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Holly pulled over Angelo’s toy box and extracted a red plastic truck that was a favourite ‘He likes this… Coffee?’ she asked

‘Black, no sugar,’ Vitoto know his son and learning how to play with hi than he had feared

Holly hted that Vito had had enough interest to coelo She could see hoard he felt with their child and knew that if she didn’t ht not want to make another visit Not that he had prepared very well for this first visit, she thought ruefully, wondering what he had thought a baby would do with a ure festooned in even tinier weapons

When she returned with the coffee, Angelo was sucking on his little red truck and refusing to share the toy with his father Holly got down on her knees beside therip on the truck and handed it to Vito For an instant he looked as though he had no idea what to do with the toy and then some childhood memory of his ownave a little-boy shout of appreciation

A little of Vito’s tension ebbed in receipt of that favourable response It shook him to appreciate that he had actually craved that first welconise him as his father, he wanted hi to appreciate that he hadn’t the faintest idea how to go about achieving those things

Holly parted her lips to say, ‘When you first ca that you needed to explain to me…?’

Vito’s lean, strong profile clenched and he sprang upright ‘Yes That sex-party scandal that made headlines,’ he framed with palpable distaste ‘That wasn’t me, it was my father, Ciccio’

As she too stood up, Holly’s mouth dropped open in shock ‘Your…father?’

‘I didn’t denyto protecther husband’s habits exposed so publicly,’ Vito explained grimly

Holly dropped down on the edge of the sofa behind her ‘Oh, oodness’

‘My mother could confirm the truth if you require further proof that I wasn’t involved What did happen that night was that I received a phone call in the early hours of theent medical attention,’ Vito told her, his delivery curt

‘The person calling refused to identify herself, and that should’ve been e I wondered why my father had taken ill at an apartment owned by the bank but thewith, and that I had been contacted like a clean-up crew in the hope of keeping the wild party under the radar’

Holly nodded slowly, not really knohat to say

‘My father had had a heart attack in the corimly ‘I had him collected by a private a instructed a trusted aide to dispose of all evidence of the party, I intended to joinoutside when I left and I wasto nah I had never met her in my life She probably lied because there was ed married man with a taste for sleaze’

‘So you took the blame for your parents’ sake?’ Holly whispered in wonderment