t help me with this
one. When you’ve got a test to take you can’t take your friends along. You’ve
got to deal with it by yourself. You know how it is.”
    “No, I don’t know how it is. Now stop confusing the heck
out of me and tell me what you mean.”
    Arie shook her head again and gave her friend a wry
smile. “Want to go to Italy with me?”
    “Say what?”
    “I said, do you want to go to Italy with me? Rome wants
me to go to Italy to meet his family and I’m scared out of my wits.” Arie was
not ashamed to admit she was the biggest coward this side of New Orleans. “I
don’t wanna go,” she wailed and gave Lena a pout that would compete with any
two-year old's.
    “I don’t get it. Why wouldn’t you want to go? It’s not
like you’re some bum Rome would need to keep hidden till after the wedding.”
Lena gave a snort. “You’re a saint. What have you got to be scared of?”
    Arie shrugged then turned her palms up like she was
already accepting defeat. “What if they don’t like me? What if I’m not good
enough for their son?” Then, as the most worrying thought filled her mind, she
folded her arms across her chest. “What if they have a problem with my baby?”
    That made Lena fold her arms, too, but instead of the
words of sympathy Arie was expecting, the next words she heard were a reprimand.
“And what if they do?” her friend asked. “You’re not going to abandon your
child or your fiancée because of that, are you?”
    “No, of course not,” Arie snapped. “What kind of dumb
question is that?”
    “I’m glad you think it’s dumb.” Lena’s eyes flashed as
she leaned forward. “Whether they like it or not, you’ve got a child. Going to
Italy and dealing with them now is the best thing you could do. Get it out in
the open. You want absolutely no surprises at your wedding.”
    Arie thought about that for a moment. Lena was right, of
course. Practical as ever, she believed in a full frontal attack on all
problems. “Okay, L, as much as I hate the idea I’ll go.”
    Lena gave a satisfied nod. “You do that,” she said. “Just
be brave. Whatever will be will be.”
    Arie gave her a grudging nod. She only hoped that
whatever would be wasn’t that Rome would end up choosing his family over her
and Maya.
    She’d be going to Italy with all fingers and toes
crossed.
    ***
     
     
    “Are you okay?” Rome reached over and rested his hand on
top of Arie’s.
    Trying hard to look